The Way She Smiles

It wasn't something you had expected.

She had walked into the room with a confidence that said she knew exactly who she was, like a force of nature that could sweep us all away in her waves if she so wished. Her long hair hung in wild curls around her face, and she seemed to somehow glow with an aura you couldn't possibly begin to understand. You didn't know her then, but a soft voice whispered in your heart that you wanted to.

Your chest had fluttered when she laughed loudly at someone's joke, and the resulting heat in your cheeks confused you.

The look in her eyes when she caught you staring was something that you could never forget, soft amusement combined with a fierceness that took your breath away. She had made her way to you, leaning in close and introducing herself over the loud noises of the party that surrounded you both.

You held her name close to your heart, knowing instantly that it would sound so wonderful leaving your lips. You found yourself wanting to say it again and again, to sear it onto your heart. Her name matched her personality exquisitely, the two intertwining together to make a soul so incredibly bright that it hurt to stare at head on, and yet you couldn't tear your eyes away.

She didn't leave your side that night, and you didn't mind one bit.

You had never felt as light as when you had danced with her, allowing her to take your hands and twirl you to the beat of the music. Some part of you wondered why you immediately felt so safe with her, this stranger that you had only met that night. This wonderful, wonderful stranger.

And months later, when you two had remained close friends, that feeling had never left. It was always there, fluttering between you both in a way that you couldn't ever seem to explain. She was a source of strength for you, teaching you everyday how beautiful this world could be if you only looked.

Every moment you spent with her, you wondered.

You wondered what this incredible feeling was, wondered how it filled you with such warmth and joy in a way that nothing else did. You also wondered how no one else noticed the intrinsic beauty of the woman in front of you, how no one else pointed out the astonishing kindness of her soul.

It had been warm the night that she showed up at your door and insisted you come with her, and you knew that you couldn't refuse her. You sat in her car as she drove you both to some unknown location, and you were content to watch her as she sang along loudly to all her favorite songs. She wasn't the best singer by any means, but you would listen to her off-key notes forever if given the chance. At some point she coaxed you into singing with her, and your heart felt as though it would burst.

When you reached your destination she took your hand and lead you up a hill, and her giggles seemed to light up the dimming evening. She brought you to the top of the path, to a bench and an incredible view of your city that you had never seen before.

You felt her watching you, gauging your reaction for something.

As you turned to her, drinking in the sight of her smiling form bathed in the warmth of the setting sun, you realized exactly what that elusive feeling was.

It was her smile that did it.

God, the way she smiles could bring you to your knees. There was no contest between that grin and the sun behind her, you knew that you would follow that woman into the darkest of nights without a thought.

As she pulled you into a kiss, you wondered if she knew how beautiful she was.

Her lips burned into yours, and in doing so burned their way onto your heart. You had never felt anything like this before, you didn't know that you could feel this way. The world had only ever told you its narrow definition of love, and this didn't fit into that picture.

You didn't fit into that picture.

But as one of her hands found its way into your hair, none of that seemed to matter. Everything inside of you that had been buried suddenly made its way to the surface. The pieces of yourself that you thought missing were found, and it was all so simple.

For so long you didn't understand, but how could you have missed this? She was the one to show you that part of yourself, and you would always love her for that. The memory of that night would be yours forever, and you held it closely to your heart.

Months went by, and your lives changed with every day.

Not everyone understood you, as the world's definition of love was still so very narrow. Some thought you should keep that part of yourself buried, that you should hide it, but how were you supposed to do that? After so many years of struggling, you had finally found yourself. You knew who you were, and you weren't ashamed of that.

You weren't ashamed of it, as how could anyone feel ashamed of loving her? You wanted to shout it from the rooftops and tell the world how it felt to hold her in your arms.

And you did.

The memories of you clutching her hand tightly and screaming out your love while surrounded by a parade of people painted in the color of the rainbow, your colors, would never fade. You wished you could keep the image of her dancing through the streets of that parade in your mind forever, because this is what mattered.

You were making your own definition of love, and it started with the glow of her hair in the moonlight and the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed. Your definition of love was the way she held your hand whenever anxious thoughts began creeping into your mind, and the way her ears turned a wonderful shade of red any time she got angry. It was the way you looked at her when she was talking, the pride in your heart blooming at every passionate word she spoke.

Your definition of love was the way she smiled.

Her grin lit up your world and reminded you that love is love, and you would never be ashamed of that. You would help rewrite the world's definition, you and her both, along with all the others that knew what it meant to love someone like her so deeply.

When the world felt like tearing the two of you apart, she reminded you each and every day what it meant to love her.

And god, was it worth it.

...

happy pride month everyone! this is a pretty personal piece for me, but it's for a great cause -

wattpad is donating $1 to the ILGA (Internation Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) for every story tagged #wattpride this month, so here's to a better future for all of us, kiddos <3