Limerence

Too Long A Wait

My footsteps echoed on the brick of the boulevard as I jogged at an increasing pace towards my target. The street was packed as the crowds moved in and out,  from store to store, laughter and chatter filled the holiday air. My labored breathing materialized in the air in front of me as I willed my legs to carry me forward. A blonde haired boy walked a few steps ahead of me holding a pair of grocery bags in his hands, yet he seemed to slip out from under the tips of my fingers, he was so close I could almost hear the sound of his voice, the deep baritone I knew so well. Somehow he seemed so oblivious of my pursuit, walking without a care in the world and allowing his infectious smile to spread through the crowd.

I pushed forward, my heart racing in desperation now. And despite the cold air biting at my nose, cheeks, and ears, leaving red bite marks as it went, a bead of sweat formed on my brow. My scarf flailed behind me, caught in the wind. I was close again, maybe close enough to call his name, but it hung on my lips as a crowd emerged in front of me blocking him from view. I weaved through the crowd muttering continuous streams of “excuse me’s” and “I’m sorry’s,”I contorted my body in order to miss the jabs of the elbows or the rough push of shoulders as I hurried down the pavement. I could almost snicker at the obstacles that lay ahead of me, dozens of hat wearing, overly sweatered children, stiffly pulling at parents' arms begging them for the tempting treats that surrounded them. It was no simple task managing to get past that crowd without being confused for a nervous parent.I smiled, remembering the days when I pulled on my parents hands my brown orbs shining with excitement as I pointed and whined, threatening with a temper tantrum of my own.

It felt like a million years ago now, another lifetime with less stress and more layers. I was running free now, nothing in front of me, no more obstacles keeping me from him, except maybe the few meters left between us. My legs were aching with pain and my side was starting to complain, but I would not stop now, if I did I wouldn't be able to start again. I gave myself one last push, moving forward yet I was not fast enough as the boy easily strolled across the road. I stopped dead in my tracks falling forward a bit, but steadying myself quickly, barely saving myself from a school of oncoming cars.

I let out a long sigh, my eyes, unable to tear away from his fading figure. Yet it wasn't the same figure I remembered, something had changed.

It was the middle of August and a thin layer of sweat covered my skin as I walked into the massive community center. I walked inside expecting the soothing cool air from the air conditioner to provide comfort from the scorching heat outside, but no such luck. It took one of the hottest summers on record to burn out the old thing.

“You could fry an egg on a sidewalk with this weather,” Mary said from the where she stood behind the wooden counter, behind her bulletin boards and posters cluttered the walls, eagerly encouraging kids to get active or drink milk, as if, I thought disgusted by my least favorite of the dairy products. She stood tall, her large frame easily intimidating the neighborhood kids into proper behavior. She waved a fan in her red face, beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

“You could say that again,” I told her walking up to the counter, I was enjoying being tall enough to look over it. I folded my arms on the wood and rest my head on my hands looking up at Mary threw my eyelashes. I batted them a few times at her.

“Practice should be over now, you can go in, but don’t tell Kyle I let you, otherwise he’d never let me hear the end of it. You heard?” She confided and I nodded vigorously, flashing her my hundred dollars, brace-face smile before skipping my way down the familiar hallway towards the indoor pool.

I pushed the door open a bit and poked my head inside. Mary was just about right, the boys were climbing out the pool and drying out on the benches. Letting myself in, instantly my big brother, Kyle, spotted me and if looks could kill I would have never been born. I ignored him pretending I didn't notice his glare, sadly for me he was helping Coach Conrad train the swim team, a position he took way too seriously and was always breathing down my back about interrupting practice. Coach Conrad and Kyle had gotten it in their pretty little minds that Peter would be the prodigy they would mold into an Olympic gold medalist and I was just a distraction for him. I rolled my eyes just at the thought, not that I didn’t believe in Peter I was practically his personal cheerleader, though I absolutely could not see how I was a distraction.