Sarawat's Story

Part XIX: The Words

(Thanks for the comments, ratings, and feedback! I appreciate all of it! Enjoy!! -J)

After leaving the emotionally charged karaoke, I was thankful that the universe had gifted Tine and me a relaxing walk to my apartment. It was a comfortably warm night, with light breezes wafting past us as we strolled. The moon was full and luminous, glowing against the black sky. The stars were just as bright, sparkling around the moon in a brilliant display. Avenue C, one of the busiest streets in town, was unusually sparse with cars and people. For most of the walk, the rustle of tree leaves in the gentle wind was the only sound we heard. I had never experienced a night so peaceful or a walk with Tine so tranquil. The atmosphere around us simply felt right.

The calm outside matched the silence between Tine and me. But it wasn't an awkward silence; in a way that I couldn't quite understand, our wordless stroll was soothing to me. Occasionally, I would lean over and bump my shoulder lightly against Tine's shoulder, and when he looked at me with his enchanting smile, I would not be able to look away until he had returned his gaze to the street in front of us. I craved those brief moments where the moonlight hit Tine's face in the perfect spot, and his eyes flickered like the stars. I yearned to hold his hand, not just bump his shoulder. But I was content to simply walk next to him, basking in his beauty and the beauty of the world around us.

We were still wordless by the time we got to my place. At the front door, I slipped out of my shoes as Tine untied the shoelaces on his sneakers. I walked into the kitchen and poured two glasses of iced water while Tine sat on the couch. I sat one glass in front of Tine on the coffee table, and he smiled and bowed his head respectfully. I sat next to him and sipped my water.

Sitting silently with Tine, I realized I hadn't planned what we would do once we got to my apartment. Singing to Tine at the bar had been such an emotional rush that I could think of nothing else but being alone with him. I didn't want to turn on the television, and I wasn't sure I wanted to listen to music. I just wanted to be there, at that moment, with Tine.

I thought about Tine singing at karaoke, and my curiosity gnawed at me. "Tine," I asked, "why did you pick Foolish Heart?"

Tine put his glass on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch. He exhaled soft but long, and his body relaxed. "I guess it's just what I was – I mean, am – feeling," he replied.

"Foolish?" I asked with a smirk.

Tine rolled his eyes and grinned. "No, not foolish," he answered. "The song isn't about being foolish or feeling foolish. It's about being afraid that your heart will make a mistake because it has made mistakes before. It's about feeling something and being nervous about it." He shrugged as he grabbed his glass again. "No one wants to be a fool, right?"

"I'm a fool," I smiled seductively, "for you."

We both burst into laughter. Admittedly, it was a cheesy line. As soon as I had said it, I knew it would make Tine laugh. But I would do or say anything to see Tine's smile.

"You never stop with the cheesy lines, huh?" he teased. He playfully swatted his hand at me, and I dodged it.

When we'd stopped laughing, I cautiously asked, "What do you feel?" I was unsure why I was asking; Tine had admitted that he had feelings for me on Saturday night. But a selfish part of me wanted to hear him repeat it. Also, the impatient side of me wanted to know if he was feeling anything more concrete. I wondered if he could have fallen in love with me yet.

"I feel something," Tine replied, looking down at the glass in his hand.

I smiled happily. "Something is fine with me."