Seconds

A love story that hopefully isn't too cheesy. Enjoy.

 His life could be compared to the tick tock of a clock that constantly reminds itself that time waits for no one. Each tick signalling the length of time it takes to miss an opportunity. Each second of silence a reminder that what to expect can be expected any second now.

His mind could be compared to a 7-year-old boy; pulling I love you’s from flower petals because the world hasn’t given him the chance to learn what love is yet. And he doesn’t like surprises, so he lives his life according to a plan he built to the second. Because the future is always one step ahead, and it’ll be arriving any second now so be ready for it. And what he doesn’t know will be what hurts him. So he sticks to what he knows best and lives in the familiarity of his own routine. And so like the second hand on a watch, he watches for what he knows comes next.

And the first time the ticking stopped was the first time he made eye contact with her. The second of silence seemed to stretch a fraction of a second longer, and in that fraction of a second he didn’t know what to expect. Didn’t know if he would feel that familiar tick tock in his chest. And he wasn’t the one to skip class so why was his heart suddenly skipping beats.

For he’d never seen oceans in someone’s eyes before. Never lost track of time like that before. Never felt his legs grow weak like that before. But what he doesn’t know will be what hurts him, and his life could be compared to the tick tock of a clock that constantly reminds itself that time waits for no one. And a second later that second was lost, and he slipped back into the familiarity of his own routine. He hadn’t expected the unexpected.

But the next day he found himself not knowing what to expect. Longing for that fraction of a second that left him timeless. Longing to see the oceans that were her eyes and wanting to realize that although time waits for no one he would wait for her. And so he waited. Listened to the tick’s tock by wondering if love truly does make time fly. And although he didn’t expect to see her, he did. Watched her hair as it danced with the wind. Watched her look up at him and wonder if time stopped for her as it did for him.

And it did for him. For the extra fraction of a second became two and left him standing there unsure of what to do. And what he doesn’t know will be what hurts him, and although time waits for no one there is no better time than now to get to know her. And so when he asked her if she had the time, she looked curiously at his watch. So he said I know we’re both probably busy, as time waits for no one. But if you’d let me, I’d love to take the time it takes to take the time to get to know you. I don’t know what to expect, but I’ve been pulling at flower petals trying to figure out if you love me.

And she smiled.

And her smile is a smile that the blind could see. Her smile was one he wanted to take sunsets to go see. And together they spent the time it took to get to know one another. And slowly they fell into each other’s lives like routine. Like the ticks of a clock that forgot how many seconds were lost.

And although the flower petals he plucked said she loved him not, when she said she did a smile broke across his face. He laughed, they kissed, they loved. And when she asked as to why he laughed, he smiled and said.

I didn’t know what to expect.