Beauty

10

"have a good night!" she called after the last customer, a mother and her daughter who seemed to be near my own age. 

and that was it, the last customer was gone and so was my distraction. so i finally, still cold from the door opening so much, made myself a hot chocolate and sat by the fire i had made in the fire place by the door. i sat there, looking out at the street. 

she felt as if her eyes were deceiving her when she saw the same figure standing across the street that ruined her last year. she shook her head and he was gone. she went back to sipping her hot chocolate and then the bell to her shop rang. she had forgotten to lock the door just yet. she looked up, about to tell them she was closed and her heart stopped. 

the yellow daffodils. the eyes. the hair. it was him. cameron. 

her cup fell to the ground, the warm drink covered the floor. her hands shook. there he was. 

"i thought you would deserve some of these" he held out the flowers. and before another word was spoken she engulfed him into a hug. 

"i missed you" she choked out. 

"i missed you too" he whispered to her. 

"i love you" she whispered. 

"i love you a thousand times more." 

+++

and so they sat at the spot where they'd first met. cameron's hoodie was worn now by grace. cameron held her in his arms. she could feel his chest vibrate every time he said a word. he was talking to her. telling her everything that he'd done in the past year. telling her story after story. he told her of how he'd come back to home and immediately turned back to his trips. he told her of the funny moments and they would both laugh uncontrollably together, even though at the time it happened cameron didn't laugh at all. the stories brought a new kind of wonder to his eyes. finally, he stopped speaking and looked around. 

"the deer" he whispered. grace opened her eyes to see the tall stag standing in the distance. he looked so regal; nearly king-like. his antlers brushed against the tree branches as he walked, head low. he was alone when he stepped out of the trees. and slowly the sun came out. that's when grace raised a finger and pointed at the forest edge. a small doe was rising from the trees. when she reached the stag's side they appeared to look at each other. the sun finally shone brightly. not a cloud to be seen near it. this was the first time in months that had happened. and it shone on the the deer brightly. and on the couple sitting on a fallen tree, in love. 

cameron found that nature had always seemed to help describe the way he felt in an odd way. especially after that day. 

and he knew that anytime he was with her the sun would shine brighter and the colors would look more alive than usual because she was everything to him. 

and to grace, he meant joy and love, and everything to her. she knew that the time they were apart was meant to bring them together again in happiness. and she was glad. 

she was overjoyed that now the love of her life was never to leave. 

and so the gloss disappeared from her eyes and they became the bright blue color they used to be, and his smile became more real and genuine and bigger. his eyes became the hazel color they were meant to be. 

they truly brought out the beauty in one another. they always had. 

                                                           

                                                                                         The End