Originally Written in the Winter of 2011

Later in the night she went to him to tell him that she felt hurt, she felt left out, that he hadn’t really spoken to her very much throughout the night, except for when he went asking for a cigarette.

She was right. It was true. He did neglect her, but only because she was doing so well on her own. She was a social Papillion, he didn’t have to constantly be by her side asking her how she was doing all the time, like her old boyfriends which they made fun of for doing exactly that.

 He was comfortable knowing she was his and he was hers. They didn’t have to be stuck together all night, joined at the hip as they say. But she would have liked it from time to time. If only he asked her if she wanted another drink before she was getting low, she would have liked that.

Having dated her for years now he was used to the looks, he asked her about it once, she said she never noticed, but he did. It happened whenever she walked into a room, the mall or even while driving. It made him feel mad at first and then happy and privileged because it was him that she was with.

He hated how men reacted when they first saw her, staring - obvious - mainly because he knew that if he were in their shoes he would have done the same, only he wouldn't let anyone notice. He wanted to be above that - and when he was by her side he was.

 He always dated attractive women but she was stunning, she was like a dream, she was everything beautiful. He once told her: “I love the fact that it doesn’t matter where we go I know you will be the most attractive person there”.

That night, nearing the end of the party they walked home together, stopping several times along the way. They sat Indian style in the middle of the road on the warm black asphalt, facing each other.

The air warm and humid. In a way that the air moves slow above you and absorbs all sound, the slight breeze shaking the leaves around them speaking to their ears of its cooling effect. Passing a bottle of wine back and forth they exchanged feelings and expectations for the relationship. They communicated as lovers, caring and thoughtful of one another’s needs. They talked of what they wanted and how they had learned from previous relationships the things they didn’t want.

As time went on they passed the bottle from hand to hand. Each time the pitch of the sloshing of wine in the bottle got higher as the wine diminished reminding them it was getting late and the wine was getting low. They smoked cigarettes when the bottle was empty in an effort to keep the buzz going and the night timeless. When they had their full of smoking cigarettes, deciding it was time to move on, he took her hand in his and continued the walk to his house. She smiled when he took her hand and held it, but he hadn’t noticed. He never liked holding hands, so when he held her hand in his she felt a warmth rise up throughout her body and she leaned over and kissed his cheek. And for the first time for him it felt right to have his fingers interlocked with hers.

When they arrived at his house he procured another bottle of wine - he did not get glasses for them as the intimacy dictated that they continue as they started - drinking from the same bottle. They sat on the door step and continued to talk; only now the birds started to chirp and then more joined in. The singing of the birds caught their attention and as they looked about their surroundings: a long green lawn, tall trees full of leaves, a field of hay, a vista of the ocean and a large rocky hill he referred to as mountain in his youth.

Soon the sky turned pink, and from pink to orange, till blue finally peaked near the horizon as the bay lit up and hurt their eyes as the sun slowly but eagerly made its way out of the water. It was their first sunrise. They felt the beauty of the moment and furnished it with a long kiss. The same sensual kiss they shared when they first dated, when his neck would be sore every morning from the night before leaning over kissing her soft - Gummi Bear like - lips.

They intimated of how perfect the moment was, how the night ended perfectly, how they wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else, how this moment was meant to be and how they both wished they would feel this way forever. Moments after, again in his head, he wished once more that he would feel this way forever.