Simple Syrup
Sugar and water.
“I’m like sugar. I melt in water,” Monica whispered, her voice barely audible over the patter of rain on the windowpane.
I watched, captivated, as the warmth of her smile reached her eyes, crinkling the corners in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
At that moment, I understood that Monica was a creature of comfort, finding solace in the familiar walls and behind windows that shielded her from the elements that would bring change. And I ached to be her warmth on a dreary day.
A third realization came later.
But first, Monica and I came to be. I created a space for us. My routine for our life together had a rhythm, heavy and constant.
The only change that came was the growth of my cravings for her sweetness.
One day, she said, “I need space.”
“No,” I said through lips stretched tight into a line that might be a smile or a pained grimace. Not looking up, I continued assembling an elaborate sandwich with smooth, precise cuts that belied the stress swelling in my engorged veins.
When I turned to her, I saw it. Tears rolled down her brown cheeks, calling me.
My heartbeat flipped, my muscles responded, and I pulled her in.
I licked the stream of sorrow off her cheeks with reverence, first the right, then the left, with a stiff, dry tongue.
Then, I pressed the lunchbox into her chest with a gentle push.
By instinct, one arm grasped the package, and her other arm reached out and palmed the wall of my chest, pushing back. I know she could feel my heart pounding hard against her fingers.
Monica pushed me again.
This was our way.
“No,” I said again as my arm crested her waist like a wave and tugged her closer, my being pursuing intimacy and oneness.
My dark frothy curls dropped around her head as I leaned in and sucked on her thick lips. I inhaled her into my water-logged soul until, too late, I realized…
Third, I — am — water.
Monica? She disappeared into me. Her lips answered mine with a pang of wild hunger. The lunchbox clattered to the floor, unnoticed, as her hands fisted in my hair, pulling me closer with a raw desperation that sent shivers down my spine.
© Scarlet Ibis James, 2024: All Rights Reserved.
A Love Story | Fiction | Short Story
Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️