Free Roses in the Sand by CS Patra Page B

don’t want to change you. One of the reasons I fell in love with you is because of how simple and sweet you were. Never lose that.”
     
    “You really like how simple and sweet I am?”
     
    “Absolutely. You’re a change from all the girls that I have been with in the past. You don’t have the tattoos or piercings or any of the crazy clothes or hair. You’re just straightforward, honest, and the nicest person I’ve ever met. You’re telling me exactly what you want. Even though I predicted it, I appreciate your honesty. It’s truly refreshing.”
     
    “Well, I had to be true to you and myself,” Lily said. “I can’t jump into something that I know nothing about. I’m afraid of making mistakes and taking risks. That’s not the kind of person I am.”
     
    “You’re right. That’s the kind of person I am.”
     
    “I just want you to know one thing,” Johanna said. “Every moment that I have spent with you is worth more than all the fan adoration in the world.”
     
    “I wish you could come home with me,” Lily murmured. “I wanted to keep you forever.”
     
    “We’ll meet each other again someday. We’ve gone too far for anyone to pull us apart now. I know where you live and we’ll always be talking to each other,” she said. “At the end of the day, I think it is best if we just went our separate ways.”
     
    “I’m going to miss you so much,” Lily whispered. “I got what I was hoping for and then some. You were an experience that I don’t think I’m ever going to forget.”
     
    “Likewise,” Johanna gave her a kiss. “I’ll see you again, Lily. I promise that the next time we meet, it’s going to be different. The next time that we see each other, I know we will be able to spend eternity with each other.”
     
    “God, I hope you’re right. That’s the only thing I’ve really wanted.”
     
    Lily could feel her heart splitting in two, but she didn’t want Johanna to see it. She felt like she was slowly coming undone and only Johanna could put her back together. However, this was how it was meant to be. This was what they both needed in the end. Some time apart would bring them back closer and stronger than before. She shuddered as Johanna pulled her into a hug. Being in her arms made Lily never want to leave them.
     
    “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Stay as long as you like.”
     
    “I can’t,” Johanna murmured, slowly pulling away from her. It was painful but she had to do it. “I have to let go, Lily. I have a flight to catch.”
     
    On the way to the airport, Johanna could feel an emptiness inside of her. She was already missing Lily and her thick red curls. She missed the way her lips tasted and the kisses that they would give each other. She missed Lily’s gentle embrace and how she would draw all kinds of things in the sand. She still remembered the poorly drawn roses in the sand. Lily had been apologetic, but Johanna found them to be the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They were a symbol of their love drawn into the sand. Johanna had gone down to the shore and noticed that they had been wiped clean, but it didn’t matter. They could draw a million roses in the sand. Their love was eternal.
     
    At times like this, Johanna wished that she could play the guitar because she could strum the strings for a little bit. As it was, she was a drummer. A drummer kept the beat going. It was hard to do that now because her heart was breaking piece by piece. She asked the driver to put on some music and a sad song came on the radio. This was not what she wanted to hear at the moment. She needed something more peppy to make her forget about Lily.
     
    Oh, but how could she forget about her? The past few days with Lily had been worth it. They had given her new meaning into her life. Lily alone had been a good reason to wake up in the morning and live each day to the fullest. How was she supposed to enjoy this tour without the woman she loved?
     
    The