One Day

Everyone has that special someone they admire. Someone they can’t ever get out of their heads. She had one, and he was perfect.

She met him by chance one day at her new job. He was the only one who would talk to her or even acknowledge her existence. She and he instantly became friends and he soon showed her a group of people whom she would forever call her family.

But, strangely enough, she began to grow more and more attached to him. This guy that she had randomly met by pure circumstance was someone she began to admire. He began to occupy her thoughts, consuming her every waking moment. He began to haunt her dreams and her nightmares.

She hated every moment of it.

He was taken by a girl he truly loved. This girl was the one that she was convinced that he’d love forever. She couldn’t like someone who already has a girl! It just wasn’t right.

So, she secretly cared about him for months, turning to years.

Soon, she could hardly take it. She would cry in pain and claw at her head with her nails in agony and would scream out,

“Why? Why? Why?”

No one would answer. No one ever knew the answer.

Strangely, one night she crawled into bed and found herself praying. Praying for a miracle where she could just talk to him in such a way that he would understand how she felt. One single day, then he and everyone else would forget about it and go on with their normal lives.

Her eyes closed into sleep, leaving a single tear behind.

The next morning she awoke feeling strange. She felt different. Had her prayer come true? She couldn’t know for sure, but in that moment she had a burst of courage. She was going to tell him, tell him everything.

Racing through her morning routine, she rushed out the door and ran off towards work. She wanted to catch him at his favorite breakfast place he and his girl would go occasionally. She arrived, panting at the scene and she saw him sitting in the window, sipping tea she would guess. With a sharp intake of breath, she entered the café.

“Hello!” She said with a wave, “Fancy seeing you here!”

“Yeah!” He answered with a confused grin, “I go here every morning for my tea. What are you doing here? I’ve never seen you here before.”

“Oh you know,” She answered as she helped herself to the seat across from him, “just changing it up a bit.”

“Right.” He said with a sip of tea.

“There’s actually something I’d like to tell you.” She said hesitantly.

“Oh? What is it then?” He asked with a raised eyebrow over his dark rimmed glasses through strands of brown hair.

“I- I care about you.” She stuttered.

He nearly spit out his mouthful of tea, “Excuse me?” He asked as he wiped his chin. “What do you-“

“Trust me.” She answered cutting him off, “Just come with me and I’ll show you.” She offered him her hand.

He left a tip at the table and looked up at her face. Her face was expectant and bright, and with that he took her hand. She led him out of the café and into the streets. Cars whizzed by as she looked left then right.

“Come on!” She shouted as she ran across.

“Wait up!” He called as he followed, clutching the morning paper in his hand.

The two of them ran into the park that thrived in the center of the city, the looming branches a canopy as they entered. She slowed to a steady walk as she observed the trees on either side of them with benches appropriately placed beneath them. She smiled and looked over at him, who was still very confused. She said,

“It’s alright. I know I’m not being very clear, but I hope to show you what I mean.” Leading him by the hand she dragged him down a path leading off from the main one. It was closely guarded by trees and shaded them from the morning sun. “I’d like to tell you some things.” She said as they walked.

“By all means.” He answered with a wave of his hand.

“Ever since I met you, I’ve found you wonderfully charming.” She began, “And even more so now as we both have grown older. You’re incredibly intelligent, kind and gentle to everyone around you, passionate about things you love and creative and one of the greatest writers I have ever known.” He seemed to be taken aback by these words, but she continued, “I know you’re wondering why I’m telling you these things, but I assure you, they’re to be taken seriously. I honestly love these things about you, and I hope you realize how amazing you really are.”

The two of them walked in silence for a while then he said,

“Thank- thank you. No really, thanks.” He looked at her curiously, “I just don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”

“You’re always so hard on yourself.” She responded, “You always criticize yourself more than anyone else, you are your own worst enemy and I just want to show you that I love you, just the way you are. There’s no need for change, you’re just, perfect.”

She couldn’t tell if he blushed or not, but he turned again towards her and stopped her slow walking with, “You know that I’m dating someone.”

It was her turn to blush, “Yes I’m aware. That’s why I’m telling you today. So that you’ll know.”

“Fine, but aren’t you worried about what my girlfriend might say about this?” He asked in return.

“No.” She said, “I’m sure this will be just between you and me.”

She led him on and they talked about this and that, whatever came to mind. It was just the way she liked it. About midday, the pair laid on the grass and looked up at the clouds floating in the sky above them, giving them names and comparing them to various things. They had a few good laughs that moment.

They then went to lunch at a tiny family-owned place that only sold greasy but delicious food. They had both ordered burgers with extra fries. She had bit into hers when he said with a food-filled smile,

“It makes me feel better when you thin people order greasy foods. It doesn’t make me feel as fat.”

She stopped chewing and looked at him sadly, “You, my friend, are not fat. Not at all! In fact, part of the reason I love you is your figure. You’re perfectly balanced- not too round, and not too bumpy.”

“Bumpy?” He asked.

“Muscly.” She returned as she took another bite of burger.

After a fulfilling lunch, they set off to wonder about the city. The pair walked down Main Street and gazed into the windows of the shops down them. They laughed at the most ridiculous items they had for sale and gazed lustfully at the spectacular ones. Soon the sky began to darken and she realized her time was nearly up. So she took his hand and whispered,

“Come on! I have to show you something.”

She led him out of the city, which wasn’t much of a walk, and into the grassy planes on the outskirts. They mounted a small hill and she laid on her back and looked up at the sky. Laying down next to her he asked,

“What was it you wanted to show me?”

“This.” She answered as she gestured to the heavens.

They were teeming with billions of stars, the milky white of the Milky Way glossed across the sky and the clusters of tiny, distant stars overlapped each other, fighting for attention. He silently looked then took in a breath,

“Wow. That’s truly amazing. I always loved space, but really. Wow.”

She pointed, “That there, Orion. You can tell it’s him by the three stars on his belt.” Pointing in a different direction she said, “There Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. They’re bears though also known as the big and little dippers.”

The moon shone down upon their faces and it inched closer and closer to midnight. They didn’t talk much, only looked above them intently.

She was aware of the time. Every agonizing second that ticked past she was aware.

Only a minute left.

He rolled over to look at her and said, “I’ve come to a realization.”

“Oh?” She answered looking back at him. “What’s that?”

Twenty seconds.

“Today has been honestly wonderful Ten seconds and I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Five seconds I realized that I love-“

Her alarm clock blared. She shot up from her bed and looked around her confusingly.

“I don’t remember going to bed.” She told herself as she got ready for work that morning.

Walking down the street, she saw him, sitting in the café drinking what she supposed was tea.

He looked up at her and she smiled and waved. He awkwardly smiled back and waved once with his free hand then went back to his paper.

She realized.

She cried.