The Return

Diana

The rain was pouring outside, but that wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. He was coming back today. Oh, the myriad of emotions that followed that thought! A surge of warmth overwhelmed my heart, and my joy displayed itself through a grin stretched from cheek to cheek. Anticipation. Trepedition. Lovely apprehension. I coloured slightly as I wondered if he felt the same way too.

Was it just me, or was Time creeping by slowly to prolong my wait? Cruel. Positively cruel. I bounced back onto the bed and hugged my pillow tightly to myself. He's coming back, and that's all that matters. He's coming back. What does it feel like to be in love? I smiled, knowing I couldn't describe that sweet current of warmth flowing through me. All I knew, he loved me too.

***

The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. One, two, three. I craned my neck to get a better view of the port, even though I knew his ship wasn't anywhere in sight yet. Delays. I sighed. The restlessness I felt manifested itself in my fidgeting and constant glancing at my watch. After what seemed like an interminable 15 minutes, the ship finally appeared in the misty horizon. I sighed again. It would take no less than another half hour for it to be docked properly. I began to feel the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Between willing the ship to hurry up and having my stomach in knots, the wait was excruciating.

But "finally" finally arrived. I caught sight of his awkward gait in the crowd of passengers disembarking from the ship. All of a sudden, I was seized by an apprehension so great I froze. He was looking around eagerly, but his eyes betrayed his nervousness as well. "He's nervous too," I chuckled despite myself. Somehow, knowing that fact was comforting.

"He's your best friend, anyway. What's the difference? You shouldn't be nervous or awkward. Just act natural," I talked myself into a calmer state, and finally found it in myself to approach him. His face lit up when he met my eyes, but I could see that my presence left him tongue-tied. Desperate to lighten up the atmosphere, I managed a feeble "hey". He averted his eyes for a split second, and looked back. And chuckled. Relieved, I began to grin again.

"You're blushing."

Oh, so that was why he was laughing. I attempted to salvage my dignity by wiping that grin off my face, but to no avail. I couldn't help myself, and blushed even deeper. So many things I wanted to say, but they all ended up stuck in my throat. He was coming closer now, and I couldn't move. Before I knew it, I was wrapped in a bear hug. All I could do was to hug him tightly in return. Suddenly, words seemed superfluous. Everything would be all right. Everything felt all right.

"Mrsshu."

Startled, I loosened my grip on him. "You said something?"

He looked up to the ceiling, took a deep breath and looked back at me.

"I missed you," He was getting choked up now.

I smiled, indicating that the feeling was mutual. I playfully touched the end of his nose.

"Who's blushing now?"

Then he smiled, and hugged me again.

-Maia-