Knight and I both stared at the message. We looked up and stared at each other. I laughed. I laughed and laughed. I fell onto his chest in stitches of laughter. I was shuddering at the sheer absurdity and miracle of it. Tears streamed my down my face as I grinned from ear to ear. Knight pulled back and held my face in his hands. I stopped laughing.
‘Will you be my girl?’ I gaped in shock. ‘I like you too much. We’ll be travelling together and yes, I’ll be going to Thailand soon but it feels right to be together for now. If I miss you too much I’ll bring you over to Thailand. What do you reckon? Will you be my girl?’
Knight had a persistent habit of rendering me speechless. I stood silent still with tear-stains down my face and cheeks squished up against his hands. He was formally asking me to be his girlfriend. No one did that these days. People just hooked up and snow balled from there with no labels, grey-area and an abundance of unwritten rules. But, why did I feel so…reluctant? I was pretty sure I felt as strongly as he did. I looked away and wiped at the tears, embarrassed at my constant display of vulnerability. Perhaps that was it. I didn’t like feeling vulnerable. I was torn. He was leaving in three months. What was the point?
‘Deb, let’s live in the present,’ Why was he always reading my mind? ‘It feels good to be together now, doesn’t it?’ I looked down at my phone and fiddled with it nervously. It did. It felt wonderful. I was backing of the message and saw another message sent on the same date: it was Bonnie’s dream message! I broke into a smile.
‘Argh, Deb, you’re killing me here.’
I grinned. ‘You love it.’
I started to pull away but Knight grabbed my hand and pulled me back, pressing me against him. His hands held my waist. He touched his nose to mine. He touched his forehead to mine. My hands found their way up to his face, unsure what to do and wishing for him to do it. He grazed his soft lips against mine and I felt the tickle of his beard. He inhaled, consuming my essence.
He groaned. ‘I told myself that I wouldn’t fall for anyone. I’ve got stuff to do.’ He stepped away from me. I felt naked. ‘You probably won’t want me as a boyfriend…but I want to be. Like, really want to be.’
The world went quiet. Together we stood in a deafening orb of silence. ‘I’m falling. I don’t know why. You just make me feel so positive. I can’t figure it out. You just do.’ My heart sprouted wings, floated up to my brain and quashed any doubt in my mind.
Barely audible, I whispered, ‘yes’. He reached out for my hands and brought us together. He towered over me but I felt elevated to his level. I could feel his green eyes roam my face and into my soul.
Finally, his lips closed perfectly around mine. He absorbed me and breathed life into me.
Knight grinned. ‘Oh, it feels so good to kiss someone and mean it!’ He kissed me again. Hard.
…
Lets go get lost. We will have our silly dreams together. It’ll not always be easy but we will feel alive, breathe in this world and drink the stars. You’re so beautiful xox
I had a boyfriend. He had a girlfriend. I was Knight’s girlfriend. Wow. Who’d have thought? A month ago this would have been inconceivable. Since meeting Knight, the world I knew was rapidly evolving into more interesting colours and shapes. Who knew what would come next?
