The next Friday came sooner than Michael would have liked, but he found that he wasn't dreading it as much as he had previously been. That afternoon with Ari had made him remember how comfortable he felt around her, and how easy it was to forget how in love with her he was.
He had finally come to terms with the fact that he loved her. It wasn't a "give-up-everything" sort of love, not yet. It was just a "thinking-about-you-all-the-time" kind of love. He could live with it, but he wasn't sure for how long
Friday evening, he frantically searched through his closet, which contained the contents of his suitcases arranged into hectic, barely folded stacks. Unfortunately, he hadn't foreseen a formal dinner during his packing, and he hadn't thought to bring anything fancy. Luckily, he was sure casually dressy would be perfectly fine for this particular Friday night gathering. He finally decided on a red plaid flannel and a pair of black skinny jeans.
Since when do you care so much?
The words kept fluttering through his head like an angry bird, and he kept stubbornly answering them with, since I fell in love.
---
"Welcome everybody! Come in!"
Anne met them at the door with buzzing, contagious enthusiasm, and ushered them into her home.
"Everything is ready, and we can start eating right away." Anne continued as Suzanne and Michael followed her into the dining room. Ashton, Ari and Marigold were already there, and Michael's eyes immediately fell on Ari. Her long, white-blonde hair had been tamed into a French braid, and it snaked over her shoulder, it's blue streaks bringing out the color of her eyes. She was wearing a soft looking, green T-shirt and a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, and her lips were covered in pink tinted lip gloss.
Michael wondered if it was for him.
Of course it's not for you, you idiot! his mind scoffed. Why would she dress up for you?
Michael's thoughts were suddenly cut short when a pair of small arms wrapped around his waist.
"Michael!" A voice squealed, and Michael looked down to see Marigold hugging him tightly.
"Hey." He smiled.
Marigold took a step away from him, and he noticed that she was wearing a short black dress with asymmetrical belts and stitching, and a pair of maroon and black striped tights with holes in the knees. Her golden hair was up in two braids tied with pink bows, and her usual black SnapBack was perched atop her head.
"Guess what?" Marigold squealed, an excited look on her face.
"What?" Michael grinned.
"I got a tattoo!" Marigold held up her arm, grinning proudly. On it was a shaky black rose that appeared to have been drawn with a sharpie.
Michael smiled. "Cool!"
"Do you have any tattoos?" Marigold asked expectantly.
"Yes," Michael lied playfully. "I have one, but it's somewhere that I can't show you."
"Ew!" Marigold stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"I'm just kidding!" Michael laughed.
"Everybody take a seat!" Anne offered, cutting Michael and Marigold's conversation short. "Sit anywhere you want!"
Michael took a seat near the end of the table, and Marigold hurried to sit beside him, grinning up at him. Ari sat across from him, smiling shyly.
As the food was passed around, Michael discreetly examined Ari, quickly looking away every time she glanced in his direction. Was she as confused as he was? It didn't seem so.
Once everyone had finished eating, it was time for dessert. Michael was handed a thick slice of ice cream cake in a paper plate, and Ari suggested that everyone go outside and watch the sunset while eating their dessert. Nobody seemed to be too keen on the idea though, so Michael volunteered himself.
"I'll come." He nodded.
Ari's face split into a wide smile, and the two got up, heading towards the back door.
Michael secretly hoped Ashton or even Marigold would join them, because he wasn't sure he could stand being alone with Ari. When he glanced over his shoulder, however, Ashton was engrossed in conversation with the adults, and Marigold was so preoccupied with her cake that it would have taken a nuclear bomb to draw her attention away from it.
Ari pushed open the screen door, and Michael followed her out into the thick, humid summer air. The sky was still a powder blue color, but the sun was gently brushing against the horizon, sending splashes of bright reds and oranges outwards. It was as if the sky was a perfect canvas, the sun a master artist, poised to turn the wide blue horizon into a beautiful work of art.
The bright green grass swished against Michael's feet as the two made their way to the center of the yard and sat down, a perfect view of the sunset in front of them.
There was a moment of silence as Ari slowly took a bit of her ice cream cake, the paper plate rustling between her fingers.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ari finally said, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yeah. It is," Michael smiled wistfully. "You know, before this summer, I never used to notice stuff like this."
"Before this summer," Ari bit her lip. "I never used to believe in miracles."
"And...you do now?"
"I do."
"Why?"
Ari's eyes remained firmly fixed on the sky, and she seemed to savor the seconds before she spoke like the ice cream cake in her hands. Finally, a ghost of a smile played across her face.
"I guess it would be because of you."
An unfamiliar feeling took hold of Michael's heart. It was as if hundreds of butterflies had been unleashed inside of him and were now flitting around his chest cavity, their soft wings brushing gently against his heart like kisses.
"Me?" His voice was an echo, silent but powerful.
"You." Ari's smile had taken shape and was now spread across her face, her cheeks glowing.
A million questions rammed through Michael's mind all at once, drowning each other out so that none were audible. The one that escaped his lips was, "why?"
Ari's blue eyes squeezed shut for a moment, and she seemed to be weighing her words on an invisible scale.
"Because...you make me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. Things I never thought I would feel again."
This time, Michael couldn't speak. Words eluded him.
"After my parents died, I felt numb for a long time," Ari's eyes fluttered closed again. "And I thought I would never feel anything again. And maybe I didn't want to. I pushed every emotion away until all that was left was fear. And what's scaring me most now is that I'm feeling something for you now that I can't push away. For once, it feels like I can't control it. That's what a miracle is: something out of your control. Something that happens just because it's supposed to."
Ari opened her eyes, and it seemed as if the endless blue might consume him.
"Michael, I think I'm falling in love with you."
Loser_Luke
