Two Blue Hearts

Dale takes a deep, shaky breath.

Dale takes a deep, shaky breath. "Well, we met in a bar. Like I said. You got pretty drunk pretty fast, and you couldn't drive home so you walked with me to my house. Well, I had to carry you most of the way." I snort at my stupidity. I'm such a dumbass.

"When we got in we--" Dale's phone ringing interrupted him. It was laying on the bed between us. I could almost read the name before he snatched it up quickly.

"I'm so sorry, it's my boss. I've really gotta take this." He says, not looking me in the eyes. He walks into the other room and begins talking in hushed tones. I lean over and look into the kitchen. I see him pull the phone away from his ear and say "Shit," very loudly. I lean away when I hear him hang up the phone. I hear him go into the other rooms. After a few minutes sitting in silence, he comes back into the room dressed in nice-looking clothes and an expensive coat.

"I've got an emergency meeting with my boss. I'm so sorry to leave you here but if I don't make it she says I'm fired. We're meeting at a coffee shop right across the street, it shouldn't take too long."

"Pfft, as if I'm waiting here," I say, standing up. "I'll go too, I can just sit away from you guys or something. She won't know I'm with you," I chuckle. Dale's face turns a very pale color. "Are you okay?" I ask, laughing nervously.

"Can you.. Can you please stay here? Please?" He looks at me with pleading eyes. Pleading, puppy dog eyes. In that moment, everything came flooding back to me like a broken dam. Dale's constant happy nature and his perfect smile, always catching me when I'm about to fall, carrying me to his apartment, the videogames, the deep talk, the sex, and... Jewel. Jewel and I aren't together and she... She cheated on me. But Dale was there for me, even though we'd only just met. He rushed me to the hospital when I busted my head open on the shower. He cares about me.

All of these emotions and memories flooding back to me caused my body to malfunction, and before I can even throw my arms out to catch me I'm headed face first for the floor, the world a blur around me. I feel Dale rush towards me and catch me before I can slam into the ground. I look up, everything a blur, except for Dale's face. He helps me stand up, and I don't even try to gain back my balance before throwing myself onto Dale's chest, sliding my arms beneath his jacket, and hugging him close. He acts surprised, but hugs me close, too. I start to sob, softly at first, then harder, crying into Dale's chest. I cry harder than I think I've ever cried before, his heartbeat thumping against my body.

"I love you, Dale," I whisper, my voice cracking.

"I-I love you, too, Lewis."

"I remember everything, the bar, the videogames, the bed, the shower... I-I'm so sorry you had to go through so much for me. Thank you."

We hold each other like that for a while, my breath becoming even again.

"Oh, r-right. You've got a meeting to go to," I say quietly, not pulling away. He's so warm and comforting, and he smells like Dale. Probably the best scent I've ever smelled before.

"Yeah... I'd, um... I'd better get going." He says. We shift away from each other at the same time, Dale looking into my eyes. His own are pretty watery themselves.

"I... I need you to come with me. There's something you need to know," he says, a hint of sadness and regret in his voice.

"Okay. I suppose I'm ready to go, I don't have any other clothes with me," I laugh.

He half smiles. He has the most perfect smile I've ever seen.

"Sa Complainte" is the name of the coffee shop Dale and I are sitting in, waiting for his boss to get there. We chose to sit at the same table, even though Dale was all nice looking and I looked like shit on a stick. His boss was probably going to be disgusted with me.

Dale was nervously bouncing his knee while stirring his coffee with a plastic blue spoon. The whole theme of this coffee shop seemed to be this light blue color, almost a baby blue.

I look down at my coffee and attempt to take a sip, hoping it's cooled off by now. We've been waiting for around 10 minutes, but I hadn't gotten coffee until about 6 minutes in. I only ordered it to be polite, the old French woman who was working there had been eyeing me so I finally bought something. She'd had a pleased look on her face and said something like, "Merci, longue vie à vous!" I never really paid attention during French class in school so I had no idea what she was saying, but I smiled and nodded.

"Ow, dammit!" I burnt my lip and spilled the coffee all over the table in front of me. I grabbed for the white napkins (they have two little blue hearts on them) and attempt to wipe up the mess I've created.

I hear Dale breathe in sharply as the door's bell rings; a little girl and I'm assuming her mother come in through the door. Dale breathes outward slowly.