Time Taught Me

1st of July

Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but notice how dark my brown eyes were that day. I tied my black hair in a high ponytail, put away my glasses, crouched and splashed my face with cold water. “Today’s the day” I repeated myself, as I stood back up. I walked to the wardrobe and looked for my lucky shirt, put it and some jeans on.

As I sat on my bed, I touched my hurting leg. “Why do I always hurt myself doing dumb stuff?” I asked myself as I massaged the hurting spot. I then got up, went to the door and took my keys and wallet. I hesitated to open the door for a second, then took a deep breath. “Come on, Alex. You can do it.”, I opened the door and left my apartment.

As I stepped outside, the warm summer breeze brushed against my skin, carrying a sense of possibility and the promise of a good day. The strong sun in the sky made me blush from the heat, I hated that. I looked for a glimpse of shadow everywhere but couldn’t. Reaching the pedestrian crossing, I halted, waiting for the green light to come for my side. A bus rushed a foot from me, in the windows I saw a younger version of me in the reflection. It seemed happy. I smiled as a tear wet my cheek.

Green light, I crossed the road.

After a couple minutes I reached the café. As I entered I noticed the soft blues music pervading the air, the café was quite empty, only the bartender and a couple sitting at a table.

I got something to eat while I waited for her, then proceeded to look for a nice sitting spot. I grabbed my phone to text her, I didn’t even hit the blue send button when I heard the door open and the small bell ring. I looked up from my phone and there she was, Eleonore, in front of the bar. My heart was pounding, my breath shortened, I felt like sweating cold.

When she sat by me she was smiling. She was wearing blue high-waisted jeans, a fitted white T-shirt with a vintage band logo, and a denim jacket draped over her shoulders. Her red hair is styled in loose waves. “Alex! Hey, how are you feeling?” she smiled while tiding her hair behind her shoulders.

“Could go better, but the same goes the other way around!” I chuckled, she smiled confused. “It could go worse, I mean”

“Oh, Sorry to hear that!” She had her hand lightly on mine. I could feel the warmth of her hands spreading over mine, she tilted her head as if to check something. “Are you blushing already?” she jokes

I didn’t expect her to see it, nor to care about it. She probably wasn’t. “No, don’t worry, it’s the heat! Of the sun, of course” I smiled awkwardly. She chuckled, and I joined her.

“So.. how’s your mama?” She asks, moving her hands away from mine, “I heard she got out of the hospital recently!”

“Yeah, she’s well now. Thanks for asking.” I smiled “We were worried about her not making it, but she did. I personally think she did that on purpose to show off herself” I chuckle, “I’m kidding of course.” I clarified.

“That’s always good news,” she smiles, “she’s a strong woman, Alex.”

“I know, I know. I hope to live up to her.” I replied, looking at the glassy surface of my coffee. I smiled at my reflection. I look back at her, she’s smiling, her cheeks are reddish and her eyes shiny. “Are you alright?” I ask, breaking her dreamy state.

“Yeah, you’re just really sweet. You know? It’s quite rare nowadays, trust me.” she smiled, her cheeks still the red cue.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I smiled back.

As we sat there in the cosy café, time seemed to stretch out before us. Our conversation flowed effortlessly, and the words between us became a symphony of shared thoughts and emotions. We explored various topics, opening up about our dreams, our fears, and the experiences that shaped us.

“Would you like to go on a walk? I’d die of heat in my home at this time of the day” I asked looking around for a bin.

“Sure!” she replied excitedly, we then got up, paid and went out of the café.

The sun heated the air outside the café, and we barely could keep our eyes open. We quickly ran towards the shadowed part of the street.

“You see what I meant? This heat made you blush as well” I joked pointing to her red cheek.

“Ok, ok. You were right. You got me!” she chuckled. She then looked around, stayed quiet for a moment, then “I think there’s a park around here somewhere.” She then started walking quickly. I followed her quickly after.

We turned the corner a few times then we arrived at a park that I’d never known was there before.

