My fingers felt, and flipped through the pages of poetry, written by the one and only Aslynne Leslie, and reserved solely for me. I read a line, and my lips formed a smile on their own. My heart raced, and my palm settled over my chest as I inhaled, and exhaled slowly, consistently—trying to calm my pounding heartbeat.
I closed the book I've been reading consistently every day since last week. I tapped on my phone, seeing her beautiful sight as my smile remained unfaltering, and then lifted my gaze.
Saturday
8:09
February 14th, 2024
I immediately stood up, grabbed a coat, left my room, and left the building.
My feet strode through the sidewalk, stepping over dirt, and concrete as they brought me to my destination easily. My arm extended as I pushed against the entrance and a tiny bell rang as my foot stepped inside.
The staff, aware of my presence, grinned cheerfully as they greeted me. I headed to the counter, "I'll have two coffees please. One for me, one for Aslynne. To go, yes." I smiled widely at them, who simply teased.
We shared a celebratory expression of statements in regards to Valentine's special day, as we chit-chatted a bit in regards to our plans for the day. My phone vibrated softly, transferring its signals through my skin which buzzed with its electrical signal. I turned my phone, and a smile unbeknown to me, curved on my lips.
Lynn ♡: G'morning, just woke up
My fingers began to move on their own as I returned a message.
Me: Good morning, how's your sleep?
I shifted my attention to my requested order offered to me, which I gratefully accepted, "thank you, but I gotta go now! Bye!" I bid my farewell, which they returned similarly and I pushed through the door, making my exit.
My legs strode across the concrete at a rapid pace, a bomb of enthusiasm detonating within myself. I multitasked on walking, holding a bag of coffees, and messaging on my phone, which was not a difficult task.
Lynn ♡: It was good, you?
Me: Same
Me: I'm heading to your room
I closed my phone as my legs stepped inside the apartment building. Then I stepped, and I was in front of Aslynne's door, holding a bouquet of roses inside a vase—an experiment. I inserted the pin which she'd revealed to me through one of her poems, '1903'.
1-9-0-3
A sound erupted, and I pushed the door open. I poked my head in beforehand, which Aslynne—who was standing behind the door, laughed at. I smiled as I infiltrated her room, the door closing behind me slowly.
"Happy valentine's day," I greeted her, offering the vase of bouquet roses.
She loudly gasps as her eyes widen in astonishment, "Calix! I–thank you so much.. Oh my gosh, did you grow this on your own?" She accepts my offer, lightly caressing the petals.
"Yeah," I answered, smiling as she placed the vase aside and looked at me with glittery eyes.
She opened her arms as I walked towards her, and I wrapped my own arms around her, closing the distance between us. She leaned into my chest before her neck bent, and her face directed upwards to me. I could see the soft puff of her eyes that often presented itself when she just woke up. When her arms loosen around me, I lifted the bag in my hand, "do you want?" I asked her, and she seemed slightly puzzled, before grabbing the bag, withdrawing one of the cups while raising it to her eye level, seeing the brand— "yes! Thank you," she jumped on me, engulfing me in her presence once again.
"It's still warm.. Did you buy this just now?" She looked at me, and I smiled, nodding my head.
She grabbed the vase and walked towards her kitchen, positioning it on the center of the table as she took out the coffee stirrer, sip straw, and poked it in her cup.
"Have you eaten something?" My words halted her action as she turned to me.
"Nope," she answers, slightly confused.
"You should eat something before coffee, it'll give you a stomach ache."
"Um.. I don't have food in here," she says, but still I checked over her cabinets and fridge—finding a few apples. I grabbed one and held it for her to see.
"Eat this," I tell her, approaching the sink as I wash my hands, before pulling out a knife and sitting on a chair beside hers. I began to peel the skin off as my hands worked quickly to feed her the fruit.
She accepts the sliced fruit I offered her from my hand, chewing on it mindlessly. I held the knife handle tightly as I sliced another piece swiftly, offering to her lips which parted, baring her teeth that preyed on the piece before her. A soft crunch echoed through the silence as her teeth crushed and pulverized the edible slice. I heard a soft gulp as her throat constricts for a moment, leading the ruined bits towards the designated location. She bears the warm cup of coffee as she pressed her lips around the thin, rectangular straw. Her eyes widened as a shimmer of delight sprays on her pupils, "it's a good combination!"
I tilted my head as a fire of curiosity was ignited, and she seemed to notice as she extended her hand, presenting the coffee to me. My hand replaced her hold on the cup as I placed the sliced piece of apple on my tongue, swallowing it easily with a few bites, and sipping on the coffee through the straw, the soft burn of its heat slightly startling me. The aftertaste of apple, and the bold taste of coffee, combines as it creates a new flavor. My eyes widened, and my tongue licked against the roof of my mouth, tasting the flavor once again, which has begun to fade, and vague.
"Good, right?" she asks me, leaning forward slightly as she observes my expression. I smiled at her excitement, "yeah, it's tasty." I replied, placing the cup on the table by her side. I sliced another piece, gave it in her mouth, and she gulped down the coffee once the fruit had sunk to her intestine.
