Unusual You

You know, we dated for three months before we even saw each other. I was never able to start a relationship with someone close to me, there simply wasn’t anyone. When I first talked to him, he’d just broken up with his boyfriend, and his birthday had been two days before. I was a friend when he needed it most. And soon enough… he fell for me. I was taken at the time, in another long-distance relationship, and I wouldn’t cheat, ever. But my boyfriend and I never talked, what was the point? I let him go. And in moments, I felt better… free… and then I started falling.

I couldn’t help it. Everyone said it. “You’ll get hurt in the end.” “He’ll leave you, or worse.” I heard every phrase in the book of “You’re Stupid”. But I didn’t care. My heart was taken, and he was becoming more perfect every day. I already knew a lot about him, I knew him for a month before we dated. So I knew what to expect from him, but he still surprised me with his affection. And then, just a week into our relationship, tragedy struck. I still can’t… can’t say it. But something truly devastating happened… and he lied to me. I couldn’t deal with it, we promised never to lie to one another. So he broke up with me, and my heart was smashed.

I cried for days. Then… my birthday came around. And I had the worst day ever. Nobody cared but my family, and I was done with them anyhow. And then, sometime that night… I received an e-mail. From him, wishing me happy birthday, the best luck for life and apologizing for the hurt he’d caused me. I couldn’t do it. I had to reply, and so I did. I sent him back an e-mail, saying that I still felt for him and I never wanted us to part, but that I couldn’t be in a non-truthful relationship. When you live half way across the world, what more do you have than trust? We corresponded for a few days and decided to become friends again. And then he told me that he had realised how much he truly loved me. How much he missed me. How much he wanted to be together again. And… all it took was one question. So I asked him. And then we dated again.

A month later and Christmas came. A fantastic day… and I talked to him then, too, even though he said he probably couldn’t make it. Another fantastic day, one of many. A month after that, he asked my address. Just a throw-away question. And a month after that… he gave me the biggest and best surprise ever. I returned home from school to find my front door open. I walked in, immediately noticing vanilla in the air. I took off my shoes, dropped my bag, and walked into the front room. And my heart skipped a beat. My parents stood at the back of the room, smiling widely. My grandma sat in her chair, a grin on her face also. I looked to the centre of the room and blushed.

The table was covered in rose petals. Vanilla-scented candles stood boldly either side of an unfolded letter on a silver tray. I knelt before the table, reading the letter and the scripted handwriting. “Close your eyes, my love. Count to ten. Open them, stand up and raise your arms into the air. X” I looked up at my parents, who tried to contain their looks of joy. I smiled, laughing slightly. “Okay…” I closed my eyes. Began counting. I heard faint footsteps behind me. 9…10. I opened my eyes. Stood up. Shuddered slightly, I could feel warm, soothing breath on the back of my neck. My parents, and grandma, hadn’t moved. I raised my arms high. And then, I felt someone take my hands. I felt the soft skin trail down my arms, caressing me as they slowly made their way down to my waist. I blushed and looked down at those hands. The tan was unmistakable. The way they fit my waist was perfect… but before I could dwell on it further, I felt the breathing on the back of my neck, the smooth voice drifting lovingly to my ears. “How are you, Lovely?”