a cottage secret

barbara's words

Betty's parents were calling on her to go back home after the sunset, so she wouldn't be able to sleep at the girl's house like they had planned before. Even if she felt a bit disappointed, Florence would not waste her time moping the loss of an evening with her love; instead, she took her home, holding her hand.

Betty was about to open the door when Florence grabbed her by the waist. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but her body couldn't let go of the girl like that.

So Florence gave her neighbor a kiss on the neck. Betty felt her hair rising to the skies. Lightning went through her spine.

"Can I see you tomorrow?", asked the city girl.

Betty could only nod. The girl had taken away her voice with that kiss. She had nothing else to offer her, besides her undying love.

After the nod, Florence ran back home. The sun had set an hour before and the stars were shining bright. In the city, it was never that beautiful. Those bright spots in the sky just made her more and more happy; they were like signs from the Universe that she met true happiness.

The wind was blowing on her hair and her dress and she had never felt more like herself. She felt like she could run through the woods and lose herself in there and she'd still feel more alive than she had ever felt in her life.

But she knew it wasn't just the pretty stars over her head that made her feel like opening her arms and taking flight. She knew it was Betty.

Betty and her big curly hair. Her hazel-colored eyes. The freckles on her face. The red spot on her nose. Her rosy lips. Her warm touch.

Loving gave her freedom.

When she was with Betty, she could be whoever she wanted to be. She could be herself. She didn't need to pretend to believe anything else other than the greatness of the world.

Before that girl, she assumed the world was cruel and had no place for the people with big hearts. But there, in the countryside, with the skies blessing them with light, she could see it differently: yes, there's cruelty in the world – but the goodness overshines it. There could be light everywhere if we'd just let it in.

Florence felt like glowing.

She went to her room and laid there on the bed. Some minutes passed and she felt overwhelmed. How can someone love someone else that much? And the girl didn't even know! Florence wasn't brave enough to say the words the poets say when they're in love. Or maybe she just thought it wasn't enough. "I love you" wasn't enough.

How would she explain to Betty that all she could wish for was a future with her, wherever in the world? They could escape into the forest or take a boat to another continent. Florence was sure she'd be happy, as long as the redheaded girl was there with her. There was no point to a future if she wasn't there with her. There was no point to a life without that kind of love.

Florence always assumed she'd never have something like that. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. She thought she'd spend her entire life jumping from meaningless connection to meaningless connection until she was old and regretful.

And she certainly did not believe in love the way she believed in Betty.

But it wasn't her fault she didn't believe it. She wasn't a cynical by nature.

The women in her family weren't as lucky as her to have found something like that in their youth and they ended up mistaking transitory passions for true love.