The process repeats as silence hums its melody through the air, a pleasant ambience in the air as we feed on each other's presence. Suddenly, a sharp intake of breath pierced through my ears, and my attention drove my gaze towards the source.
"I didn't even know blue roses existed." She states, her gaze fixated on the vase of bouquet roses.
"Me neither, it was just a little experiment 'cus you said you like blue and it worked somehow," I replied honestly.
She coos at my response before lowering her gaze in guilt, "I didn't prepare anything.. I thought we were just going to spend time doing nothing all day."
"And it is what we are going to do. It's okay, Lynn. Just you being here—accepting my gifts, accepting me—is enough." My heart speaks, and she mumbles an expression of gratitude in response.
She smiles, "Cal, have we actually met before our first encounter? I know you've known me before we met in Esther's, but have we both actually seen each other directly before that?" She inquired, and my lips stayed attached as my mind flashed vivid-vague memories to reminisce, before I found the one I searched for.
I nod my head, "yeah. That was the very first time I actually noticed you, too. It was.. about, I don't know, a month before we re-met in Esther's. It was when I saw you struggling to zipper on your bag, and it fell off when I passed by. I picked it up and helped you fix it, then saw your name handwritten in a tiny corner. That was how it started."
"Started what?" She asks, smiling. I knew she knew the answer, and she's merely questioning to hear the answer out of my mouth, but still I decided to align my answer as she desires it.
"Noticing you more often, realizing how pretty you are, and drawing you," I say, smiling as I lean closer to her, seeing her fluster as a soft glow of pink settles on her cheeks. I love how adorable she is.
"Thanks.." she mutters, sipping on the last drop of caffeine that resides within the cup.
I leaned forward, stretching my body across the table as my fingers pinched the plastic and dragged it towards me. I withdrew my cup of coffee as I poked the straw in and inhaled its liquid through my mouth.
"So, do you draw just any people or objects you think are pretty?" She questions, the atmosphere adjusting to her overflowing curiosity and intrigue.
"Somewhat, yeah. I don't really draw people actually. I just like to draw inanimate things, and mainly nature. I like the honesty of it. Inanimate things can't put up a facade, they are what they are as is. Not like people, so I've never drawn a random person before you, truthfully. Well, technically nature is somewhat animate since plants are alive, but y'know, the point is their sincerity in revealing what they are, in and out, bare, naked." The words left my tongue were the words of my heart, in whole genuinity.
"So why'd you draw me?" she asks, her eyes expanding as she displays her emotional turmoil in her eyes, a reflection of the result caused by my words.
"Because when you're not wearing that facade—you're so beautiful, it's breathtaking."
Her lips parted as her pupils dilated. Her throat constricts as her shoulders rise and fall inconsistently rapidly, while the ticking of the clock sounded in my ears.
Her throat cleared, a raspy sound entering my ears. "How do you know I'm not.." she mumbles as her voice fades before she completes her question, her voice hoarse for her attempt in suppressing the influence of her emotions.
"You can't multitask, right?"
She nods, "yeah.." she answers.
"Y'know, you don't realize it, but when you're completely concentrated in something, you forget to put on that facade. Or—I guess you can't, 'cus you can't multitask." I answered simply, grinning at her surprised expression. Her face displays an entire process as I could see through, how she initially starts in disbelief, then questioning and reflecting on herself, begins to understand my claim, and finally acknowledges it to herself.
"True.." she says, her head lowers, disappointment breaking through the barrier of her non-verbal language.
I reached out, patting her head gently, "awh, c'mon, why're you sad?" I lowered myself to reach her eye level, tilting my head to see her.
"I don't like it.. I don't wanna be an open book," she murmurs softly, a small pout resting on her lips.
"Why? You know.." I halted my words, tucking the strands of her hair—hiding her under their cover—beneath her ears. "You are essentially beautiful, here.." I pointed at her heart. "So, don't hide it," I finished, smiling as she lifted her head towards me.
Her cheeks warmed with a soft hue of red as she leans forward and presses her lips on mine briefly. She withdrew, and I stood up from my seat as I placed my arms underneath her before lifting her up, carried in my arms. I walked towards the bed as I placed her down gently, before lying beside her. The size of the bed keeps us close together as I lean on my side, facing her. She does similarly as I did, leaning her back on the wall as she faces me.
"Why did you decide to help me that time in Esther's?" she asks, batting her eyelashes at me.
I thought for a moment, before answering, "well, I sensed your situation, so I felt bad.. but also, I.. wanted to use it as a chance to get to know you.." I smile, feeling heat rising as my heartbeat's pace quickens.
"Though, you looked.. pretty scared of me, did I come off weird?" I inquired, remembering flashes of her timid and paranoid expressions, causing anxiety roused within myself as well.
She smiled nervously as guilt glittered in her eyes. "Uhm.. yeah, honestly it was my fault for overthinking it and being paranoid, but… you did come off pretty scary. I mean, to be fair.. Imagine a stranger comes up to you, guesses your name, your major, your university, your home address?.. And you have no idea who they are, so even if they say they go to the same university and live in the same apartment as you.. There's like, no validity in it.. Um, yeah." She confesses, and I feel my cheeks burning with mortification as I hadn't realized how my approach could've been perceived.
