Scent

First encounter

Scent

When I first met you, wasn’t it a day much like this? Summer with that occasional cool wind that helped you bear the otherwise scorching heat and a whole season’s worth of sunlight.

Sitting alone in the knitted branches of a tree, I swung my leg aimlessly, feeling the sunlight dripping on my face. At that time, boredom was a frequent visitor at my side. Even after eleven years, I still hadn’t found my purpose for breathing. Breaths just passed unnoticed and I walked life searching.  I sighed and leaned my head against the thick trunk of the silent oak, my only companion in my loneliness.

My eyes were closing and my breath was evening when I heard a sweet song swim with the wind. Sitting up, I brushed my black hair out of my eyes to find the source. Searching…searching…then…That was when I first met you. Dancing among the blue and purple flowers that were stained dark gray from the shadows of the tree, your bare nimble feet slipped through the fields of swaying flowers and grass. Your long raven-colored hair rippled unbound in the rush of the song.

Leaning down, I fought hard to glimpse the face of this enchantress. But, like the protective clouds blocking the moon, your long hair swirled and hid your face. I could only listen in wonder. Your voice was not perfect, but it was still heavenly to me. Only when the song finished did the restless hair settled down. As each strand fell into place, I found myself staring at you. The summer sun trickled down your face, painting the smooth ivory gold. Your eyes were still closed, savoring the warmth of the sun.

In my desperate search to look at you, my hold on the branches slipped. I fell from the tree and falling hard on my stomach. Wincing, I slowly sat up and rubbed my slightly bruised chest.  Then another pair of hands appeared to lend their comfort. I looked up and my brown eyes met yours. Such a deep and mysterious blue-gray. I was suddenly reminded of a storm cloud and, attracted by their strangeness, I unconsciously gravitated towards you.

“Are you alright?” you asked worriedly. Your voice was just as sweet as when you were singing.

“Yeah,” I said breathlessly. I coughed and leaned back. Was the breathlessness from the fall alone?

A grin touched your lips. “That’s good.” When you got up, I almost grabbed your hand, not wanting to let this moment go. But you didn’t go far. Bending down, you plucked a small blue flower. You offered a comforting smile along with the flower. Fleetingly, as I curled my hand carefully around the delicate stem, my finger brushed yours.

While you settled beside me, I felt your arm press against mine and I made no move to shift away. Your presence made me forget the soreness in my chest. “Do you live around here?” I asked casually. “I’ve never seen you around…”

You shook your head and your hair tickled my neck. “I just moved here yesterday,” you replied.  Gesturing down the street, you asked, “Do you go to that middle school down that street?”

I nodded. My hearts was thudding so loudly that I was afraid that you’d hear.

 “That’s great!” you exclaimed, surprising me.  You caught my hand and wrapped it in yours. “Tomorrow is my first day!” you explained, but I didn’t really hear. I could vividly remember the sensation of your warmth transferring though my skin. Somehow, the heat went to my scorching cheeks. Your smile broadened. “I hope we’ll be in the same class!”

I fought to find my voice. “Y-yeah.” I managed to say. Everything, from this new warmth to this jumping heart… Everything was new and unfamiliar to me.

It became easier to talk once I started describing the school. You laughed easily and each time I had to catch my voice before it escaped from me again. The minutes passed like heartbeats and, after a while, we fell into silence. Gazing up into the sky, I noticed that the sun had moved past its zenith and brought a cooler wind with its passing.

“I’m happy I met you,” you murmured after a little while, long hair falling into your closed eyes. Unable to find a response, I picked up the flower from my lap and buried my nose into the petals of the tiny blossom. Breathing deeply, I found the scent to be faint but very sweet. Later, I would remember this scent as our first meeting. And when I first fell in love.

But at the time, it was a just a sweet scent that lingered in your presence.

My love will remain through this special scent, spreading through us.

Author's Note

Any suggestions?

Reviews

[Lost in Wonderland]

Wow, this was lovely:)

[Creepy Swine Guy]

This chapter offered the information that I was wishing I had in the prior chapter. I now know that this was someone who you love or once loved. I am usually an advocate of shorter chapters, but on this occasion, I think that combining these two chapters might be beneficial. What do you think?

You have some typos in here and some punctuation boo boos. It needs some attention, but there is some really nice stuff in here. Just one example ...

--- “Yeah,” I said breathlessly. I coughed and leaned back. Was the breathlessness from the fall alone? ---

That was VERY nice !

[Larry Dyson]

flows in and out weaving a melody like the song sung..I like it..waiting to read more...

[aftervision]

i enjoyed this - brought a smile to my memory - sometimes the light of life shines after love is gone