SHORT STORY.
You Know I Love You, Right?
..But then, I met a man.
His name reminded me of a certain child. From the first day we had met. As children.
Children who at that time cared only about crayons, candy, and birthday presents.
This little boy had turned into a man.
From a boy who has gone through battles and heartbreak.
And from a boy who has seen his own version of rock bottom.
And so now I meet a different version of him.
I cross his path once more as a sign from God, perhaps?
Only this time meeting him, I fell in love.
Not instantly, however, I felt the instant connection between us.
I fell in love with him slowly. And then all at once.
I fell in love with the way I could hear his heartbeat while he slept.
I fell in love with the way he talked about his little brother.
And the way he loved his father.
I fell in love with his kindness and strength.
I told the moon about him.
As the moon would talk about the Sun. How she always lights up what he cannot.
When we were young, one of our first loves was the caterpillar tree.
That darn tree, where we grew to love the little things in all of life.
That was his favorite thing as a kid.
I know him now, more than ever. Deeply, truly.
I don’t mean that I know his favorite color is purple or that he is a catholic.
I mean that I know that he prioritizes his greatest passions.
I know that he would do absolutely anything for his little brother, or anyone that he completely and utterly loves.
I know that he truly feels for people and the emotions that they feel.
This man, he is pretty. Like the stars. Even prettier.
The stars are some of my favorite things.
He has light eyes that look like the purest yellowish, greenish field on the sunniest day.
I get lost in that field. I wish that I could just live there forever.
To me, he holds the sea in between our hands. The unimaginable and the unbelievable.
His words are like soft waves. When the sun is setting, waiting for her moon. And the sand cools down and the lights go out. When it’s silent.
His words calm me.
When his fingers move around my skin, I start to fall asleep knowing that if I do, I will be safe.
I will be protected.
He makes me more aware of the monsters in this world but he also makes me most aware of the beauty and the tiniest things in life. The things that mainly matter.
And of course we grew out of the caterpillar tree. It also has grown and changed over time. But now, he is my caterpillar tree.
My reminder that in the end, it’ll be okay. My reminder of the little good things in life when the darkness storms above.
And we will always argue on who loves who most.
But at the end of the day, I think it’ll always be tied.
Because I once told him I loved him all the way to the end of the universe and back.
As he also said for me.
But the thing is, there is no end to the universe. It never stops.
So our love will never end.
I will go past the moon, the stars, the milky way.
All to continue my eternity with him.
“You know I love you, Right..?” I would ask almost everyday.
Asking that question feels different when you know that they would do absolutely anything to keep you safe forever.
He is mine. As for me, I am his.
“You know I love you, right..?”
… I will never stop asking.
