Basically...
No other residents had shown up to the party. Everybody looked familiar, but were just not familiar enough for me to carry on a conversation that went deeper than the usual superficial small talk. Eventually, I grew tired of the party of unfamiliar people and decided to find the host, bid my thanks, and make my exit. As I turned the corner, I saw the Girl. My heart paused for a beat. Then tightened.
She was standing with 2 of her friends, leaning against the kitchen counter, smiling and looking beautiful. Her blonde hair caressed her shoulders with gentle curves. Her bright blue eyes were smiling. I watched her lips reveal her beautiful smile as she talked to her friends. I adored how gently her graceful fingers held her glass.
From across the room, I was sure she could hear my heart because it was drowning out every other noise in the room. While trying to muster up the courage to go talk to her, I entertained the idea of just going home. But before I knew it, my legs had decided to walk towards her, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of her.
Although my legs apparently had a mind of their own, my lips were still attached to my fumbling brain, and I couldn't think of a word to say. I stood there dumbfounded, and the Girl and her friends, who had ceased their conversation, stood looking at me in silence.
A meek "Hi" managed to escape, to which she acknowleged with a beautiful smile.
All of a sudden my brain kicked into high gear and words just started spewing from my mouth. "I was on my way home and I saw you and I wanted to come say 'Hi' and so I did and isn't this a neat party and isn't it nice how everybody is dressed up and it's so formal, I probably should have worn a tie, I had no idea, and, wow you look great and..." and then my brain ran out of things to say and promptly collapsed.
I grimaced internally. Man, I sounded like an idiot.
Turns out the Girl and her friends were thinking about leaving the party as well, but didn't have a ride home. I thought how fortunate that I happened to walk up! and offered a ride. To which they agreed upon, after sharing some sly looks and whispers between the three of them.
We all got our coats, but the Girl couldn't find her coat. Somebody had mistakenly taken her's. As the host apologized profusely and promised to find it and return it, I slipped out of mine and offered it to her. "It's prewarmed," I quipped.
She hesitated and declined, but rethought the idea when we got outside. "I'm wearing a sweather, seriously, take my coat." A bit reluctant, but she put it on and I immediately saw the color returning to her cheeks. It really was a cold night, and she needed more protection than a pretty black dress.
The Girl called me the next day to thank me for the ride home and for lending her my coat. She was actually at a store, looking to purchase a replacement. Despite nervous fears of rejection, I inquired about her plans for the rest of the afternoon and asked her to a movie. "It's an independent film called Pieces of April."
After the film, as I was driving her back home, I noticed that it was close to 7pm. "I'm getting kind of hungry, there's a cute restaurant around that I know about."
"What kind of food is it?" the Girl asked.
"It's hard to say. I'd say American with Cajun and French influences. It's quite good. If you're hungry as well, I think we should go."
"You're asking ME to dinner?" The Girl looked quite shocked.
"Well, yeah... you're the only other person in the car. I'm hungry. I figured you're hungry as well. But if you don't want to..."
But she did. And over a meal of duck and pasta and fresh mozzarella in a restaurant snuggled inside a tall house with tall windows lit by strings of tiny lights, Nathalie and I came to know each other better. And so started our lives, one year ago, on that table on the terrace at Maple Street Cafe.
Happy One Year Anniversary Nathalie!
I love you.
She was standing with 2 of her friends, leaning against the kitchen counter, smiling and looking beautiful. Her blonde hair caressed her shoulders with gentle curves. Her bright blue eyes were smiling. I watched her lips reveal her beautiful smile as she talked to her friends. I adored how gently her graceful fingers held her glass.
From across the room, I was sure she could hear my heart because it was drowning out every other noise in the room. While trying to muster up the courage to go talk to her, I entertained the idea of just going home. But before I knew it, my legs had decided to walk towards her, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of her.
Although my legs apparently had a mind of their own, my lips were still attached to my fumbling brain, and I couldn't think of a word to say. I stood there dumbfounded, and the Girl and her friends, who had ceased their conversation, stood looking at me in silence.
A meek "Hi" managed to escape, to which she acknowleged with a beautiful smile.
All of a sudden my brain kicked into high gear and words just started spewing from my mouth. "I was on my way home and I saw you and I wanted to come say 'Hi' and so I did and isn't this a neat party and isn't it nice how everybody is dressed up and it's so formal, I probably should have worn a tie, I had no idea, and, wow you look great and..." and then my brain ran out of things to say and promptly collapsed.
I grimaced internally. Man, I sounded like an idiot.
Turns out the Girl and her friends were thinking about leaving the party as well, but didn't have a ride home. I thought how fortunate that I happened to walk up! and offered a ride. To which they agreed upon, after sharing some sly looks and whispers between the three of them.
We all got our coats, but the Girl couldn't find her coat. Somebody had mistakenly taken her's. As the host apologized profusely and promised to find it and return it, I slipped out of mine and offered it to her. "It's prewarmed," I quipped.
She hesitated and declined, but rethought the idea when we got outside. "I'm wearing a sweather, seriously, take my coat." A bit reluctant, but she put it on and I immediately saw the color returning to her cheeks. It really was a cold night, and she needed more protection than a pretty black dress.
The Girl called me the next day to thank me for the ride home and for lending her my coat. She was actually at a store, looking to purchase a replacement. Despite nervous fears of rejection, I inquired about her plans for the rest of the afternoon and asked her to a movie. "It's an independent film called Pieces of April."
After the film, as I was driving her back home, I noticed that it was close to 7pm. "I'm getting kind of hungry, there's a cute restaurant around that I know about."
"What kind of food is it?" the Girl asked.
"It's hard to say. I'd say American with Cajun and French influences. It's quite good. If you're hungry as well, I think we should go."
"You're asking ME to dinner?" The Girl looked quite shocked.
"Well, yeah... you're the only other person in the car. I'm hungry. I figured you're hungry as well. But if you don't want to..."
But she did. And over a meal of duck and pasta and fresh mozzarella in a restaurant snuggled inside a tall house with tall windows lit by strings of tiny lights, Nathalie and I came to know each other better. And so started our lives, one year ago, on that table on the terrace at Maple Street Cafe.
Happy One Year Anniversary Nathalie!
I love you.
posted by THW at 7:15 AM
<< Home