OXYGEN

37 - Keep a Promise

"Are you ready?" I said in a low voice, looking as serious as I possibly could.

Forrest matched my expression. "I was born ready."

We stood outside my bedroom door, my hand on the knob. We finished eating ten minutes ago and the conversation moved on to lighter topics. Inside, I still felt heavy by the thought of my past, but with Forrest near me, I was able to breathe a little easier.

"In that case," I twisted the knob and dramatically opened the door, "Welcome! Oh wait," I muttered, scrambling to turn on the light. "There. Now, let me try again: Welcome to my bedroom. My ceiling has been dying to see you."

Forrest laughed, walking in. "Wow, way to make an introduction." His eyes slowly scanned the room. "And I can't believe I'm finally here." He turned his head upwards. "Nice to meet you."

I smiled, rolling my eyes. "You're hilarious, you know that?" I made my way to my bed and plopped down. Moments later, it bounced again under Forrest's weight.

"Yes, I am very aware of my great sense of humor," his voice was so close, "But really, thanks for letting me in here. My ceiling doesn't even compare to yours."

Oh God. "Okay, Forrest, I get it. Love at first sight. When's the wedding?"

His laughter rang through the air. "Honestly," he exclaimed, "Even if there was a wedding, you wouldn't be invited."

I turned my head to him, pretending to be offended. "Ouch. And I'm the one who introduced you two?"

"Oh God, all right, let's stop. This is too weird."

"Afraid of commitment, huh?"

Forrest narrowed his eyes at me. "Unbelievable. But just for your information, I'm not afraid of commitment. And I also do not believe in love at first sight."

I raised my brows in surprise. "Forrest, the sappiest person alive, doesn't believe in love at first sight?"

"Ha ha." He went up on his side, using his elbow as support. We were awfully near each other yet we didn't touch. "I seriously don't understand it, though. How can you claim you love someone just by a glance? All you know is what they look like. When you love someone, you have to see beyond their appearance. It just doesn't make sense."

"You have a point," I admitted. I hadn't thought about it that way before.

"Yeah. I think people have it wrong whenever they say it's love at first sight. I think what they really mean is that . . . well, for me, it's like – when you see her or him for the first time, the world slows down. And it's like you find something you didn't even know you were searching for. You look at that person, and suddenly, you can imagine a future with them. And you do whatever you can to make it happen because you know letting them get away would be stupid. Uh, do you get what I mean?"

In that moment, watching him speak with an eloquence that he so easily possessed, and getting lost in his soft voice, maybe I knew exactly what he meant.

"Uh, anyway . . ." Forrest laid back down, clearing his throat. I kept my eyes on him. "I like your room. It feels like you, if that makes sense."

"Well, it's a mess, so I'm not sure whether or not I'm offended," I gave him a quizzical look, "Sorry, by the way. I'll clean up soon."

"No worries," he murmured, letting out a sigh. And then . . . he closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling gently. Soon, the sound of his breathing was all I heard – other than my wild heartbeat.

Is he sleeping? I couldn't blame him for being so tired; it'd been a long day. I didn't exactly know what he went through earlier, but after going through all the trouble to prepare a meal, I was certain that he was out of energy at this point.