Sometimes love is fated in the stars. You know
you are destined for each other. Your souls entwine and you can’t imagine your
life without them.
Sometimes it’s found when you’re not looking
for it. It peeks around the corner when you least expect it, sweeping you off
your feet, carrying you off into the sunset.
Sometimes, there are a lucky few who get to
experience both. I was one of the lucky ones.
A grunt escapes my lips, as I try to roll
over. It’s late. I’m not sure what time it is exactly, but I know it’s late.
The lights on the pole are lit up, sending random colors reflecting off the
windows and the mirror of his dresser. It’s calmingly beautiful. Holden is
spread across the end of the bed with his long legs hanging over the side. It
takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Lifting the blanket off of me, I kneel on the
bed, leaning towards Holden, attempting to see if he’s awake. My heart does a
little flip when I notice a small brown, worn looking stuffed dog. I cannot
believe he has kept it all this time. We were ten years old and we thought we
owned the world, as we walked around the state fair.
I had forced Holden on every ride and he was
paying for it with a massive headache. I kept teasing him about being weaker
than me. I must have taken things a little too far because he wouldn’t look at
me. Knowing I had hurt him, I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind me,
until I found a game I knew I could win.
There was a rather obese man with greasy hair
wearing a red shirt, juggling baseballs in front of his stand. Plates were
lined up awkwardly on shelves behind him. All I had to do was break three
plates and I would win the huge stuffed bear hanging on a wall full of smaller
prizes. It took me eleven tries before I finally broke two plates.
I guess the guy must have felt bad for me
because he handed me a small, brown stuffed dog with a white heart on its nose
and told me to move along. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I gave it to
Holden anyways. My reward was the tiniest of kisses on my cheek.
Giggling to myself, I lay back down. I’m not
sure he would want me to see him sleeping with a stuffed animal, but I’m glad
that I did. An idea pops into my head, just as I start to relax again. My eyes
peer around the room until I find what I’m looking for. Sneaking over to his
dresser as quietly as I can, I grab his camera and tiptoe back over to the bed.
The camera flashes when I snap his picture,
causing me to immediately regret my decision. Afraid he might wake up and catch
me, I grab the Polaroid picture and put the camera back where I found it. I
slip back into bed and pull the blanket over me just in time. He rolls over and
sits up a bit. My heart is frantic, as I watch him look across the room. I see
his head turn and I quickly close my eyes.
“What are you doing?” His voice is raspy,
almost menacing. Shit. I don’t answer, instead I pretend to be asleep. “I know
you. I know when you are up to something. I also know you are awake. Being that
it’s the middle of the night, I’m going to pretend I don’t know anything and
I’m going back to sleep. Goodnight, Carsten.”
“Night.” Shit. Did I just answer him? I hear
him laugh as he rolls over. Shit. I did answer him. Maybe he will forget, at
least I hope he does. I wait a few minutes to make sure he’s sound asleep
before I grab the Polaroid, shaking it a few times. There’s a glare from the
flash. It almost looks as though Holden has a golden light surrounding him. I
can barely make out the dark lump tucked under his arm. A grin spreads across
my face, as I slide the picture into the pillowcase under my head.
I grew up in Chicagoland and now live in
quaint little town in Northwest Indiana. I have two beautiful children and
husband who worships the ground I walk on (or at least he should). I've always
loved reading. Now I'm expanding that love into writing and look forward to
producing many books.
I'm a huge geek and proud of it. Books are my
life. I love reading, especially fiction. It doesn't matter the genre or age
group. I will read anything from comics to novels. I read at least one book a
day. If it wasn't for my kindle, my living room would be overflowing with
books.