The park was full of life, squirrels running around from tree to tree, kids running after them and one another, the parents reading books on benches. The light was filtered by the brown leaves of the trees and their thick branches.

She chuckled as she turned on herself gently, she was familiar with the place. She immediately saw the swings with no one on them, grabbed my hand and ran towards them. Once sat on those she looked at me, she was still a red cue on her cheek.

We stayed quiet for a whole minute or so, the sound of the children giggling in the background, mixed with the noises of the leaves moved by the wind, the squeal of the squirrels from all around us. She was gently moving herself back and forth on the swing, her hair moving the opposite way of her body, her look was locked in a blank void in front of her, but she was smiling. I got up, and sat next to her on the ground, checking for eventual rubbish on the ground, none found. I smiled relieved and put my head on the wooden slab of the swing.

When she stopped swinging, she noticed that I was not on the swing anymore and looked around. As she saw me on the ground, she smiled.

“Tired?” she asked, stepping out of the swing, to let the kids use it. She then sat next to me. “You know there’s a free bench right over there, right?”

“Yeah, but I noticed it when I was already on the ground.” We chuckled, and we proceeded to get up.

“You know, when I was a kid I didn’t really get why would older people get on the swings” she chuckled.C “I honestly thought -didn’t they have enough time to get on the swings during their childhood?-” she started walking, as she looked around. “Now I understand the value of the swings to grown-ups, being one myself. I couldn’t know how much I would have missed my childhood. You know?” she continued, I nodded.

We walked around a while, then we sat on the free bench. I laid my head on the back of the bench and spread my arms all over it. She seemed to not mind it, she laid her head on my arm, which was covering the back. I went to move the arm away but she grabbed me immediately when I started moving it. She didn’t mind the arm behind her head. She got closer instead. Her head touched my shoulder. I freezed awkwardly for a few seconds, then held my head lightly over hers. Her soft hair seemed like a pillow, I didn’t mind the waves covering my eyes. That’s when I noticed the vanilla perfume, I chuckled.

She slightly moved her head, I stood mine up thinking she wanted to get up, she instead leaned closer, her lips gently touching against my cheek, leaving a lingering warmth. I could feel her warm breath against my cheek, and a tingle of electricity travelled through my body. At that moment I felt like being struck by lightning, but one that didn’t hurt. The kiss made my heart race faster, my lips went dry pretty quickly, and I became red on my cheek, the reddest I’ve ever been. What was really five-ish seconds felt like an eternity, I felt warmth spreading all around my body. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

She looked at me worried, “Is everything alright? Did I rush it?” she asked, turning herself to face me.

“Yeah, don’t worry. It’s just that I-” I catch myself before saying what could be considered as the dumbest thing anyone could do.

“You..?” she smiled maliciously, knowing what I was going to say, she got closer.

“I.. like the park, it’s really nice here.” I say, attempting to change the subject.

“It sure is, but I feel like you were going to say something else” She jokingly points out.

I stayed quiet, embarrassed, then realised that I had dug my own grave. I take a deep breath. “Ok, ok fine. Eleonore, I really enjoyed this date.”

“Cut that part, you know what I want to hear” she joked, at that moment I realised she was blushing and could hardly keep eye contact with me. I smiled, seeing her pretty even when embarrassed.

I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts and the courage to express my true feelings. I can feel my heart racing with both excitement.

“Okay,” I say, my voice slightly shaking yet filled with sincerity. “Eleonore, there’s something I need to tell you. I like you. I mean, I really like you.”

The park seemed to have gone quiet for what felt like years. She looked paralysed, as if she wasn’t exactly expecting those words to come out of my mouth. Suddenly, she hugs me tightly, her head over my shoulder. I could feel her heart racing fast.

Her voice was trembling, but she looked at me, an inch from my face “I like you too. I like you really, really much.” She then hugged me tightly. Our hearts synced, both running fast. We both stayed quiet, knowing that words couldn’t describe what was happening or how we felt.

I looked over her shoulders and saw the long shadows, and the dim light of the sun.

The day was over and so was the date.