"Actually, at some point I kinda.. thought you were a kidnapper or some sort.." she rubs salt to the wound.
"I'm sorry.. I didn't know I came off that way, I didn't mean to." I said honestly, and her eyebrows rose instantly as she shook her head vigorously, "no, no! It's fine, um, I know you didn't mean any harm.. I'm actually more ashamed of myself for thinking that far ahead although you approached with good intentions.."
"I guess both of us just need to work on ourselves in those aspects then." I decided to end it fairly.
She nods her head, a soft sound emerges from the friction of her hair strands rubbing against the bed sheets. I lingered in my thoughts for a moment, before opting to verbalize it, "so, is that your first impression of me?"
She perks up, her eyes on me as she shook her head softly with a smile, a flash of her memory reflected in her eyes fleetingly, "no, actually. The moment I saw you entering Esther's, I actually thought you seemed really familiar, but couldn't pinpoint where, how and who you were in my life. I finally know why now."
"How about you? Your first impression of me?" she returns the question.
I chuckled uneasily, "actually.. Okay, no offense, but I thought you were kind of silly."
Her face immediately contorts negatively, a frown displaying on her face.
"No, 'cus like, actually, when you were trying to fix your zipper.. You only kept looking at it from the right side, and I was coming from like the opposite, so I saw the left side, right? If you'd just move your head a little and see it from the left side, you would see that you just need to turn it a little bit for it to fix, but yeah, you didn't.." I laughed lightly, shrugging my shoulders as her face morphs into one of dumbfoundedness.
"Oh, wait.. I never knew that," she laughs, bringing her hands to cover her face. "This is so embarrassing.." she utters out with her voice slightly muffled, laughing at herself.
I cooed in adoration as I gently grasped her wrists in my hands, pulling them away as I cupped her cheek, and placed a peck on her forehead, "don't hide yourself from me, hm?" I requested, in which her cheeks brightens with a tinge of red as she nods, her eyes wandering away, yet not too far as she sneaks glances at me.
"You make me nervous sometimes," she states abruptly, glancing up at me before leaving her eyes on my hands, her fingers playing with mine.
"Oh, really? That's good, I'm glad." I reply, watching as she's startled by my words, and her fingers stop tickling mine while her eyes begin to travel back to me.
"You make me nervous too," I admit, pressing my lips to her head gently, a soft scent of her shampoo entering my lungs as my lips curved.
She leans up, her lips pressed on mine as her eyes closed, savoring our intimacy—before leaning down and pushing me gently. I followed her lead, my back lying on the bed as she placed her head on my chest, her arms and legs curving over my body. I chuckled softly at her display of clingy affection, wrapping my arms securely over her as my fingers wove through the threads of her head.
"I love you, Cal." she mumbles, the reverberation of her voice pulsing through my skin.
"I love you, Lynn." I say, my voice decreasing to a whisper by the end as my heart beats in ecstasy of her words.
"Y'know.."
"Hm?"
"What does Chloris mean?" she questions, her eyebrows rising as her eyes try to reach mine. I propped my elbows on the bed as I pushed myself up, Aslynne lifting her weight off me while I positioned myself to lean on the bed frame with a pillow on my lower back. I held her shoulder as I guided her to lean on me again, her eyes able to reach mine this time.
"You say that sometimes, right? With me," she continues, a statement of precaution.
I smiled, exhaling, "it's not what, it's who. Chloris is the Goddess of Spring in Greek mythology. Spring is.. my life. You create that in my life. That's why you're my Chloris." I explained.
Spring is my life, indeed. It always is, always has, and always will be a part—and the essence of my life. Aslynne, in my life—in this lifetime is, to me, the Chloris who plants the seeds of flowers, and allows them to blossom in their prime. These flowers—her flowers grow in my heart, and attach me to her. A boundless, limitless connection that is alive—immortal.
"I don't really.. get it yet, but..I know you really like spring, and if Chloris is the Goddess of that, then I'm honored. I'll accept it," she says happily and pridefully. I nodded in response, patting her head softly in a silent praise.
She sighs, "man I feel like sometimes you're more literate than I am. And I'm the one in journalism," her head droops and I chuckle lightly at her behavior.
"Well, I know my way around words," I say, grinning as her eyes roll.
"What's your favorite season?" I continued, restoring our former conversation.
She stays silent, speaking in her thoughts before answering, "spring too, I guess."
"How come?"
"Uhm, honestly I don't really know. I like convenient seasons. Summers are too hot, winters are too cold, uhm.. Autumn is too windy.. Spring is—well, I guess spring is the most convenient one after all. So yeah, spring," she concludes, grinning at me as she finishes.
"And.." she speaks up, catching my attention.
"It's your birthday too," she adds, smiling up at me contagiously, forming one of my own for her.
I hummed in agreement, "I hope flowers are blooming on my birthday."
She nods, "me too."
Spring is coming, and today's memories are filled with us.
I must return soon, and my memories will soon fill with her.