Christmas Cookies

"Okay."

"Your whole life is here. Your music. People come to watch you play."

Rowan smiled sadly and looked down at their hands. "That's not my life. Ever since you left, I've felt like something was missing. I don't care about this place. I care about you. You're my life. Let me come with you."

"To Japan?" Jason was dumbfounded.

"Yes. I can make music anywhere." She was crying. "I feel like we finally found each other. I don't want to lose you again."

He couldn't believe she was offering the same thing he was trying to.

Jason laughed. "Baby, you're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere. And you're not moving to Japan. We're going to live here. Right here in this tiny apartment. Together."

"You want to move back to Texas?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

"Jason, how will you manage that? You think they'll transfer you here?"

Jason shrugged. "I'll quit."

Ro scoffed. "You can't just quit the Marines. Can you?"

"Sure. It's not a prison."

"Do you want to?"

"You should know this by now, but I'd do anything for you."

"Oh, Jason, I don't want you to give up something you love for me."

"There's nothing I love more than you."

"We should live in Japan! I've always wanted to come visit you there."

"Honestly, Ro, I don't care where we live as long as we're together. But we should stay in Austin. I'm ready to leave the Marines. Not just because of you."

"What would you do?"

"I don't know. I could be a mechanic. Or a bartender. You could probably hook me up."

"What will we tell people? About us? Are we going to be brother and sister or a couple?"

"We should probably be a couple, don't you think? We'll be sharing a one bedroom apartment."

"Yeah, but I talk about you all the time. My friends might guess who you are."

"That's sweet." He smiled warmly.

"How many Jason-the-Marines can one girl know?"

"We will figure all that out."

"Mom will be so happy. But Jason, I really would be glad to move to Japan if you don't want to quit."

"I know. I guess we are both willing to uproot our lives to be together. I can't believe my luck."

Rowan chuckled.

"I'm so fucking glad you're in love with me. I can't wait to tell my therapist."

"You're going to tell your therapist about this? You think he'll have us arrested?"

"No, I think he'll have a heart attack."

"So what you're saying is he'll be the one getting arrested. Cardiac arrested?"

Jason snorted. He couldn't wait to laugh at her dumb jokes for as long as she would let him. He leaned over the tray of pancakes to kiss her. It was such a simple thing, but it gave him so much happiness to do what he'd longed to for well over a year now. He remarked at how quickly his life had changed for the better. He didn't know what the future held as far as a career went, but he knew as long as he had her, he could do anything. He had the world.

<em>The End</em>

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed!