A Greatly Anticipated Night

I wasn’t supposed to be out, not now, not at 1:00 AM in the middle of a cold December night. I wasn’t supposed to sneak out of my house. I wasn’t supposed to be walking down Cedar Point Lane. I wasn’t supposed to be meeting anyone. And I certainly wasn’t supposed to be meeting him. Regardless of all that, there I persisted, my heart pounding in my chest, my breath freezing in the air, walking as fast as I could without jogging to the park a couple blocks over. The walk wasn’t short, but it appeared that way because of the anticipation building in my head and heart. My mind was racing. What would we talk about? What would we do? Why would he want to see me so badly? Why so late? I hadn’t seen him in so long. All these questions raced through my mind as I approached the end of the street. I told myself to relax and just be glad to see him, but one question remained, one that I couldn’t expel from my mind. Would he still feel the same about me? Would our spark still be there?

As I reached the path that led up to the green field, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. I skipped up the path with excitement and anticipation. I stopped to catch my breath and attempted to look calm and composed, but my sweaty trembling hands were a dead giveaway. As soon I rounded the corner, there he was sitting on the tire swing waiting for me. His blonde hair covered his beautiful freckled face and the moment he looked up, I could see his bright blue eyes and his charming smile. I couldn’t help but grin and run into his arms. We embraced for a long time. It might have even been a little uncomfortable had we not been so happy to see each another. Then, as we pulled away from the hug, he bent over and planted a soft kiss on my forehead and whispered “It’s really good to see you again Jess.”

We spent most of our time talking and catching up on what we had missed in each other’s lives the past couple of months. Occasionally, we got up to play on the playground equipment because the weather had dropped so low that we could no longer feel our fingers and toes. He laid down on the hard plastic slide and offered me the spot next to him. I put my head on his chest and shut my eyes. I felt at peace resting with him, hearing his heartbeat, and feeling the rumble of his chest whenever he spoke to me. We stayed there for another hour or so, not really saying much, but not needing to, just enjoying the waning moments of our nighttime adventure. We both knew that we must take advantage of the time we spent together.

I must have fallen asleep, because next thing I remember, I woke up to him running his fingers through my wispy hair and telling me that he ought to begin the two mile walk back home. We got up and hugged each other, not wanting to let go. He grabbed my hand, gave it a quick kiss and the next thing I knew, he vanished. I remained standing there, unable to move. After twenty minutes of standing in the cold by myself, I began the hike back home. I couldn’t help but think about him while I walked. I thought about all the questions that raced through my mind earlier that night, and suddenly, I didn’t care anymore. Nothing bothered me anymore, not even the bitter winter air that surrounded me. He had come back into my life, and that’s all that mattered.