When What You Wanted Arrives a Week Later
Seven o'clock struck, the door cracked open - suddenly my lungs wouldn't move.
A black dress. Plain but sharp. Her hair fell loose, curled like always. The grin - shaky, familiar - same one from back at sixteen.
Yet changed. Wiser now. Steadier in her skin. The one I once adored stood before me fully formed - someone I feared letting go of more than anything.
"Hi," she said.
Flowers in hand. Peonies. The kind she liked most. "Hey," I said. You're -
"Don't say beautiful. That's too easy."
I smiled. "I was going to say devastating. But beautiful works too."
Her face turned pink as she reached for the blooms. Off we go, then - where exactly?
"It's a surprise. Trust me?"
"That's a loaded question."
"I know. But I'm asking anyway."
Out came the coat. Alright then. You've got my trust
