Her birthday was coming up. Another year of being single and alone. Each year she would pray that by the next year, he would ask her to be more than just a friend. But each year, it became a bigger disappointment. She would never give up hope though. One day, one day they'd be together. Happy. In love. Far away somewhere, where they could forget about life for a while.
The buzz of her cell phone startled her. She looked down and saw his name. Slightly confused to why he was calling her instead of sending the usual text, she answered. His amazing voice flooded her ears and her heart began to melt again, as she heard him ask her to meet him at his house the following saturday. Nothing unusual about that. They had gone out on what most people would consider to be a date many times before, and quite frequently hung out at his house. But this time it was different because he told her to wear her new red dress, and that they were going to dinner in the city. She was so excited. She said she would meet him at 6 next saturday. One more thing, he said don't be late. Slightly confused since she was never late to anything, she hung up the phone.
The hole in her heart seemed to close for a moment, then she began to feel just how far away next saturday was. Everything in her life was a countdown to when she would see his face again. He had been gone for a while at college. Every few weekends, he would come home, take her out for lunch, and they would talk about life. It was always something to look forward to, but never anything serious.
This was different. They had never gone to dinner in the city before, let alone dressed up. She had, however, made up her mind that she would never assume they were going on a real date unless he said those words himself. She had been disappointed too many times before. Was it too much to hope this time? She decided to not let herself think that way, once again. They were just friends; probably always would be.
The week seemed to drag on as it always did when she was excited. He always told her she became way too excited about so many things, and should try to calm down and let things happen. That was impossible though. She was passionate about many things, and that made her very excited. Her state of chill was almost non existent.
Saturday was finally here. She slept in as long as she could so that 6 o'clock would come faster. She took a shower and lathered herself in the body wash she had just purchased just for this day. She did her hair and makeup very carefully. Looking her best was always on her mind, especially when she was going to see him. As she pulled her new red dress over her head and down to her legs, she glanced in the mirror. Never once did she look at herself and think she was beautiful. But tonight, she thought she was closer than ever. After applying some lipstick, spraying on some perfume, and then sliding on her new pair of heels, she grabbed her purse and jumped in her car, praying it would start as usual. The roar of the engine made her heart skip a beat as she thought of seeing him once again.
It was a 20 minute drive to his house. Never once did she ever drive the speed limit to get there. She knew she shouldn't rush because she had plenty of time, but the thought of hearing his voice, seeing his smile, and having him wrap his arms tightly around her again made her want to get there as fast as she possibly could.
As she pulled down his road, she saw his silver nissan. It was the car she had spent many days riding in the passenger seat. They would go for a drive, listen to his latest collection of music, sing their hearts out, and laugh a lot. He always drove with the windows down, and would tease her about how her hair would always looked messy when they reached their destination. She didn't care. It made her smile.
The car door slammed shut, and she quickly walked to the front door. She didn't knock, just walked right in as she always did. She rushed to his room, where he was waiting. One look at her blew him away. She was stunning. She ran into his arms and just stayed there for a moment. He always smelled so good, and she always told him that. He would just laugh. They exchanged a few words about missing each other and how nice it was to see you again. He grabbed his jacket, and asked her if she was ready for an adventure. Well why wouldn't she be? So they walked down the stairs, out the door, and he walked around to open her car door. He had never done that before, so she was pleasantly surprised. He closed the door, and got into the drivers seat; asked her what music she would like to listen to. She never knew what to say because he had so much. She enjoyed listening to almost anything he would play. He handed her his iPod as he started his car. 160 GB worth of music was a lot to choose from, but she knew what song she wanted to listen to. It was one of the first songs he had ever given her. It reminded her of her favorite day they had spent together. It started playing, and he smiled. Whether he knew it or not, she related a lot of songs to their time together, and had her own playlist of songs that would make her think of him.
It was a long drive into the city. She sure didn't mind. All she cared about was that they were together again. They talked about life, and school, and recalled a few past memories. He told her that it was a surprise where they were going, and that he knew how much she hated surprises. So he wanted to keep her in suspense. She rolled her eyes and thought to herself about how well they knew each other. One day, she kept telling herself, he would realize that.
As they came through the tunnel, the city lights were shining bright. She loved this view and hoped that one day she would live in a skyscraper apartment building that overlooked the city. The busy city life excited her, as it did him. She stared out the window and watched the cars passing by.
He found a parking garage, got the ticket, handed it to her for safe keeping, and they walked out into the big city. She grabbed his hand and they started walking til they reached the restaurant. He gave the host his name, she grabbed two menus and said to follow her. She led them to a small candle lit table on the patio. He pulled out her chair and she sat down. They glanced through their menus, ordered their food and there they were: alone, together at last. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. To him, she was absolutely gorgeous. It bothered him that she couldn't see it. She too could not take her eyes off of him. He had the most beautiful green eyes, the most amazing hair, and his smile lit up the world. As they gazed into each other's eyes, he said he had something to tell her.
Her heart skipped a beat again. Could it be that he was going to finally ask her to be his? Or was he going to disappoint her once again?
He opened his mouth about to speak. Then closed. He said he didn't know how to say this. She waited in anticipation. Then he said it. She was so confused that she made him repeat it. He said he was leaving. He had accepted a job in Japan. It was what he had always dreamed of. She tried as hard as she could to hold back her disappointment and sadness. She said that she was very happy for him.
Once again. She was going to be left alone. And this time, he wouldn't be coming back.
They got their food, and sat in silence for a while. He looked at her and told her to talk to him. He realized her face had dropped. She looked at him, and couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears. Mascara and eyeliner started running down her face and she got out of her seat and walked over to the overlook. He followed her. He grabbed her in his arms and told her not to cry. She said she couldn't stop. She couldn't handle it. She just stared off into the city. Tears streaming down her face.
Then he let go of her for a minute. He reached in his pocket for something. Maybe she thought it was a tissue. But when she turned around and looked, he was down on one knee. He looked up at her and told her how he had thought long and hard about accepting this job. He knew how much she would hate to have him leave. And when he thought about it, he couldn't live without her either. His only option was this. He opened the small box in his hand, which contained a ring. He looked into her eyes, told her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and asked if she would come with him to Japan, and be his wife.
The huge hole that had just developed in her heart all of a sudden disappeared. She squealed for joy and screamed yes yes yes as he stood to his feet. He pulled her close and kissed her lips. No more waiting. No more tears. No more lonely nights. He was finally hers and would be forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment