Her World

Action. And Scene
Jul 23, 2017 · 3 min read

The night sky was tinted with sunset gold and purple. Everyone had gathered around the fire to watch the sparks float up into the foamy and cloudy sky. The fire sizzled and sucked on the crumbling logs, hungrily feeding savagely in its last moments of life. She was rarely looking at the fire, or anyone else as a matter of fact, and he noticed. Her gaze was stuck on the rim of the fire pit. He could tell that she was listening to the conversations flickering around her because she would smile softly at the silly remarks passed back and forth between friends.

Her knees were brought to her chest and she’d just barely let her head peak out over the tops of them. That was enough for him to see the chocolate, brown glasses on the bridge of her nose. The baggy sweatshirt she was wearing was darker than night. It devoured her whole body. The sleeves were too long and she toyed with the cuffed ends resting at her palms. Her curled hair was auburn red and hung along the side of her shoulder. The jeans she was wearing were stained with paint, an occasion rip in the fabric wasn’t uncommon, and there were designs of doodles she’d created. Only she could decipher them. He looked for details and was not surprised to find the freckles sprinkled across her nose, the long eyelashes in front of her eyes, and the hushed giggle escaping her shy smile.

She looked up just once and their eyes met. His breath stopped. The wind grew lighter in the breeze. He felt it brush across his burning face. He couldn’t tell if it was the fire, or the emotion swept up inside him. He offered her a gentle smile and earned a shy one in return before she ducked behind her knees once again. She continued to play with the hems of her sleeves. She had not breathed a word all evening.

The seat next to her was not taken. Curiosity was boiling inside him, bubbling until he couldn’t handle it any longer. Slowly he stood, and none of the others seemed to notice. He took the seat next to her.

She stared at him with her widening eyes in surprise. Her cheeks grew rosier than they were before and she looked away quickly. She snuck a glance out of the corner of her eyes, and he caught it. “Hello.” He smiled and her gaze came back to him. She finally let her grasp on her knees go and her feet fell to the ground. A quiet “clip” echoed through the night as her flip flops met the concrete underneath her. “Hi.” She replied quietly. Her eyes shifted back down to her knees. His heart sank. It seemed as though she would never make eye contact and that disappointed him. “Are you enjoying the party?” He began to break the ice. “I don’t really know anyone here.” She said, “I came with a friend.” He raised an eyebrow questioningly and she nodded towards another girl, laughing and shoving another boy playfully. “She’s forgotten me.” Pity sank into his stomach and he murmured apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

The silence was thick and uncomfortable as he wrestled with what to say next. She had stopped playing with her sleeves. “I like your sweatshirt.” He began. She shifted her position in her chair to hug her knees again, “Thanks. It’s my brother’s.” He mentally cursed to himself. Silence filled the air until one of the doodles on her jeans caught his eye and a perfect conversation came to his mind. “You like to paint?” He pointed to a golden flower printed on the cuff of her jeans. Her eyes traveled down to the golden flower shining brightly in the fire’s light. Her eyes lit up like the sparks floating up from the burning logs. She was sparkling brighter than the newly found stars in the darkening sky. “I love to paint.”

His heart gushed with new found pride in her burning new energy. He asked, “What do you like to paint?” She looked up briefly at the sky and smiled, “I like to paint my own world.” He looked up at the sky as well. The night had given more stars to stare at. It was like a million stories or people. They all shined brighter in different ways but they were all together. He said, “Don’t you feel lonely living in your own little world?” She then made eye contact. For the first time, he saw her emerald eyes shining with a fire of their own. She whispered, “Don’t you feel powerless living in other people’s worlds?”

Action. And Scene

Written by

Anything and Everything.

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