Infinite

Chapter 2

She moved down the hall like a summer breeze- warm, short, beatific and rare.

I pulled her aside, into an alcove beside an English classroom.

"Hello," I said, out of breath from chasing a summer breeze. "I was wondering if... If you'd..." I stammered, then stopped from fear.

"'If I'd...'?" she mocked and asked.

I had missed her voice without realizing it. It was cool and soft and melodious and soothing to the ear.

"If you'd... Um... Like to eat... L-lunch... W-with me?" I stuttered.

She looked obviously surprised, then tried to mask her slightly rude emotions.

She nodded once, quickly and curtly, then repeatedly.

"Umm... G-great!" I stammered.

She leaned in towards me, her soft lips making the slightest contact with my ear.

"Meet me at the swing sets at the elementary school playground as soon as lunch starts." she whispered to me, as if sharing some sort of secret.

And I guess she sorta was.

~

She sat, pushing herself with the tips of her feet, on the run-down, cracked swing set.

I sat myself down beside her.

We sat in silence for a minute. But a comfortable silence. A beautiful silence.

"Hello." she said, but it wasn't awkward. It was sweet and genuine.

"Hi." I returned the greeting.

She continued to sway.

"My mother used to take me here. Every day. When I was a little girl." she said, not meeting my eyes.

"She'd push me high on the swing, and when I got as high as I could go, she'd stop, then run to the other side of the swing." She laughed quietly and smiled to herself.

She had a beautiful smile.

"I'd push myself off the swing, and I'd fly through the air. And there would be a moment where she would pretend she WASN'T going to catch me, and it would scare the shit out of both of us. And then she would."

She looked at me.

I looked at her.

She smiled.

I smiled.

My hand, hanging by my side, was suddenly grasped in hers.

She sighed.

"I loved that."

Immediately, I dropped her hand and rushed behind her. Without a word, I pushed her.

I pushed her high, up and up and up, until she got as high as she could go.

I ran to the other side.

She pushed off, and the world seemed to stop.

She wasn't flailing, or screaming, like any other teenager would have been doing. No.

She was smiling, and crying.

And I wanted her to stop.

I wanted to catch her in my arms and caress her and tell her I was so sorry and kiss her and make out with her and marry her and have children with her and grow old with her and die with her.

Because I loved her.

I infinitely loved her.

Time regained, and she fell into my arms.

I held her tight, my face in her hair and her lips at my ear. I could hear her breathing, hard.

I set her on the grass and layed beside her.

"Have you ever fallen in love before?" she asked abruptly.

I thought. I had kissed girls and made out with girls and slept with girls before. But not out of love.

Because Nick and Jake would get me drunk and pair me up. I was just another player, another piece of one of their games.

I had never loved a girl.

But I loved Dawn.

"Yes." I whispered.

She paused.

"How does it feel?"

I knew the answer immediately.

"Like what we just did. I push you and you don't have to do anything, I just fall in love with you and you fall in love with me and then you stop, and your alone."

I pause.

"And then your sad, and scared, and don't know what's going to happen. And then I catch you."

I turn to her.

"I ALWAYS catch you."

She blushed.

"Who did you fall in love with?" she whispered.

I pulled her body close to mine. I swished away her hair. I brought my lips to her ear.

"You."