She Loves Him

She said with deep emotion: "I blessed the day I found you, I want to stay around you, now and forever, let it be me."

He didn't know how long he stared at her, but it must have been enough time for the sun to reach its zenith. It was warm, and when she finally looked up from where her eyes had previously been on the ground, she blinked in surprise as sunlight shone directly into them. When their gazes met again, she smiled and reached out towards him; he stood frozen on the spot, his heart beating loudly against his ribcage, not quite sure what to make of this situation. She took a step forward and put her hand to his face, gently brushing away some of his sweaty hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her cool fingers on his skin, before opening them again. She had her hand still on his cheek.

"What are you doing?" he asked hesitantly. His gaze shifted between her eyes and her lips, trying to find any trace of teasing in them or mockery in the way she looked at him. But there wasn't anything like that. She looked genuinely concerned for him, and more than anything, she just seemed happy to see him.

"You're so beautiful," she murmured, staring back at him. Her voice sounded different when she spoke those words. The way they made him feel was almost too much to take in, and he felt something inside of him stir. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

She was still staring at him, and he suddenly wondered if she knew exactly how close he was standing to her. If she knew that there was absolutely nothing separating them. They were only inches apart now, barely breathing.

Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

It was over far sooner than he'd expected it to be. She leaned back with a smile, looking satisfied, and pulled away. As soon as she did, a rush of cold air hit him. He shivered and rubbed his arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps forming on his flesh. A breeze ruffled through his hair, making it stand on end. That couldn't have been a good sign...

She looked at him expectantly and waited for him to say something, and he realized that they'd been standing there like that for a long time. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. What did he even say? He wanted to kiss her back, but what could he possibly say in response? How do you respond to something like that? He'd never felt so lost in his life, and it was a feeling he wasn't used to.

She noticed the sudden change in his demeanour and frowned slightly. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded, forcing himself to smile. "Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine!"

She continued to stare at him for a few moments longer before nodding slowly. "If you say so." She glanced down at the ground. "Well, we should probably get going."

He followed her lead, and together they started walking side by side. After a moment, he turned to look at her again. She wasn't smiling anymore, but her expression looked pensive. It was clear that she was worried about something.

"Hey, I'm sorry about today," he blurted out. It was a stupid thing to say, especially considering he hadn't done anything wrong. But it got her to stop.

Her eyes flicked up to meet his. "Why?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, you know. Just because." He waved his hands in front of him, as though that would explain everything. Maybe that would've been easier.

She raised one eyebrow. "And why is that?"

There was no point in keeping this secret from her. He needed to tell someone. But who could understand his plight better than someone else? Someone who understood everything better than anyone else ever could.

But he'd promised himself he wouldn't talk about it. And yet here he was, talking about it anyway.

"My parents...they aren't the easiest people to deal with. You know that already, right?" She nodded, silently encouraging him to continue. "Well, my mom...she has a drinking problem. Which isn't a big deal normally. I've seen her drunk enough times that it's not a big deal anymore." He paused, searching her expression for any indication of what he should say next. There was none. Her face was blank. "So, you can imagine how well things went for me when I told them about you, right?" He could practically hear her mind working. She was trying to figure out what he meant. Was he telling her that he'd broken up with his parents? Or maybe he was telling her that he wanted to marry her. He didn't know which one he hoped was true. He watched her carefully for any signs of recognition in her eyes, but there were none. She remained completely still, looking intently at him. "I guess the only reason I came to you, instead of just leaving town was because I thought you might help me with them. Help me get past all of it."

Now she gave him a faint smile. "That sounds like you," she replied softly. She was definitely giving him that knowing smile. She'd figured it out! "I'll help you, I'll cherish you and I'll stand by you through it all because I love you." She told him as she gave him a long warm hug.