always and forever

⎡𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 ⎦

    "You're none of that, alright?" Bryn whispered into my hair.  She had a kind of brutal protectiveness that tested most friendships, but I appreciated it. I always knew where I stood with her. And she was generous to a fault, both with her time and her possessions. Friends were rare, not just for Bryn, but for me too so I knew that the friends she did spend time with, her loyalty to them was fierce. Some friends are for a reason, some are for a season and some are for life. She was for life. I loved her. Especially in brokenly fragile moments like this. I felt her fingers in my hair, gently smoothing back down. We had never been good with physical contact; hugs were seldom used in our friendship so we knew how the situation must be in the extremes if we ever hugged. I felt a sudden chill as she stood up. I silently watched her close the door.

    "Why are you here?" I asked hoarsely, my voice shaking, "why did you leave Nick?" Bryn's face flashed with an emotion I couldn't pinpoint. Her shoes gently tapped over the tiles, before she came down beside me. She always understood the significance of things, why hurtful comments hurt and why slights from other teens could wound so much. She was that listening ear and I valued her company more than she knew. 

    It was then that I was suddenly struck with how beautiful she was. Bryn was a beautiful woman, and not only on the outside. She had a kind of understated beauty and perhaps it was because she was so disarmingly unaware of her prettiness. With her latin looks and high cheek bones it was all so simple. She was all about simplicity, making things easy, helping those around her to relax and be happy with what they have. Perhaps that is why her skin glowed so, it was her inner beauty that lit her eyes and softened her features. When she smiled and laughed you couldn't help but smile along too, even if it was just on the inside. To be in her company was to feel that you too were someone, that you had been warmed in summer rays regardless of the season.

    "You needed me." It wasn't the first time she had ever stated that and I doubt it would be the last. If you were to personify love even in times of trouble, of hardship or war, then Bryn was truly one of the mighty. Through the many years of school and of boyfriends and fake friends, no matter how many stresses were laid upon her shoulders, she had never given up. On herself or on me. Not when I needed it. It was magical and I knew she had showed more grace than many do in times of peace. 

    "I'm not your responsibility," I replied dully, "besides, it's nothing that can't be fixed in an hour or so. I've got to kill time somehow." Bryn looked at me the way she had always looked at me, even when she was angry with me; with respect. I knew how much effort it could take to look at someone else and take in who they are and show them you regard their point of view with compassion and seriousness. The way she listened without judgement, getting to know people with as few assumptions as possible. It is in careful understanding conveyed by empathic words and deeds to show the depth of feeling you hold for them. It was something she had always been a quiet master in. 

    "I know you," Bryn replied fiercely, "I know when you need space but I also know when space is something you want but not what you need. So let me help you." I looked up at her. Her eyes swam with emotion. Protectiveness. Kindness. Worry. Gentleness. Compassion. Stubbornness. 

    She had smooth, dry skin with small freckles sprinkled about like confetti. Her eyebrows curved in swooping arches over her eyes and her small button like nose completed her wide forehead and blunt chin. These features would not turn heads, or make anyone look twice; they were normal, plain even according to Bryn, although I knew she had never come close to seeing herself as I did. But, the real deal were her eyes. They were like the stars, the way they drew you in to explore the swirling emotion held in their depths. The black of her pupil was surrounded by a ring of jagged silver fire swallowed by sapphire blue. At one glance her eyes merely shone, but if you dared to look closer you could clearly see the sadness of heartbreak, the joy of love, the hope of the future, the pain of sorrow, and the fire of a spirit that would never give up. The way she would not give up on me. Not now, and not in another ten thousand life times.