Mark
I watch her face light up and her smile grow as we get closer to the picnic blanket.
The sun shines off her skin like she was created to be adored right next to nature. I will gladly take up the mantle of adoration.
"What's this?" She's looking down at the picnic blanket.
Most is standard stuff, like a picnic basket, a bottle of red wine. But what she's looking at is a stack of small books.
"It's poetry." She looks up at me, her brows knitted together. "I was hoping you could read some for me."
I don't tell her this, but when she reads poetry, its different. There's more meaning behind the words, the sentences flow together beautifully, and I can close my eyes and bask in the peace her voice reading poetry brings me.
"Me? Read to you?" She looks concerned.
I lift her hand up and kiss it gently.
"Please, darling?" I pout and make puppy dog eyes.
"O-okay." She flushes and turns away, leaving me with a smirk on my face.
"But before, open this."
We both sit down on the picnic blanket, side by side. I rest my arm around her side of the blanket, feeling her back against my arm.
She starts opening the small envelope I handed her. She smiles as she starts reading it out loud.
"I can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but you don't deserve that. Please accept this field of sunflowers in front of you as an apology."
She looks up at me confused because we're definitely not surrounded by sunflowers.
"Come here." I beckon her to stand up with me and start leading her forward, to where there's a small drop off the side of the cliff. About 5 feet. I lower her down to the edge and we sit, looking out over the field below.
A long field of sunflowers that glow in the sunlight, just like her, sits before us.
"Mark, it's beautiful." I look over at her. Some tears have escaped her eyes. I brush them away with my fingers and hold her cheek in my palm.
"It reminds me of you, Valentina." My honesty shocks me, and apparently it shocks her too.
"That's why it's so special to me." Her eyes light up and she starts to smile. Go Mark! "That and it's the only place to get peace and quiet when you live so close to a college campus."
That pulls a giggle out of her. It's the damn cutest thing I've ever heard.
***
"Read this one first. It's the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur."
She's propped up on the picnic blanket and I'm laying down, my head in her lap. It's been so peaceful. She nods and starts.
"what is the greatest lesson a woman should learn
that since day one
she's already had everything she needs within herself
it's the world that convinced her she did not"
Valentina takes a deep breath before continuing.
"this morning
I told the flowers
what I'd do for you
and they blossomed"
Valentina reaches down and starts running her fingers through my hair. The motion makes my heart tighten, I close my eyes and bask in her voice, the sun, and her hands.
"what is it with you and sunflowers he asks
i point to the field of yellow outside
sunflowers worship the sun i tell him
only when it arrives do they rise
when the sun leaves
they bow their heads in mourning
that is what the sun does to those flowers
it's what you do to me"
Valentina's hand stops and I open my eyes. She's smiling at me, I can't help but grin back.
I sit up and brush a strand of curly hair behind her ear. Her eyes stay locked on mine, except for one moment I'm sure I just imagined, when they glanced at my lips.
"My sunflower." The words are spoken so softly form my mouth I almost think she didn't hear them. But she does because her eyes light up and her smile widens.
I lean a bit closer to her, our face only seconds apart. She leans closer to me. My breath hitched and my heart beats faster at how close our lips are.
"Mi girasol." My sunflower in Spanish. I've been practicing so it doesn't sound off when I say it. I think she likes it, because her mouth parts and she inhales a breath.
I slowly close the gap between us, my hand on her cheek.
Our lips meet and touch softly, and the sun shines a little brighter around me. My heart is beating so loudly I'm sure she can hear it. Her soft lips kiss me back, sending a chill down my spine. I slowly pull away from her.
She's blushing really hard and smiling so wide that she covers her face in her hands and falls back on the blanket, giggling.
She's so fucking cute and beautiful, it's almost too much. But she could never be too much. She's just perfect.
I lay down next to her and wrap my arm around her, pulling her to my chest. She lays her head on my heart, where she can definitely hear how hard it's beating. Her curls fall on my shirt in beautiful shapes as she puts her hand on my stomach.
This moment is perfect. Valentina is laying on my chest, she read my poetry, we kissed. This field means more to me now than I ever thought it could. This woman means more to me now than I ever thought she could.
I'm pretty sure the birds are singing now.
〽️〽️〽️
Their first kiss 🥹
I was actually giggling and smiling right next to Valentina while writing this. I love them. 🫶
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Thanks for reading,
Mia x
YOU ARE READING
The Professor
RomanceDr. Mark Holloway is a young college professor who has a PhD in poetry. He isn't looking for love or complications after his last two failed relationships. Reserved and cold, hate is the answer. All he expects from his third year at the University...
