Green Men

She dragged the coat further around her body. It was the green one, mottled he said, and he liked that. So she wore it as she walked through the streets, feeling the wind push against her bare leg. It was a new dress, a blue one and she hoped he’d like it. It had been three years but she was sure she couldn’t of changed that much. He had changed, he had changed a lot and she was scared for a moment of what he would see in her. She was scared of what he would be like. Her feet paused as she waited at the traffic lights. The night was dark and it shone bright as she stared straight ahead.

“You know the green man doesn’t mean walk.”

She looked at him. “What does it mean then?”

“It means you’re wonderful, in traffic light talk.”

She laughed, throwing back her hair, and took his hand, beginning to cross the road.

The man turned from red and she crossed. Across the road a restaurant was open down the street, but she moved away from it, turning from the lights and chatter. She could’ve caught the bus, but the walk was short and it had been a long time since she had walked at night.

The sun was already fully down and above there was a few pinpricks of stars. They hadn’t seen a car since two blocks ago and the only sounds came from the distance.

“Does the red light mean anything?” She pulled her hand around his arm.

“Yes, it means you’re so amazing you need to wait so I can stare at you a bit longer.”

They laughed together, and she moved closer to him, continuing to cross the road.

A car sped by and pulled a gust of wind around her. She grabbed the bottom of her coat instinctively, though she knew she needn’t worry. There was no one around anyway. It had been four blocks since she had passed someone, and it was a while ago that she had walked streets this empty. A breath came from her softly. In one block she would be there, staring at him. She wondered how he would of changed. One more corner and she would be there, just that one corner. She paused, breathing in deep, head titled up to look at the sky.

“What about the stars, do they mean something?”

He looked up at them. “Of course, you see those ones?” He pointed above.

“Yes.

“They mean I love you.”

Her face darted down. He stood there, the same smile, the same eyes. The face, different. She should of known, it was what she expected, but to see was to do more than believe, it was to understand. He reached out his hands and as she took them she felt the roughness they held.

“Christopher!”

“It’s been a while.”

She looked at him, holding his hands, not saying a word.

“Chris, Chris, look at me, please.”

“You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

The car was unmoving, a man jumping out of it’s body, running over to them. She only looked at him, at his face, at the face.

“I guess I’m a bit different.”

His face was marred, covered. “Chris.” And she let go of his hands and she ran, she ran, wondering for the next three years what she left behind.

“I’m sorry.” She held his hands tighter. “I’m sorry that I let go.”

He squeezed her fingers. “I don’t care.”

“But I ran.”

“So you didn’t come and see me, or call for three years, it’s just time, that’s all.”

He hadn’t changed. His face she saw was different, but he hadn’t changed. She smiled and he must of noticed because he smiled too.

“I see you’ve still got that mottled coat.”

She couldn’t help but let the smile break into a laugh and as she did so she heard the same sound emerge from him.

“You haven’t changed Chris,”

“That’s because time hasn’t.” He looked up at the stars. “They haven’t changed either, do you think?”

Her eyes moved with his. “Not a bit.”

A large gust of wind blew across them and she used one hand to do the buttons up on her coat, still holding his hand with the other.

“Do you need a hand?” He asked as he watched her struggle. “You know you don’t have to hold my hand.”

She shook her head. “Now that I’m holding on, I’m never letting go.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

He turned to face her.

“So if you’re never letting go, we’ll have to always be together right?”

“Right.”

“So you’ll have to marry me, right?”

Her eyes caught his. Above them, the stars gleamed and around the corner a green man spread it’s message.

“Right.”

Reviews

[Marie]

Good story...a little obscure, switching back and forth from present to past...but I understood what you were trying t do with the italics...I like the "green" and "red" messabes...
Only use an apostrophe with "it't" if you mean a conraction of 'it is".

"Would have" is more correct grammer than "would of", but you may be using it for effect.