SWEET NOTHINGS - S. LILLIS

"i'm in love with you"

it was a wednesdsay, the three year anniversary of the day sophia and i had first met. three years of me being blindly in love with the redhead with the sweet voice and sharp tongue. she took me out to my old place of work, and ordered us each a vanilla ice cream. this time, i didn't question her. we sat in her favorite window seat, and she looked at me in the way i had been wishing for for years. life really can be a beautiful thing, i've learned.
"you need to eat, jane," she told me, eyeing my half eaten ice cream with that look. she knew my weight loss wasn't from lack of eating, but she always scolded me anyway. i think it made her feel normal.
"alright soph," i answered, and continued to eat even when i felt nauseous. lucky for me, ice cream doesn't burn on the way up. i could humor her, even if my body disagreed. she watched me, and the smile on her face made me feel less queasy.
"do you remember when we first met?" she asked me, clicking the plastic spoon thoughtfully against her teeth. i nodded, even though i think she already knew the answer. "i saw you, up there," she gestured to the counter, and i didn't even have to look. "and i thought, wow, she's beautiful. i thought, what can i do to make an impression on this girl?" i felt my cheeks burn at her words, and suddenly i felt nauseous again.
"you made a big impression on me," i informed her, mixing my ice cream absentmindedly as i talked. "i was just waiting for you to talk, and when you told me you wanted vanilla, it was one of those moments where i just kinda had to stop and give you a look, like, are you serious?" sophia laughed, and her outstretched hand was a welcome invitation that i could not decline. i placed my hand in hers, and her face turned serious.
"three years ago, i became intrigued by you. and today, i'm in love with you." i think i stopped breathing in that moment, just looking into her eyes and hearing those words come out of her mouth.
"you're..in love with me?" she nodded. she didn't look away from me once.
"oakley, i am completely, unapologetically yours. and i don't want you to leave this earth without being mine."
"so, what are you saying..?
"i'm asking if you would finally be my girlfriend." it took me a moment to process what was happening, but when i did, i leaned across the table and kissed her vanilla lips, the same ones that had smiled at me three years ago, on the dot.
she really had shown me the beautiful, simple things in life. and on the top of that list, was sophia lillis herself. because loving her had always been easy.

-oakley