Remember When

[12]

reading

I remember reading The Great Gatsby with you after you insisted that I had to read it. I honestly hated it, and I ranted about it almost the entire week we spent reading it. You tried to make me like it, but I couldn't bring myself to.

We spent the entire summer after graduating college reading classics together. We sat out in parks under trees and on benches reading books like Frankenstein, Gulliver's Travel, and Wuthering Heights. We would even sometimes sit outside even when it was raining, reading under a large umbrella or a tree that was thick enough to catch the rain before it hit us. We would even lay on the grass in the sunlight, one of our heads on the other's chest. The one on the bottom would usually comb through the other's hair while they read. It was peaceful; the most peaceful thing.

Our favorite park to read in - mainly because there were less kids and more dogs - is right across the street from the only decent bookshop in town which was perfect for us. I remember spending hours wondering around those bookshelves, debating almost every book we looked at. We would pull each other around hand-in-hand, gently pushing past each other and other people. We used to go so often that we could tell when anything was moved or something was new.

We would even scope out garage sales to see if they were ever selling books. The only people that really even still did them were the little old, rich couples who all lived in one neighborhood together, and they would usually coordinate their yard sales to the same weekend every month which was heaven for us. The majority of the items were stuff from their grown kids who never visited anymore. The old couples loved telling us all their stories. There were a lot of books and old clothes, CDs and movies from the 80's and 90's.

There was one lady who loved us. She knew us by name and would sit aside things that she thought we would like, and she even made us cookies for the road once or twice. She would let us sit on her porch and read and rest, if you ever asked her. She adored you. We would sit on her porch swing, leaning up against each other and reading. She would coo over how cute we were, and you'd always laugh when it made me blush. She sent you flowers, by the way. I would've brought them by, but they've already wilted in my living room.

The only good thing about our apartment was the window seat in the living room. It wasn't very big, but there was enough room for both of us to sit. I sat between your legs with my head on your chest as you held the book in front of both of us to see and read. We would sit there for hours on end, reading or just cuddling. It was my favorite place in that apartment. I hate that the new one doesn't have one.

"You're going to love it." You promised one day, sitting the entire Harry Potter series on the coffee table. I had been avoiding it at all costs, but now you owned it and there was no way for me to escape. You talked about it all the time and constantly reminded me that we needed to buy it. I always pretended to forget, but you never did.

"Yeah, totally." I tried to look enthusiastic for your sake, but I know that you could tell that it wasn't genuine. You quickly brushed it off as you normally did because you knew that you would get your way eventually. You continued to go on and on about them until I finally asked if you wanted to start reading it.

You wasted no time making hot chocolate and pulling me to the window. I held your mug and mine as you held the first book. Your head rested on my shoulder and I could feel your smile radiating. I was so happy that you were so happy. And you were right, by the way. It is one of the best book series.