Spontaneity

When We Were Us

IT was a cold summer morning. 

The sun hung up high above the clouds, its rays beaming, illuminating your picnic mat, putting Brennan and Maya under a natural spotlight. The breeze whispered a song - a song of hope, a song of dreams, a song of love. The smell of Maya's sweet chrysanthemum perfume enveloped Brennan's senses. Rustling in excitement, the browned leaves from the oak tree fluttered down and landed gently on Maya's lap. 

Under the shade of the large oak tree sat Brennan and Maya, her head on his lap, irradiated by the divergent rays of sunlight that cut through the foliage, beautifully accentuating her gorgeous features. Even with her eyelids shut, he could picture her large, round eyes which spoke volumes of her passion and her dreams. 

Maya embodied sprightly youth, like a tree nymph ready to spread her love to the world. Despite her small fragile human body with all its quirks and illnesses, she was ready to dream big, ready to conquer the world with her conviction. 

Ready to dream her dream with him. 

-FLASHBACK-

He was by no means a special guy. A typical "Brennan" amongst many others, merely a speck of dust in a world pulsing with life. The only conviction he had was to graduate from college, which he had, with a decent grade, neither as the ostracised outcast nor the admired leader. An average Joe with not much to lose and not much to offer, his fate lay in the tedious, cyclical nature of human life. To grow up, go to school, graduate from college, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old and die. An ordinary life indistinguishable from the next-door neighbour's, adequate, unremarkable and largely forgettable. He was content with such a life. 

Maya was an energetic, enigmatic girl who loved people. Always ready to lend a hand, she was an empathetic and kind soul who had shaken the hearts of many teenage boys with her wit and charm. As the student council president, she was easily the most well-known student in the school. Yet she was equal parts distant as she was caring. She had no "close friend group", nor "best friend", and was merely an adored figure in the school, all alone at the top. 

"Guess it's the two of us?"

The phrase which started it all. It was as if fate had arranged for these lonely souls to meet, one day, during a pair project. While the rest of the class had formed pairs in an instant, Maya and Brennan were alone. Shrugging, Maya walked over to Brennan with her signature radiant smile and asked him to pair up. 

It was from that moment that Brennan had been introduced to yearning, an unadulterated desire to see Maya's smile. Even a small grin on her face lit up his world and made his heart flutter like the wings of birds in spring. During that group project, they laughed, argued, laughed some more, and rejoiced. Most of all, they enjoyed themselves, sowing the tiniest seeds of love in each other's hearts. 

Nervous, jittery, desperate, Brennan confessed to Maya. He had little hope for success. After all, he was but a normal guy who had fallen for the most beautiful flower in the school, one who seemed unreachable, sitting high atop her pedestal, only to look at but not to touch. If only he had been a basketball team captain, athletic and cool. If only he had been a smart and studious student who aced his tests. If only he had been something he was not. 

But Maya wanted no athlete, no nerd. She wanted Brennan, and him only. 

For the first time in his life, Brennan's heart leapt! Blushing furiously, he clasped Maya's hand in his and pecked her on her cheek. With Maya, he was no longer content. For the angel who had graced his life, bringing the music of the heavens to his meagre existence, he was ready to give it all. Love her with all his might. Give her all the happiness the world could offer, and more.