Green eyes

A Story by Eric Otero

A simple short love story

I lay here, listening to her breathing. Her low breaths barely audible. Her weight on the bed next to me, the warmth radiating from her body, the smell of her on the sheets and her taste in my mouth.
I still can’t believe its real. Despite everything I am experiencing right now. I feel like I’m in a dream. A dream I never want to awake from.

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She doesn’t remember the first time we met, The first day of school in my junior year. I don’t blame her, I was younger than her not in the same league going through an awkward phase. I dropped my stuff in the hallway and she stopped to help, rather than laugh. Her smile was warm and her kindness was palpable. My heart raced. Before I could say much of a thanks she smiled and whisked away. She didn’t look back. That small act stuck with me. Random acts of kindness have always had that affect on me. My mood was evened out with the fact that she didn’t notice me. She helped me, but barely noticed me.
I keep thinking to myself; “Stop romanticizing her, she was nice she helped you people do that” People didn’t always help me though, I was quiet, walked the hallways like a ghost. I went through most of the day heart in conflict, and
As I walked into my next class, american history my heart skipped a beat.
She was seated in the room already. Last row furthest from the door, all the way back of the room. The teacher, an eccentric man with a white pony tail, had a chart with our seats and names on the board. I found my name.. my heart was getting more of a workout than it had in ages. I was in the second to last row, back seat.. next to her. I felt the sweat on the back of my neck.
This has to be a sign I thought, the planets have aligned and I got to sit next to the elusive kind girl with a smile that could melt a mountain.
I sat in the seat, and looked over.
She had her eyes focused on the sky out the window.
My mouth went dry, and I couldn’t think of a word to say. So I said nothing.
For weeks.
I nervously sat next to her daily, every day I worked my self up to say something, everyday I broke down into silence.
I thought I must be in some kind of hell.
Again though, the universe gave me a nudge.
A group project.. The first time I had ever been excited for such an event.
Then I instantly became worried how we were going to be split up. Make a group of our own? Every other person? Is he going to assign us based on our grades?
It turned out that he split the room in sixths. based on the seats.
It being a small class there were 24 of us, a good even number. 6 groups of 4.
I was in her group.. Her name was Marilyn like the actor.
She had auburn hair, that tumbled down to her shoulders in waves. Her smile was warm and sweet. Her eyes are the color of marbled leaves, with rays of sun, flecked through out.
I couldn’t so much as say award as breath.
We had to do a presentation on the economic affects the end of the civil war had on southern agriculture. A hot subject filled with love I know.
The two other people we had were an obnoxious carbon copy of the muscled meat heads that were on the various sports teams with no personality unless he was with his “bros” Then a kind artsy kid who was more interested in doodling than working on the project. I couldn’t have had two worse, and perfect partners. I was basically alone with her.
Meathead was too busy talking to his other friends in the class, while the doodler was trying to help but fading in and out of focus.
We talked. for the first time. She asked me what my plan was for this, since we obviously were the only ones who were going to be working on it.
I could hardly speak loud enough for her to hear me.
“what. you know you can talk louder to me right? haha, Im not going to bite”
Her voice was as soft and kind as I remembered.
She placed her hand on my arm. The warmth lingered.
She coaxed me out of my shell more than anyone had before. We got lost in talking about everything but the project. I could listen to her talk all day.
as the due date approached and our progress being close to nothing, I asked her to hangout after school to work on it.. I was surprised at how quickly she answered yes.
I had never known anxiety until that moment. I put myself under a microscope. I had to make sure I was presentable, in every way.
The day dragged. It was just 84 minutes from the minute I asked her till we left the school together to sit on the hill next to the school and work on it.
My mind wandered to the thought of her lips on mine. Her hand on my arm, fingers laced through mine. The way she says my name.
Hours pass. days, years.
When the final bell rings it scares me. It seemed like I still had centuries till it rang.
I borderline ran to the front of the school where we agreed to meet. As the busses filled to their capacity and rolled away one at a time i still stood their, books and papers in arm. lingering with the kids who had no where to go after school.
She forgot. She stood me up. she lied. she had no intentions.
then as I stood there looking at the sky, overcast, as it usually is in our area. I heard the door open and shut and a few quick paces in my direction and as I turned I was met with her smiling face.
“Hey stud!”
This made me blush uncontrollably.
She explained she had to talk to our teacher because the other members of our group hadn’t helped at all. She managed to talk the teacher into letting us get credit for it without them hurting our grades.
As she told me this we walked down the sidewalk towards the old football field.
We sat under a tree and looked at the sky as we talked.
She sat close to me, her hand found mine.
It was quiet for a moment. Besides my thudding heart that I was certain the next area code could hear.
She looked at me.
I could feel it but I didn’t turn, I couldn’t make myself. I was too nervous to look into her green seawater eyes.
She quietly spoke
“Hey..”
I turned and saw her smile and she leaned in and kissed me.

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She stirs in bed next to me. and grabs my hand, her fingers lace through mine and I feel the hardness of the ring on her finger and she kisses me on the cheek, and whispers in a tired, sluggish voice.
“I love you”