"JAMES!!!!!!!!!" Just before James went over the edge, he turned around quickly to see Jessie sprinting toward him; then in the blink of an eye she sprang out and caught him before he fell off, and they both fell to the ground. Panting, Jessie pulled James back away from the cliff.

"James….what do you think you’re doing?!" Jessie held him by the shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. James was speechless. All he could do was throw his arms around Jessie and sob into her shoulder.

"Oh Jessie!! You came back! I couldn’t live without you…..so I was going to end my life….but now…..now you’re back here….are you here to stay?"

"Yes, James. I’m going to stay forever, I promise. But James…" Jessie said, pulling his face up to meet hers. "If we’re going to die, we’re going to die together." James nodded slowly, gazing at Jessie deeply with his sparkly emerlald watery eyes. Then he was holding her again, and Jessie knew she didn’t want to let go of him either.

"I’m so glad you’re back…" James whispered into her hair, slowly playing his hands along her back.

We’re the same and you don’t even know it
We’re afraid and we try not to show it
And you’re tired and I am too
So there’s only one thing you can do
You’ve got to hold me and tell me what you need
Don’t be afraid of what you’re feeling
When you know me then I’ll never want to leave
You just hold on to me

When we’re apart….I still feel together
I still believe…..in a thing called forever
But we’re drifting apart it’s true
And it’s breaking my heart in two
We’ll drive away where no one can find us
It’s time to leave those dark days behind us
In my dreams, it’s always you
So there’s only one thing we can do…..

James then noticed Jessie crying and took his face in her hands.

"Don’t cry Jess…." he said, trying to stop crying himself.

"But James….I promised you that we’d be best friends forever….and what kind of best friend goes and just leaves like I did? I’m so selfish….I can’t believe I did that. But…if you can find it in your heart to forgive me….maybe we can start over with the promise that we’ll always be together…." Jessie closed her eyes and more tears fell, and slowly James wiped them away as he gently held her fragile face in his hands.

"Jessie….it hurt me so much when you left…but now you’re back; and that’s all that matters to me. I could never, ever be mad at you for any reason at all….do you know why?"

"Why?" Jessie whispered, opening watery eyes again to look at James, who pulled her into a tight embrace again, then slowly he whispered into her ear:

"Because I love you."

TO BE CONTINUED……