This was written from a females point of view, girls, i make no promises.
A Sundrenched Landscape
“What are ya Linda? In love with the guy?” The memory of her roommates question swam in her head all through dinner and into the night. Even now as she stared out into the sunset holding his hand knee deep in the pacific it plagued her. The question was playful, and was brought on by the fact that this was her seventh date with Mark in seven days. Oh she didn’t understand, he planned all the dates, he picked her up every night, and in the morning on Wednesday, he was the one insisting on complete secrecy on where they went and what they did. But she was the one who agreed to all of them. Yes that is her friends argument, “You love it don’t ya Linda?” she crooned blowing fake kisses across the room at her. It wasn’t her fault of course, Linda thought to herself, he’s so, well, so damn charming. Ugh, charming, who uses that word to describe a person nowadays. And the looks too, I mean come on! She thought to herself, just look at that dimple! Her eyes slowly traced his figure standing ever so close to hers, and that’s not even the start of it, she thought to herself.
Oh she rebuffed him plenty of times before finally agreeing to go out with him, if there’s one decent thing about him, he’s persistent, she told herself. But eventually she’d given in to his charms, she shuddered, there’s that word again. She had to admit, the rose on her Sunday shift sealed the deal, or the poem attached to it, she wasn’t quite sure which, but she’d read the poems so many times that day she knew it by heart.
A Sundrenched Landscape
I once met an angel
She fell into my dreams
And I crossed a great ocean
To gaze on her beauty
Such beauty such beauty, I loved her complete
She kissed my brow and said to me
I love thee too as no other compares
No greater beauty had I seen,
Then on a sundrenched landscape
Now that was classy, of course it was spotty and lacked real basis and surrealism, she’d studied poetry in college. But the gesture is amazing, who rote poetry for anyone anymore? Let alone her? Mark, that’s who. She smiled, and he chose her! But she knew deep down, if I like him this much, he must like me so much more. The moment she thought it, she knew it was true, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight, he whispered it in her ears. “I love you, you know that?” He kissed her cheek and let her be. Oh my, got to stop blushing, got to stop blushing, he’ll see! Oh great, she thought, now look what he’s doing. Her emotions were flying around her head, it’s been two weeks she said, calm down, nothing like this happens in two weeks. Even small town America
Oh but did she love him? That’s the question as her roommate so aptly put it. Do I? Should I? Lord knows he’s the best thing to happen to me in, well, ever. So what was she worried about? It felt perfect to be in those wiry arms of his, so peaceful, so safe. She’d never felt like this with Darren, or even Kevin, her ex-fiancé. Oh damn it, she hadn’t felt like this ever. It was utter bliss, without the ignorance mind you. He kissed her neck, and she began to feel dizzy, so she did what she always did to distract herself, recite her and her roommates inside joke, Tell Tammy to take out Todd’s terrier. Tell Tammy to take out Todd’s terrier. And so on. Until she had control of herself again. Well I tell you this much she thought, Darren and Kevin never did that to me, whether with kissing or otherwise.
She looked over her shoulder at him, he smiled at her and she remarked at how his dimple looked like the Grand Canyon, most people scoffed at that comparison, she liked it, it reminded her of white water rafting with her father he loved that damn river. He said it reminded him of mom, and how the first time he saw her was on those swift moving currents. Her mother would always jokingly remark he fell in love with the river and not her, he’d always swoop her up and kiss her saying, “What’s the difference?” He told her one day. Years after her mother had passed, that she was wrong, he’d fallen for her, and the river was just his guide to her. He sat her down and said, “Find your river darling.” She’d questioned him what he meant and he responded, “That river was my path to your momma, find ours darling, find yours.” Those were the last words he ever spoke to her, he went rafting one last time, and never came back.
Thwack! His arm whipped around and slapped his left thigh crushing a mosquito underneath his palm, her eyes gazed hungrily as she watched his arms tauten and flex. She stared up at his broad features and stormy eyes as he gazed out at the sunset, as beautiful and cut from marble as the statue of David, and with hands as soft as velvet. He leaned down and kissed her, gently. She sighed as he released, not too long she remarked, but definitely enough. He released her body but held onto her hand as they both gazed into the amber sky. She smiled, her roommates thoughts plying through her mind “What are ya Linda? In love with the guy?” she began humming to herself as a smile played across her lips, yes, she thought, why yes I am.
Great writing, Matt!
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