The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows.

Comet.

"You don't want to do this. You always do this. You act on instinct and then you hate yourself for not taking a minute to think so this time, I'm going to stop you."

"No, you don't—,"

"I don't need to,"

"That's right! You don't need to. You don't need to understand to see it. Don't lie to yourself, you see it. In the way I move, the way I speak, the rhythm of my eyes and the constant hesitation as if I have something to say but am failing to find the perfect words to phrase myself. Look. She's standing there. Right there. I feel like I could just reach out and touch her. Tell me one reason I shouldn't."

"Because she will hurt you and you will get hurt, I know it."

"But isn't that better? Isn't that better than me just watching and letting her walk away in the opposite direction? Dreading not taking a step or two forward? 'Cause all I know is she's standing there, and for once the cosmos have lined up. Everything in the air is balanced. I could not be in a worse place and she could not be looking any better. I know that if I don't do this now, I will spend — who knows, days, weeks, months, years — staying up at night, replaying this moment in my head, constantly fucking putting it on pause and telling myself all the times when I went wrong, or slipped and missed my chance. If I go now, I might have something more tragic to think about, but at least it would be something real that actually happened. Wouldn't that be the better choice? Look at her. She is standing right there. And he isn't beside her. I could just tap on her shoulder, or maybe I could run to her and cover her eyes from behind, make her guess who it is though we know she never will. I could just say a simple hi or maybe start it off with a smile. She could run for her life and she could be annoyed, or she could say hello back. All I know is there are a thousand things that could happen right now, but there are a million ways I feel for her to simply let this opportunity slip from my fingertips like I have most things in my life. Trust me. Somewhere out there, someone will thank me for not being a coward."

"So, what if nothing happens? And you just go back to square one?"

"That's OK. I mean, life is a son of a bitch, but that's OK. 'Cause I know there is still an alternate universe where we end up together. There has to be. Where I see her and she is just as glad to see me. Let's be real, this probably isn't the one, but for now I've got enough time on my hands to test the theory of us."