Lucky.

Do you hear me?
I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

I was 20 when I met her. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, and her hair was light and blonde. She was laughing, her lips upturned into a wide grin. We were both at the same lake party, she was friends with the hostess, I was friends with the host.

My friend, Nick, had convinced me to come. He said I needed to get out of my dorm room, needed to meet someone. I thank him a lot now for making me go.

I kept trying to think of excuses to talk to her. I would start making my way towards her, and then I would chicken out. Finally, Nick and his girlfriend Lainey got us both on the same boat. Every few minutes, a boat would go out on the lake, the passengers swimming or just enjoying the quiet. We got on there, along with another couple who kept to themselves.

Finally, I gathered the courage to ask her name.

“Evelyn.” She said, smiling widely.

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

Every time I feel down, I remember that day. Sometimes I still hear his voice floating in my dreams.

“Luke.” He said, after I asked him what his name was. The boat stopped, and the other couple jumped off, swimming a few yards away. It was just us, and we began to talk. I learned he was a sophomore in college, which wasn’t too bad, because I was a freshman.

“I want to study business.” He told me, grinning widely. I noticed over the years that whenever he talked about his work, he brightened up. It made him more handsome. His dark eyes would light up, and he would run his fingers through his dark, wavy hair, his teeth showing in a wide grin. It made my heart skip a few beats, even on that day.

The only reason I showed up to that party was because Lainey knew I needed a break from the stress of college. Her boyfriend was throwing the party, and she was helping, so I tagged along. She says I should thank her for it.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

We became good friends, exchanging phone numbers before leaving the party. I couldn’t help but grin every time I looked down at my phone and saw her number in my contacts list.

A few weeks passed by, and we became closer. We talked every day, at least texting each other.

I asked her out to dinner, telling her (and myself) just as friends. I didn’t want to set my hopes up too high. We went out to eat at a classy little restaurant downtown. She was stunning. She kept saying she hoped she wasn’t overdressed, but I continued to reassure her it was alright. To this day I still haven’t seen anyone so gorgeous.

I think that was the first time I realized how much I liked her.

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

It was definitely our first date that got me constantly thinking about him.

The day he actually asked me to be his girlfriend, I was elated. I had never been so happy before, and I haven’t to this day. Every moment I could, I spent with him. I couldn’t get enough of him.

When he told me he had to leave for a few months, I told him that was alright, that I would wait for him. It would be tough being separated, but we could handle it, I thought. We called each other every day, and he said Texas was beautiful, that he wished I could be there with him. I wished it too. I think if I had been there, it wouldn’t have happened...

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

I went to Austin, Texas for a college student exchange program. They had a great business program at UT, so of course I signed up for it. The only problem was that I would be far away from Evelyn. We promised to talk every day, and so far, we had kept that promise.

I knew that I loved Evelyn like I loved no other girl. I was going to marry her, I knew it. I planned on asking her to marry me as soon as I got home, so when I got a chance, I went to the nearest jewellery store to pick out a ring. It was beautiful, just like her. It was a plain silver band, with a heart-cut diamond in the middle, and two rubies on the side.

I was ecstatic now, and I couldn’t wait to go home. I knew she was the only one for me.

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair

He said he wanted to go to the lake when he got back, the lake we met at. I agreed immediately, of course. It seemed perfect. Where better to spend our one year anniversary than the place we met?

I waited anxiously for him to come home. I crossed off the days with a bright red marker on my calendar, a heart around the day he was supposed to come back.

It was about a week before he was supposed to come back. I was with Lainey and Nick, and we were talking about stuff that doesn’t seem important now. My cell phone rang, and it was a number I didn’t recognize.

I remember answering it, and feeling fear course through me when I heard the voice on the other end, sounding official, introducing itself as Dr. Martin.

They said Luke got hurt, and my world stopped.

Though the breezes through the trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

I really don’t remember much about how it happened. I know that I had been walking on the campus, near the clock tower. I was talking with a friend of mine, when there was this sudden piercing pain in my left shoulder. I remember my friend started shouting about how I got shot, and then we ducked for cover, running towards his car to get me to the hospital nearby.

I bled a lot, and it made me woozy. I passed out in his car, and woke up in the hospital, hooked up to more wires than I thought possible.

The doctor’s name was Dr. Martin, and he asked me if I wanted to call anybody. Evelyn was the first name in my mind, and out of my mouth. He nodded, and I gave him her number. He left the room to call her, and I sunk back into the bed. My shoulder was throbbing, and a nurse came in to check on me.

She told me that I was very lucky to be alive, because the bullet narrowly missed my heart. There had been a shooter in the clock tower of the school, and 6 people died, 20 injured. I let out a breath, and then became anxious.

“My ring, where’s my ring?!” I demanded, looking around. The nurse was very confused, and I began looking around the room for my jeans. The little black box with the ring was in my pocket. I carried it everywhere with me.

“My ring! I need my ring!” I shouted, becoming angry and worried. The nurse muttered a few words and rushed out of the room, probably to find someone to take care of me.

I fell back into the bed, upset and angry, and most of all, sad. If I lost that ring, that beautiful ring for my beautiful girl, everything was ruined.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

He was sent home after the hospital discharged him. I met him at the hospital, anxiously watching the gate for his beautiful face. When he walked off the plane, my heart burst with happiness, and a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. I ran as fast as I could, jumping and wrapping my arms around him. I kissed his face several times, needing the feeling of him in my arms.

He dropped his bags, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed me back, and we stood there for several minutes, kissing and hugging and simply revelling in each other. He let me go after 10 minutes, setting my feet back on the floor. He began digging through one of his bags, and I watched, biting my lip with curiousity.

Finally, he pulled something out, hiding it with his hands.

“Luke?” I asked, watching his face carefully. He smiled widely.

“Evelyn. I love you so much, and I don’t want to go another day without you. Evelyn, will you marry me?” As he spoke, he slowly sunk down on one knee, holding open a small black box with a beautiful ring, a silver band with a heart-cut diamond in the middle and two rubies on the side.

Tears flooded my eyes, and my mouth smiled as wide as possible.

“Yes, yes, a million times yes!” I exclaimed. He slid the ring on my finger, and stood up. I threw my arms around him, knowing that I would never have to leave him again.