The embrace felt warm like it always did; despite the fact that the rain had soaked their clothes hours ago.
The two friends didn’t care, they were saying goodbye. Months ago, Mark told her he was leaving-joining the Marines. One day he’d been considering it and the next he told her he’d actually done it. Their fight lasted for hours. Lexi refused to speak to him for almost two weeks. Standing in his arms, all that wasted time seemed stupid.
An urge to kiss him rose from deep inside; everything about it would be wrong. They’d been friends since the first day of hockey practice-they were six years old. Lexi was engaged and Mark had dated the same girl almost as long as she’d been with Zach. She couldn’t deny the feeling though; it had always been there.
He stepped back from her now. Apparently feeling the same pull she was-the same one they’d felt since they hit puberty. Mark had once joked that they were soul mates, but the subject was quickly dropped.
It was time; she could feel it. He studied her now with those eyes that could make any girl’s soul melt. That look should have been reserved for Amber-his girlfriend-but right now it was all hers. When other people were around, she knew they could see the way he looked at her. That’s why their significant others were so damn jealous.
Lexi found herself reaching to touch his cheek-memorizing him as well. He looked like a young version of Kurt Cobain: unkempt hair cut, grunge-rock clothes, and those crystal eyes.
The military would kill his artistic spirit. He’d joined on a whim to prove something to Amber.
There was no more to say. He turned and walked away from her. She watched as he climbed into his old, beat-up truck. The roar from it starting caused her to jump back into the reality of the situation.
Lexi could feel the pain inside her chest wanting to rip out, but she waited until his truck was out of view.
And than it all came pouring out of her. The coughing sobs tore through her, causing her to wake up in a panic. The phone beside her bed rang. She checked the time: 3:00am. She knew who was on the phone, but she didn’t answer. Mark must have sensed her feelings; she never quite understood the connection, but it was always there.
I know that intense look all too well. It's the look my fiance has given me since we were teenagers. No one else has looked at me that way. This story reminds me of us, just a little. :) The soulmate thing is powerful... no matter the age, when you know he's the one, there's no changing it, he's the one! A decade can pass and destiny has a way of bringing you back together. That's my short story :) I'll share it on my blog sometime so you can have a good read as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you...its in the beginning stages, but I need that connection to really come through.
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