tea and peaches

happy. aha.

She is eating a peach opposite me like she always did; a peach and a cup of tea, every single time. I suppose that’s why I am here, that security, that safety and that companionship: come next Thursday, she’d be sitting in front of me eating her peach. It’s a shame we have emotions because everything could be incredibly uncomplicated if we didn’t.

Unfortunately we do and love flourishes stubbornly. People say weeds grow everywhere, but for me it is love. Love pokes its’ small head through frosted ice on a frozen lake or through the wooden slats of a well-tended garden bed; love perseveres even when the gardener in our brain prunes it and covers it in emotional weed killer.

It is for that reason I sit in front of her now: I have myself convinced that it is just friendship, but I don’t even like this café, or tea and peaches. These are the sort of fickle details love forgives.

She catches me staring at her and smiles before looking back at her book. Sometimes there’s a flare or a flicker of fondness I fail to associate with either love or friendship, thus losing myself in the milky absence in between. It is these moments that worry me most, but there is always a hand in the gloom that leads me home and that is the promise that we will at least be together in nothingness.

Like the sun’s warm glow or the nutrients suckled up through long and winding roots, courage fuels love. Courage is foolish, but all products of greatness must have it. I look at her now: dimpled cheeks and lumps of peach on lips. My own tea goes cold as I watch her tea slowly being stirred by her beautifully absent-minded hands.

There’s a sudden surge in my stomach: a certain compulsion to shout and scream, what about I’m not sure, but I knew that if I told it to, my mouth would form words. What came out in the end was half-burp half-confession-of-love.

‘I like you, Rose’

The red-faced embarrassment as I spluttered my emotions onto the table before her far outweighed any pride I had in finally confessing.

Rose didn’t even look up, but I saw her smile and the spoon had gone rigid in her left hand.

'Well that's good isn't it'

Yes, I thought, yes it is, moving to pick up my bag and run as far away as possible.

Half way out of my seat, I see her pause half way down the page -- her hand hovers over a word I can’t make out. She looks up with that questioning look on her face where the tongue is poised for asking, but her face softens and loses its’ urgency.

‘Yes, I like you too’

Suddenly it was a lot more than tea and peaches in our favourite café.

Reviews

[Jo March]

I love this story. I love the voice of the character, so young and innocent, and wonderfully puerile (in a good way) your writing is very good.

[Aella.lives]

I enjoyed this very much. I love your detail when you write... very fascinating. And I loved. Loved, loved: It’s a shame we have emotions because everything could be incredibly uncomplicated if we didn’t.

Ended sweetly. :)

[Harry Alston]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your comment :)

[de_maruf]

fine

[tamsin]

This is really beautiful. I love the tentative moves between them, the mundaneness of the peach. Two people living their lives in the same way everyday, it's real life and it's excellent : D

[Harry Alston]

Thank you very much! :)

[Aarontastic]

This is one of the more affecting love stories that I've read on this site: it's not full of the cloying sentimentality common to the genre; it's just sweet and engaging in all of the right ways. I think that you managed to pull it off well is a testament to the subtlety and restraint of your style, so good job wih that. Also, there's lots of rich imagery in here that kept me interested and created the proper atmosphere. Well balanced and well-done I think :)

Personally, I don't believe in "love" at first sight...this story seems to be more about infatuation to me. That's just a side note though, and maybe I'm just not romantic enough XD

[Harry Alston]

Thank you very much, I'm like you too, "love" at first sight doesn't really exist, but personally, I think that infatuation makes us far more romantic, haha.

[C.C. Marx]

Well written and very sweet. Well done.

[Harry Alston]

Thanks for your comment :)

[Destinyxi]

This is so freaking cute haha. I hate that stage in a friendship, where it borders on friendship to like/love. You don't know how to topple over the border so that it exceeds friendship but you're dying to try. Does that make any sense? o.o

Really great right, you made me hungry to bite into a peach haha.

[Harry Alston]

Love your use of "topple" there because that's exactly what it is. You fall for someone but end up tumbling and toppling for ever. Everyone experiences this sometimes, but I've learned from my small and inadequate experiences that you just have to bite the bullet.

Thank you ever so much for the comment :)

[Destinyxi]

You're very welcome. It was a pleasure to read :)

[hogan]

A very well written piece which held me and moved me.

[Harry Alston]

Thankyou Hogan, I appreciate your comment :)

[quinfinn]

your wording and sense of nuances rather than directness is light and refreshing. i agree with Marie on this write. nicely written.

[Harry Alston]

Thank you very much :)

[Marie]

Very good. Not a drippy love story, but a nice, sensible "like" story

[Harry Alston]

Haha, just about as sensible as can be. Shame it's usually not considered sensible to go about confessing your "like" for people.

[Marie]

It kind of reminds me of the letter my little girl once got from a little boy: "Dear Janeeen, I like you. Love, Stephen