Jar of Love

Two lovers come together, then one ends up dying.

    They came together in a flurry of kisses, just as they always did. Her hands went to hold his own pair that were scrounging around her body for a piece of untouched flesh. The sound of her name whispered from his lips sent ripples down her spine. "Arial."

    When their greetings were over, they quickly closed the blinds and continued calling their love for each other in a different room. "Joseph," she called from the bedroom. He had slipped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water; it was a long bike ride from school to her house.

    "Yes, my ripened rose?" he called back. In the other room she was rolling her eyes. They often joked about the age difference, but it wasn't often that a lady enjoyed being called "ripened".  

    "Just get your young a*s in here." He could hear the smirk in her voice. It wasn't all he heard, though; he heard the urgency. She was back in his arms before long and they both got what they had long waited for.

    Just a few short hours later, Joseph looked over at the clock that sat upon Arial's nightstand, then back down at the lover that rested her head snuggly against his chest. "Arial," he murmured. She wouldn't look up at him; she knew what time it was. Her arms constricted around his body. "Hon, I've got to go. My parents will notice if I'm gone much longer."

    "Get an emancipation," she groaned. "And  just stay with me. Stay here."

    "You know why that can't happen," he mumbled, now frustrated with their situation. He kissed her forehead. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down for another kiss. This time he groaned. "Arial, you're not making this any easier." With a sigh, he moved away and started pulling on his clothes. Then he heard the car in the driveway. He looked over at Arial and could tell who it was by the look on her face.

    "Get out, get out, get out," she cried frantically, then pulled on a bathrobe. She scurried to the bathroom, tipped her head over into the sink, and ran water through her hair until it was soaked; then she towel dried it, sprayed down the bathtub with the shower head, and returned to her room. Joseph still stood there dumbly with his shirt in his hands. "Come on, get dressed," she hissed, sounding furious.

    "I'm going to die," he said, dumbstruck.

    "Not if you get your a*s out of here."

    It was too late. The front door creaked open. "Honey?" a voice echoed down the hall. "I'm home early. I brought a surprise."

    "I'll be there in a moment, Jason," she called back. "I just got out of the bath." She turned to Joseph and shooed him off. "There's a window," she whispered. "Go through it."

    They both heard Jason's footsteps as he began walking down the hallway. Joseph dashed out the window and ended up falling into the bushes. "Do we have cats in the neighborhood?" Jason snorted and walked into the room. He pulled her into his arms and she sighed, then rested her head in the cradle of his shoulder.

    Joseph peeked in through the bushes and burned with jealousy. He pulled on his shirt, hopped on his bike, and left. The sight of his lover in another man's arms made him furious. Something had to be done.

---
    
    Joseph rode to Arial's house the next day directly after school. He hopped off and pounded on the door. "Arial," he called. She answered the door with a surprised smile.

    "Oh, hi there," she greeted, then stepped aside for him to enter. She closed the door after him and stepped toward him. He stepped back.

    "Arial, we need to talk," he sighed. She groaned and her hand fluttered up to her head.
    "Joseph, my love," she said softly, then reached her hand out to grab his t-shirt. He grabbed her hands, then held them. His eyes were downcast.

    "Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be." She interrupted him.

    "You knew when this started that I was married!" she cried, held up her hand, and pointed at the diamond ring on her finger.

    "I know, but I'd never seen it before. I saw you two yesterday and--" He cut off and looked away. "Look, I just can't take it, alright? I can't risk dying, either. If he caught me, we both know would happen." He looked up at her again. "Arial, please, can we talk every now and then? Maybe sit down and have tea? But we can't do this anymore."

    Arial drew her hands away and brushed them off as though he were a contaminant, then nodded and brusquely shooed him to the door. "Alright, but not today." Her voice turned hard. "I have something I need to do."

    "Alright," Joseph sighed and stumbled out the door. "I'm sorry, Arial. I really do love you," he tried to excuse.

    "Just get out," she told him, her voice stern and angry. He hurried out.

---

    A couple of weeks later, Joseph received a phone call. He was among friends, and when they saw the surprised look on his face when he answered the phone, they all leaned in to listen. "Arial?" he whispered. "Yes, of course I wanted to. ... No, I'm not.  ... I can be there tomorrow. ... Of course." He smiled. "Bye, Arial." The boys around him hooted and hollered about the mystery girlfriend. He just brushed them off with a blushing smile.

    When he arrived at her door the next day, he was excited to see her smiling face. His hands rustled against his pants and he looked around, almost nervously, until the door opened. He beamed when he saw her. "Hey," he greeted, then stepped in. She smiled and hugged him tight, but they didn't kiss. He wouldn't do it.

    She pulled him over to a pair of chairs and beckoned him to sit down. There was coffee ready and set on the table. Everything was happy and smiles while they drank their coffee and chatted.

    "How's school going?" she wanted to know.

    "Good. I'm passing all of my classes. French class has been getting really interesting. Oh, and I got a great score on my SATs."

    "That's great. You really are doing good." She doted on him like a mother on a child for a while, then stood up to put the dishes back in the kitchen when they were finished. "Thanks for coming," she told him when she returned.

    He had his back to her as he swirled his finger around in a spilled drop of coffee. "It was my pleasure, really. I wish I could stay longer, but I should probably go do homework soon."

    "Oh, but you can stay longer," she told him, then wrapped a rope around his body, tying her to the chair.

    "Very funny, Arial," he sighed. "You know we can't do that anymore." She turned him around and petted his hair.

    "Do what?" she asked innocently.

    "This." He waved his hands that helplessly stuck out of his bindings.

    She scoffed, then slid into his lap. "Oh, come on, Joseph. Just one kiss." She whispered the last words against his lips, and he finally gave in. They kissed one last time before she got up and pulled out a knife.

    "Woah, wait a minute, Arial!" He squirmed in the rope, then cursed. It was too tight. "Arial, let me out. Please, Arial. Please. I'm sorry!" She walked closer to him with a smile.

    "Oh, Joseph. I love you, my darling little Joseph." She kissed his forehead. "I thought you wanted to be with me forever? Oh, my Joseph." She let the tip of the knife tickle his cheek. The cold steel was replaced by hot tears.

    "Please don't do this," he whispered.

    "Now we will be together forever." The knife ripped into his chest and he gave a strangled scream. Her cutting was careful and intricate, though done with a large blade. A circle was cut into his chest and she dug around his ribs until he managed to get the treasure within that she was seeking. Out came his heart. She dropped it into a jar, closed the lid, and pulled out a red sharpie. Across the side, she wrote, "LOVE".

---

    Jason signed "hello" to his deaf neighbors, then walked through the door to find a sparkling clean home. "Hey, honey," he called. "You've been busy, huh?" He saw her sitting in the rocking chair in the living room. A white bundle was in her arms. He looked at her funny. "What's that? A doll?" he asked.

    "Just practicing for when we have a baby," she replied.

Reviews

[WriterMe]

Wow. I mean, just wow. This was definitely, something out of the ordinary. Not exactly much like your other writes, but its not that different from them either. I sort of like the sardonic tone is possessed. You mixed quite a number of emotions here, lust, love, melancholy, fury, innocent, greed and so much more.
Always a pleasure to read your work =]

---Niki