Republish: What Love Is (A Vignette)
From The Archive
In one of my idea books, is a little vignette on love. It’s not my usual fare, and I forget what inspired it. The date on the page is August 23, 2018.
Late addendum before I hit publish: There’s something in the water today 🤔
I look up from the book I’m reading with a sudden awareness. I look around me. Across from me: the fireplace, with little treasures on the mantlepiece. A television is dormant nearby. There’s a bookshelf against the wall filled with books.
But more than the things—there’s a feeling. It is so strong as to almost be tangible. I look at the books. I’ve read some, owned them for years, and I’ve never felt this way. It’s not that. Is there something I should do? I look behind me, into the kitchen. Sure enough, on a piece of paper clipped to the fridge is a list of things I ought to be doing. But it’s not that.
I look out the window, a light rain is rhythmically tapping at the window. It’s not the weather. I am compelled to stand, to follow this thick aura that fills my home with contentedness and peace. I walk to the front door and look outside. There’s birds hiding in the tree, sheltering from the rain. I turn around and look upstairs. I step slowly, trying to follow this feeling. I ascend to the top. In one of the rooms, she is there. She looks at me, and smiles.
The rest of the world melts away. Oh. There it is.
“I love you.”
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy the last piece I unearthed from my archive, called Chess, which is vintage 2008.
Thank you very much for reading!
God bless you all!
ETA: Thinking about this, I wrote a sequel.
That was sweet.
lovely!