Prom Night

A Chapter by Jeff

The night of the prom finally arrived. With the limo waiting outside, I stood in the den nervously anticipating Lauren's descent from upstairs. I was nervous because Lauren's natural beauty to me was so stunning that I was anxious to see what vision would grace me with her presence. Mine and Lauren's moms had started asking me questions about details that we had already been over a hundred times; more, I think, to calm me down than anything else. My back was to Lauren as she came down and she silently crept behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer beauty that met my gaze then. Lauren was in a floor-length, emerald green strapless gown. The shimmer of the dress, hair and body glitter had made her literally sparkle. Lauren's eyes, accented by the gown, shone intensely bright. Her hair was half up in a French braid and the rest flowing down her back. It was like the first time we actually met all over again. I had forgotten how to breathe, I couldn't speak and I could barely muster the concentration it took to keep my legs from buckling.

Lauren spun slowly, allowing me to eternally emblazon into my memory her immense beauty. "How do I look?"

After an eternity, my mother poked me in the back, sending me crashing back to reality. "There are no words to describe..." I began, "I am, without a doubt, the luckiest guy to have ever lived."

I pinned her corsage as she pinned my boutonniere much to the flickering camera's delight of both of our mothers. After a few more pictures with the limo, we were finally on our way. We were originally supposed to share a limo with some friends, but I decided at the last minute to call in a favor and have a smaller one just for the two of us.

"You are completely stunning... a masterpiece!" I gushed.

"And you are quite dazzling yourself." She blushed.

We rode to the prom in relative silence, mostly because we were locked in a lovingly passionate embrace the whole time.

We arrived at the prom both entirely too soon and just in time. Once inside, Lauren signed the guestbook while I checked us into the hotel. We walked arm-in-arm to the ball room.

We danced.

We laughed.

We ate.

We kissed.

We danced.

We laughed.

We kissed.

We laughed.

We kissed.

Five hours passed in a blink much the same way the last nine months had. Every minute was an eternity and flashed by in a moment all at once. We retreated to our room afterwards where we took turns showering and changing into our 'real people' clothes.

Lauren was first to get showered and changed. When I finished my regimen, I found her on the balcony, leaning against the railing. I stepped behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She laid her head back on my shoulder and I kissed her on her temple.

"I had fun tonight. Thank you." Lauren had rested her arms on top of mine and was now leaning against me instead of the railing.

"I raise my hand as if to show you that I was yours..."

"That I was so yours for the taking..."

"I'm still so yours for the taking..."

Lauren turned in my arms, so we could face each other, "That's when I felt the wind pick up..."

"I grabbed the rail while choking up..."

"These words to say..."

And then I kissed her.

"Here we are on this 18th floor balcony..."

Together we finished, "We're both flying away."

I kissed her again. "Thank you for being in my life. I love you."

Lauren smiled a sleepy smile, "I love you too." she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

I picked my sleepy angel up and carried her to bed. I covered us with the down comforter and as Lauren laid her head on my chest, I quietly sang her to sleep.

"A subdued silence, undisturbed by the sound of her breath;"

As I smoothed her hair back, "So carefully brush her hair back from her eyes;

In steady sequence, one by one;

She slips away

So close your eyes and sleep to dream;

I'm by your side, no words to speak;

We'll set our course and make it through;

No matter how far I go, my heart remains with you;

And I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but it's clear to see;

The purpose of my existence is lying here in front of me..."

In the kind of perfect timing that only happens in movies, Lauren fell asleep at that exact moment with her head still on my chest and her left arm across my stomach. I sighed contentedly and drifted off myself...

prev chapter