crimson

Perfect, there I was in a busy parking lot waiting For my date or whatever this was. The thoughts, countless of them swirled through my head as if I had no control over them, I don't think I did. Some of them were good thoughts, some of them were very bad, most of them were inappropriate, Some still make me chuckle. Then the “what ifs'' slowly crept in and took over my thoughts. What if I'm too “this,” what if she's too “that.” It's amazing how “What Ifs” are almost always followed by something negative when you first meet someone. But “what if I just don't care,” I had to tell myself. Don't think, just let go of everything and be only in the moment.

Just be free was the final thought dancing around in my head the moment I laid eyes on her. My gaze was unbreakable. I had no memory of what she looked like from our initial encounter for she was wearing a mask but I just knew it was her. For about a fraction of a second everything stopped, she was the only thing in motion. Quite impressive. Only her and the invisible breeze that carried her hair. I remembered nothing else, only that her shirt was crimson and that her smile was quite lovely. We greeted each other with just one word, the same word. “Hi.” She entered the vehicle and I drove away into the unknown and Onto the unplanned date.

The world outside was loud, hectic and full of chaos. Pure madness as cars flew pass each other in a daring attempt, only to all meet at the same red light. Inside the vehicle we felt nothing, only peace and tranquility. We spoke freely, with ease as if we knew each other. We both stubbornly refused to look away whenever we locked eyes and not once did we notice the line at the drive through. She refused to let me buy her meal. The card she used to purchase dinner was also crimson, like her shirt.

The ride to nowhere was smooth yet forgettable because the conversation was so deep, convoluted, yet amazing. The walk to the park, a routine for me, became adventurous with her as we dove into our unfiltered lives and long buried past. Truly we were lost on this unplanned date or, whatever this was. When we finally emerged from each other’s minds, exhaustion was upon us and we were unknowingly on the 3rd floor at my apartment. The empty living room had nothing to offer, Just a quiet but inviting blanket in the middle of the floor. It too was crimson like her shirt and her card.

We sat quietly on the blanket without care. There was no other place on the planet to be but right there on that blanket. There was nothing to look at in that moment but each other, there was nothing left to do but sit and wonder as we stared at each other with intense passion. The food she purchased became tired of waiting for us and lost its warmth along with its taste. It was slowly consumed and quickly forgotten. A drink was summoned from deep within the kitchen cabinet. The bottle in which it rested had not seen the light for many months. The glass in which it was poured was the only one in the entire apartment. The liquid sat motionless with anticipation as the sun slowly vanished from the sky.

The last light from the sun filled the empty room. Everything it touched glowed. The bottle next to the glass revealed its name the moment it saw the light. “Merlot.” The liquid inside the glass revealed its true color the moment it was touched by the light. It glowed red, crimson like the chemistry in the atmosphere and the blood that filled her cheeks when I whispered to her, “I like you.” Her smile, once again was quite lovely. The moment was almost perfect.