That single light

A very short story i have been working on

 

He pulled up to the darkened apartment building. It was a little past three in the morning and there were was only one light still on in the entire building. He turned to her, as she pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in all night long and straightened it out in the mirror on the visor. He sat in silence marveling at her beauty as her raven locks fell around her face. He looked out his window to take his gaze off her, to find someplace where he could go, while he waited for her to choose. 

She reached behind his seat, her breast rubbed against his shoulder; her scent forced him back into admiration. She rifled around and sat back down with her brown and maroon bag in her lap. He stared at her, intensely searching, trying to find what she needed. She exhaled as she pulled out her lip gloss from her purse and applied a fresh coat.

“Thank you so much, I just need to know what happened. I have to find that reason why.”

“No problem, that’s what I do” he replied.

He was consumed in that moment, he wanted so much for her to just turn his way, to give him a sense of hope.   But she could not, so he turned his attention forward and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. This was a new pack just 3 hours ago, when they started drinking, now only one remained. The one that was turn oppose all the others that had been smoked before, the lucky one. He threw the crumbled box out the window and he set fire to his lucky. He blew the smoke out the window and he turned to her, she was stunning. He traced her curves up the seat, she was so much more beautiful than she ever gave herself credit for. They had been talking the entire evening about the future and the present, flirting with that place where friends become lovers, but the past interrupted in that one lone light. She closed the visor and turned to him,

“ You are amazing, thank you so much for this.”

“No problem, I do what I can with what little I got” He said as he took a drag. “Go find what you need” 

She turned towards him and leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. He felt her hold for a moment, breathing deep

“You smell so good she whispered…” her hands held tight around him as she turned into his neck. He moved his hands from her back and slowly caressed her neck pulling her closer. Her warm breath sent a wave of electricity through every part of him, He looked up, their lips touched.  

Her lips parted as they moved closer, she moved her hand from his back and grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. The moment lingered in his mind, lost in the hope of something new. She pulled away ripping him back to reality.

“You are a good kisser…really good” she said just past a whisper

Of all the things he wanted to say in that moment. That he had been thinking of her non stop since the first time he had seen her or he wanted to do was to taste her lips again. That she did not have to leave him and try to find purpose in her pain in that lone lit apartment, He could give her a better future right here if she would just stay here, if she would let him, but the only thing that came out was,

“I do what I can with what I got…”

“Why yes you do, and my, don’t you do it well.” She said as she leaned in

They kissed again, and again, suddenly that hand on his chest that had been pulling him closer now was pushing him away. It took every bit of his willpower to submit to her request. 

“ I…I have to go. I just have some things I have to find out”

“ You reason why, I know,” He interjected “but I don’t make guarantees in this life, but I can guarantee that nothing you find in there will come close to what you could have right here.” He was first taken aback by his own frankness, but he continued on. “ You know there was a reason why he was not around, and the reason is his and his alone. You don’t have to go…”

She looked away from him, towards the single lit window in the building. He put his hand behind her neck and turned her towards him.

“You are amazing. You are worthy of more than a three o’clock text message. You are worth more than being left without explanation. You are worth more than you can even see right now.” He reached out and held her hand. “ You are unique, you are worthy, you are…”

She put her hand over his mouth, and she grabbed her purse. Fresh tears were falling down her face. She turned and in what seemed like a blink of the eye she was outside his door walking towards that lone light. She stopped for a moment and looked back at him. He sat there still, no more words would do, and her choice was made. She took a step back towards his car and leaned in the window. Her hands pulled him close; she kissed him again, and whispered. 

“Thank you, you are worthy of more than this…you are worthy of more than me”

She turned and walked towards that single light and, in an instant, was gone.