Less Than A Summer Fling!

The best people come unexpectedly. Sometimes people come into your life like a gift from the universe and they settle into your heart like they’ve always been there.

Meeting Andrew was nothing short of unexpected. He came in like a wrecking ball. He came in when I neither expected nor wanted him to. But I guess you find things when you’re not looking.

You first need to know the kind of person Lara was before you truly understand their story. Lara was a closed off person, she was friendly but closed off. Not everyone got past her defences, she could be stand-offish with sarcasm and her wits as her only weapon. Lara was an enigma to many. She was committed, loyal, incredibly intelligent so I’m sure you could see how Andrew’s intelligence endeared him to her. Lara was the kind of person you’d call cold if you didn’t know her well. Time and time again, she had heard from people that she was cold, her aura was cold and screamed “Don’t come close to me”. But that didn’t matter to her. She used that aura as a defensive shield and wrapped it around herself tightly. But he managed to break the shield and get past her defences.

“How did he get past my defences? He did it in the way he spoke, the presence of confidence. He did it in the way his mindset aligned with mine. He did it with the way he massaged my dusty feet after a long day, he did it with the way his eyes twinkled when he smiled or laughed”.

“He did it with his playful bullying, he did it with the way he asked for my opinion, how my day went. He listened to me ramble for as long as I wanted with a smile on his face, occasionally nodding his head. He did it with the love he showed his family members and I could see that he truly loved them. He did it in his actions, in his words, in deed, and in truth”.

Funny how the way Andrew and I met was unplanned. From the frown on my face, to the annoyance that bubbled inside me. I was neither in a good mood nor looking my best, when I met him but strangely enough while staring into his eyes, I didn’t seem to care.

I sat at the entrance of the door, phone in hand, neck bent. Only looking up when I saw a figure block the sun and it’s rays. I looked up briefly and scrambled to leave the way for him but for a minute, it felt like time stood still for us.

I abruptly broke the staring contest, choosing instead to politely smile before sitting back down and continuing on my phone. Little did I know, this was the beginning of something greater.

As the days progressed, Andrew and I became closer. He had come to stay for the holidays with a close relative of his. We continually talked and despite my earlier stand-offish behaviour, he managed to get through to me.

And so our relationship blossomed. Being a guarded person that I am and from past experiences, I wasn’t willing to venture into something deeper than the relationship we already shared.

We had nicknames for each other. He called me his celestial angel and I called him my celestial one. It was an inside joke that only we understood, kind of like our thing. Andrew made me feel seen.

With Andrew, I felt beautiful. I knew I was really pretty and I had heard It time and time again with no shortage of admirers in sight. But when he stared at me or called me celestial angel, I felt like he was calling all parts of me beautiful including the ones I considered ugly. When he paid compliments to me, it felt genuine. And so our relationship continued to progress…

Little did I know that I was paving a path for him to thread on in my heart. Will he break my heart or will he mend my broken fences?Only time can tell.

Andrew and I became something more. A little more than a friendship and a little less than a relationship. I wasn’t interested in defining it. I deluded myself into thinking it was because we spoke a lot and I’ve never met someone as similar as myself.

I didn’t know it could be something soul binding. I was finally ready to let my defences down, finally ready to accept. Accept what? I guess I’ll never know because I never got the chance to find out. I thought he was different from all I knew, different from everything I was familiar with. He was charismatic, responsible, a family guy, incredibly smart, cocky. He was everything different from what I knew.

Another thing I really loved about him was his thirst for knowledge. Andrew was really really smart, he wanted to know more, learn more, he continually pushed himself. That was more attractive to me. He even pushed me to read motivational books,talking about how money works and so on. After reading those books, we’d talk and discuss all about it, our opinions and all. I felt part of something productive, something beautiful, something ethereal.

Andrew moved back to his home and things took a down hill from there. It felt like the Andrew I had come to know was a figment of my Imagination. I don’t know how to explain it but he was different. At this point, I, Lara, was infatuated. I wanted more of everything. More video calls, more voice calls, more texts, more, more, more.

And I, who was at first stand-offish became clingy. But of course, it is to be expected. Who wouldn’t be clingy with someone like Andrew. We had major arguments and disagreements where I’d end up wrong or it’d be due to difference in opinions. It always wowed me how he seemed to always make me calm, listen to his opinion, and give up my arguments completely which is something not everyone can brag about.

But it seems, I had vivid imaginations. All we had was a summer fling. No, not a summer fling. Less than a summer fling, more than a friendship.

Comment if y’all would like to know who Andrew and Lara are.