Almost

The wind seemed to pick up speed as she walked closer to the edge, just as his heart picked up its pace as she swept her hair into a messy bundle and secured it with a bright purple band. Her slender neck now exposed…allowing the golden orange of the setting sun to gently kiss her on the nape. For a second he feared she read his thoughts as she gingerly lifted her hand to rub her neck. He struggled to look away. It wasn’t just her face…her entire being spoke volumes. There was a calmness in her body. The way she wrapped her arms around herself wasn’t because she was cold- he knew it was because she loved the thrill of being so close to the edge, so high above the ground.

Even with her back turned towards him, she could tell he was watching her. He always watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking. She didn’t mind. Yes, she wasn’t going to be naïve enough to deny that she liked his attention. Nobody looked at her the way he did…with so much longing, with so much depth. It was as if he was trying to unravel a mystery…which is why she liked to hold back just that little bit every time. She gently freed her hair from its tied form and let it cascade down her back. She tilted her head back and let the warm glow of dusk illuminate her face. She wished he would walk over and hold her. She closed her eyes and imagined the moment and let out a long sigh. Smiling, she prepared to step out of her fantasies.

The moment she took a deep breath, he knew she would turn around and he didn’t want to be caught staring at her. Though something deep inside told him, she already knew…or maybe she didn’t…maybe she was pretending not to know…but why? He loved this temporary insanity, the way his heart hop-scotched with anxiety and anticipation. He relished her…like a secret, a treasure only he knew about. Maybe the same way she wanted to preserve him, he realized. His eyes went back to her to find his beautiful treasure surrounded by a golden aura at this point. He suppressed his smile as he saw her brows beginning to knit together in curiosity. How he longed to hold her in his arms and kiss that frown away.

“What?”

“Didn’t you see the bird fly straight into the kite?” he asked her playfully.

She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed – an open, hearty laugh that made her heart skip a beat too many. For a second, it felt like she could put her guards down as she felt his laughter envelop her in its honesty. She closed her eyes and smiled. This was exactly the feeling she longed for…what she’d always felt was missing in her life.

“I love…your smile! I love your smile” he smiled casually. If there was one thing he was great at, that was pretending to be calm and composed.

“Almost” He thought to himself.

“Thank you” She smiled at him and turned to face the horizon again. It didn’t seem so out of reach anymore.

“Almost” She thought to herself.