I Love You

• Nikolina Markovic, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2020

“Awed by her splendour, stars near the lovely moon cover their own bright faces when she is roundest and lights earth with her silver.”
…………………
I daintily brush the pages of the book against my tender fingertips, closing the book still held in my hands.
“Awwww why’d you stop?”
Puppy dog eyes sparkle back at mine, frowning carefully curated lips, and welling tears in eyes. A smirk emerges from what I thought was waterworks coming from the portrait in front of me, supple, graceful, beaming. She’s like no other artwork I’ve embraced, gentle to the touch and fragile in nature. Her fingers wrap around at the back of my neck and intertwine ever so softly, her eyes locking into mine. The sheer, naked connection is vulnerable, and she finds power in that.
“I love that poem”
She pauses, eyes still interlaced in the beauty of the hues of vibrant green and honey brown and the intimacy that lies beneath. How can she manage to keep me hooked on four words?
“I love you”
I catch my breath. Three words, whispered from her soft lips lingered in the canals of my ears, repeating and repeating and repeating until it clicked.
What? Why did she say that? Why did she ruin this moment for me?
I shiver. She backs off. A confused look befalls on her face. I stare. I’ve disrupted our connection with my anxiety and anger. My intensity taints the atmosphere that surrounds the both of us. I stand up.
“Why did you have to say that?”
I howl. She shudders.
“Why did you say you love me?”
I protest angrily. She looks down at her hands. Her hands have gotten pale with shock, almost translucent. She’s a ghost. And like a ghost, she disappears.
My knees weaken and I collapse back into what seemed to be a never-ending tunnel of despair. I spiral out of control into this dark void, surrounded by the emotions erupting from my body all at once. I’m alone.
My cries can’t reach her. She’s too far gone. Shrouded by the clouds of depression and thunder rolling in spikes of anxiety, I crawl into myself. Shielded from everything. Alone.
Awed by her splendour, stars near the lovely moon cover their own bright faces when she is roundest and lights earth with her silver.
A twinkle rings in my ear, it’s her. I thought I was alone, surrounded by the dark, but a light, flickers in my soul. It’s her. It’s always been her. Curious but cautious, I ponder if I’m meant to feel like this, if I’m meant to feel pain. Why feel all this anger and fear if she makes me feel wonderful? She makes all that go away in a heartbeat.
She is splendorous. She is my light. She outshines all on earth. She lights up my life like the touch of her hand on mine. I’m on my feet, gazing back at the prettiest portrait I’ve ever seen in my life, almost like a daydream.
I’m pulled by my hand to the beautiful scene of the night sky. I’m lying down next to the warmth of her heart and the comfort of her soul. Her eyes meet mine and my heart soars into the sky, forming a star. It’s true. Everything around us has dissipated into a world of bliss. She’s the only one here with me, fingers laced with mine and her warm breath kissing my cheek. There’s those eyes again, hues of honey brown melting my very heart into a puddle of love.
“I love you”
“I love you too”
………………………………………………………..
Awed by her splendour, stars near the lovely moon cover their own bright faces when she is roundest and lights earth with her silver.