My One Shots

"Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone."

“Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone.”

***

“Hi,” he said, as he spotted me walking into his sight.

“Hey!”

After a brief set of seconds of silence, i cleared my throat. “So?”

“So... yeah. Yeah, totally.” I gave him a shrug. “You want to know why i invited you over. Totally.”

“Would you actually tell me why, or are we supposed to stay here all night, just like this?”

“Oh, no no. So, the thing is--see, i just wanted to show you this...”

“Show me what?”

He was nervous, confused, clueless, somewhere near all those words. “Show you this! Look how calm this is. Look at the river! The water?”

“So, you called me over to show me this? The river?”

“Shit. I'm so effed up,” he muttered to himself. “Look, i... i just want to tell you this place is always so lonely at this hour. Just like me. And the river is so beautiful and the water seems so calm from up here, just like i do, from a distance. And the sky?” He looks up at the sky with admiration clear in his eyes. “Damn, it's so dreamy!”

“Just like your eyes,” i whispered to myself.

“What?”

“Nothing. What were you saying?”

“Yeah, so, uh... I'm sorry, where was i?”

“The sky.”

“Yeah! The sky! So you know it's so dreamy. All these stars, and the moon, and its reflection in the water. And the lonely bridge. So, the point is, i come here everyday. It's so peaceful here. It's kinda like my personal space, just at midnight, my time.” He finished talking and looked dreamily at the sky again.

“Your personal space?” He nodded. “And, uh, why're you inviting me to your personal space?”

To which he looked stunned, then nervous, and down towards the water again. “I, uh... i just wanted to show you. That's all.”

“Don't lie. You wanted to let me into your personal space. Look... look at me. Hey, please, look at me.” To which he actually obeyed. “You wanted to let me in, didn't you? Why is it so hard to say what you feel? See, i just said it on your behalf.”

He looked down again and frowned to himself, almost like he was about to cry.

“Listen, calm down. I'm sorry.” I was internally starting to freak out now. “Hey! Shooting star!” I pointed away at nothing, in an attempt to make him feel easier, at which i actually succeeded; his lips broke into an excited smile, looking for The Shooting Star.

“It's gone!” He was disappointed, to which i smiled.

The next hour or so, i stood there stunned by his innocent gestures towards the nature's beauty that seemed to stun him as much.

His eyes had this innocent admiration of a child looking at his favorite drawing, as if he was looking at his whole world wrapped into a single piece of paper, like something he was determined to savor for an eternity.

I love him.

After all, there was nothing in the whole moment that could make me feel any lesser. Anyone, anyone would feel the same in that particular moment--nothing otherwise, nothing lesser.

He was too innocent not to be lovable.

His smile, the innocence of a little lively, carefree child.

“Listen,” i said, finally, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” he said, not exactly listening.

“I lo--” I coughed. “Can i go home now?”

“Please stay some more.”

“I'm tired.”

“Let's sit here!” he said, sitting on the floor, leaning back towards the side of the bridge. I laughed. “What?” he questioned.

I shook my head. “You're impossible.”

I sat beside him anyway, trying to stay calm for a while before i gave in to my tiredness and rested my head on his shoulder, looking at the reflection of the moon in the water. “It's beautiful,” i whispered unconsciously.

For the first time in a long time, i had the chance to admire true beauty with the eyes of my heart, and i was totally being in it. I didn't want to regret losing a bit of the chance given, and my concept of true beauty involved his existence in it--me beside him, his shoulder being like a pillow to my tired head--just his entire existence.

Please, stay here forever, my heart whispered to me.

I fell asleep, whispering, “I love you.”

Knowing i was going to stay here, with him, in this moment, in love, for the rest of my life.

Promising to never, ever, leave him alone.