“Tell me… tell me how I remind you of the poem.” I wanted to know. I wanted to hear his thoughts.
He smiled at first but then he looked serious. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?You aremore lovely and more temperate because there’s so much to learn about you. Like how strong you can be, and how much you inspire others to be more than they thought was possible. I’ve seen you flip several situations that could have gone south and change it into something amazing.”
I knew instantly what he meant. His situation with Aria, and mine with Sally. I continued to listen hanging on to every word as he continued.
“Rough winds may come at you and shake you, but you bounce back. Summer is short, the time is short, and we see the the landscape change as the days go by, but you carry that light of summer within you. The light of hope, aspiration, courage and beauty that people look forward to when they see you. It’s always with you and never fades. It’s eternal. It’s you. All those things are you because it’s what you stand for. Hope, aspiration, courage, beauty. No one who knew all that about you would ever hurt you. Brooke, to know you is to love you, and that’s the kind of woman you always want in your life.”
All I could do was stare.
Something ran down my cheek. I gasped when I realized it was a tear.
I was crying.
I tried to wipe it away quickly but he caught my hand and held it tight at first, then pressed it to his heart.
I didn’t know what to say.
What did I say?
No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one had ever made me feel so important. Like I wasn’t nothing, but like I was everything.
The simple touch and the vibrant beat of his heart told me everything.
He knew me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he just smiled at me and leaned in to press his lips to mine. He lingered there in the stillness of the moment , just therewith his lips on mine, not kissing me, not moving.
It was the combo of the beauty in his words and him, having him close to me.
That was what made it happen.
That feeling that sparked in the hollow of my being. That hollow of emptiness that dwelled in my soul.
I felt it in that moment, and I fell for him.
That was also the moment when this agreement of ours became complicated.
* * *
I overslept and completely forgot I was supposed to be meeting Noah for breakfast.
I woke to a single pink rose next to me. It was after ten, so I knew Ryan must have left for work hours earlier.
All that he said was still burning vibrantly in my mind. Today it made my soul tremble and I didn’t know what the hell to do with myself.
Since there were ten missed calls from Noah on my phone I got dressed as quickly as I could, grabbed my rose, and dashed. I tried to push my feelings for Ryan to the back of my mind for now. Just for now.
On my way over to my house, I called Noah, hoping we could still meet, maybe for lunch.
It was as I was dialing the number that I saw him sitting on the front porch swing, looking at me with a sly expression on his face.
“Something you want to tell me,Brooke?” He laughed.
I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t know what the hell excuse to make up.
“No, except that I’m so sorry I missed breakfast.”
He laughed some more. “How about we do lunch and you can tell me everything.”
