A gentle, whispering melody floats into my dream, evaporating the mist that separates me from reality. Reluctantly, I let your sea-green eyes slip away as my fantasy world dissolves around me. Morning has inevitably arrived. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, unwilling to begin my morning routine. I reach out to the alarm clock, but my finger hesitates just millimetres above the shiny silver button. This song…
In a flash I am 200 kilometres away, standing in the dust and stifling heat. Just metres away from shade…
“Amy!” a familiar voice shouts.
The heat forgotten, I spin around expectantly. My gaze rests on a teenage boy in skinny jeans and a purple shirt, beckoning to me. A slight smile escapes my lips. Perfect. As I walk towards him, I can feel the all-too-familiar mask of fake confidence strapping itself to my face. First impressions are everything. Then he’s smiling and introducing his friend and my insecurities fade away like those old scars on my wrist. I can’t hide from my other self. I knew that right from the day I met him. The day I met you…
As the dust turns back to carpet beneath my toes, I cling to that first image of you. It graces the cover of our history book; the first thing my mind’s eye sees when I flip back through the pages of memories. But even the pleasure of revelling in those moments past can’t hold a candle to being with you.
Being with you…
The words linger on my tongue, their taste sweeter than sugar-filled pancakes; leaving a warm, tingly sensation reminiscent of curling up with a blanket and sipping hot chocolate on a cold morning. Just like that cold morning with you…
Caught in the moment, I can almost feel your hands wrapped around mine, thawing my frozen fingertips with your own warmth. Images flash through my head, flitting between the three most memorable. We’re sitting on the dew-covered grass watching the sunrise, wrapped in each other’s arms, and then I’m soaking up that beautiful guitar music, enchanted by the magic in your fingers as they move over the strings. And every memory ends in a hug goodbye, too perfect for my brain to even attempt to replicate. Every time we say goodbye, I wish I could stay with you forever. But that miserable place they call school gets in our way. So I’ll just savour every moment we have.
Like our morning run…
My senses are flooded with memories from those mornings. It’s as if I’m there right now. Power surges through me as each foot pounds the concrete. I was born to run. With every breath I inhale the crisp morning air, fresh and sharp like peppermints on my tongue. Every stride brings me closer to you. They say opposites attract, and we are like magnets, polar opposites. Always attracted to one another but forever being pulled apart. But on mornings like this we can escape everyone’s grasp and spring back to our natural places. Side by side.
Waiting at the top of your street, nothing moves. No one stirs. I bask in the kind of peace and serenity that can’t be found during daylight hours. I see you standing at the corner, illuminated by a streetlight. I can see all of the curves in your face as you wait for me, ever patient and loyal. Your sandy hair holds a golden glow; whether it’s caused by the angle of light or a fabrication of the mind, I am not sure. Although I’m still too far away to touch you, I remember what it felt like to run my fingers through that silky hair, easily mistaken for woven gold. As we interlock our fingers, I’m reminded of your jigsaw analogy. We really do complete each other. After all, the cliché had to come from some fragment of truth. You turn to look me in the eyes, and I try to hold your gaze. I never want to be the first to break the spell. Although I’m sinking into your grey-green ocean, I don’t feel like I’m drowning. I could stay with you forever. Talking, listening, or just being. Then, for a change, it’s me who looks you in the eyes. I want to say “Peter, you mean the world to me. I love you more than I can ever say. You are my one and only forever and ever and there will never be anyone else like you.” But then I look again and realise it’s not necessary. Our thoughts are synchronized; you know exactly what I’m saying. A picture may say a thousand words, but we don’t need any.
