Just Smile

She leaned toward him as I ran away. I saw enough. I couldn’t take it. He would never know how much I liked him. He probably didn’t even know my name.

My feet moved me forward as I rammed into someone, our limbs tangling as we fell.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention! It’s all my fault,” I fumbled, the words coming out rapidly.

“You better be. You made me break a heel,” said the voice as she took off her shoes and brushed off the dirt from the fall.

“Oh my God, Jess! I’m so sorry! I’m just…It’s just…” I said as the tears stung my eyes.

The stern look in her eyes softened as she saw me slowly breaking down. “Hey, calm down. What’s the matter?” She pulled me into her arms and tried to calm me down. She made shushing noises and rubbed my shoulders as if I were a small child.

Eventually, I calmed down long enough to let out a few words. “He…he was with another girl. She…she looked like she was about to k-kiss him,” I choked out.

“Johanna, are you sure they kissed?”

“I…no,” I managed, “I left before I could watch.”

“Then maybe you misunderstood. Go after him. It’s never too late, you know. Oh, and you owe me for breaking my heels. So, you are making me baked ziti tomorrow, got it?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Fine. I’m going to go find him now. With my luck, he’s probably on the other side of the venue.”

“Then start running. Go get him!”

I started to run blindly into the crowd of people, the night swallowing me as I disappeared into the moving mass.

***

“Jess! Have you seen Johanna?”

“Yeah, she just bumped into me. You better find her. You really hurt her you know that?”

He stared at Jess, confused. Then his eyes widened. “Oh, no. I’m such an idiot. I completely screwed up. She came onto me. I tried to push her away, but she kissed me. She was extremely drunk. Crap!” He rubbed at his head, thinking about how to fix things.

“Adam, she saw you, but she doesn’t know why. You have to tell her. Listen, she really likes you, and
I swear, if you break her heart, I’m going to slap you into the next continent. I hear that the natives aren’t as nice to intruders,” Jess threatened.

“I won’t hurt her. That is one thing I’m sure of,” he said as he started looking through the crowd.

***

Twinkling lights decorated the outside venue. People littered the square as I pushed through the dancing bodies. I tripped over the cobblestones in my shiny flat shoes as I searched the crowd.

The pulsating beats of the music shook my body. My heart was racing as the air seemed to leave. In the cluster of bodies, the air was nonexistent and the heat was rising although there was a cold breeze.

My mind was spinning when I felt a hand on my shoulder steadying me.

“Are you alright?”

I swung around and my eyes fell on a pair of electrifying blue orbs. My vision focused on his whole face as I stared at him. He was looking at me with concern.

“I’m all right,” I replied, standing upright.

His features shifted as a blindingly white smile lit his kind face, only a dimple to mark his smooth skin.

I couldn’t help but smile back at his inviting and warn grin. His eyes seemed to sparkle like the stars as I lost myself in their depths, like a lake of pure cerulean, its surface smooth and untouched.

“Seeing as you’re okay, would you like to dance?” He held out his hand as if he knew I would take it.

“I hope you know that I was looking for you everywhere,” I said as the music slowed and the beat died down, becoming a swirl of sweet melodies.

He pulled me closer, resting his hands on my hips and moving side to side. He smelled like summer, as if the smell of the sun and warmth were bottled. It brought me back to the days on the beach where we used to run around and play games with friends until after the sun was a spray of pinks and oranges against the horizon, the fires rising up to take their place.

I looked up at him and he smiled. A blush spread across my cheeks, making them the color of roses.

“I was looking for you, too. Jess told me you were here and then I saw you stumbling about. It’s pretty crowded in here. It was hard to find you. Did you know you’re short?” He pulled me closer and chuckled.

I kicked him softly in the leg. “That hurt, you know,” he said.

“I don’t care. I am aware of my height deficit,” I replied sarcastically as I stuck out my tongue.

He chuckled and then his face became serious. “Listen, Jess told me that you saw my exchange with that girl. It didn’t mean anything. She was drunk and didn’t know what she was doing. I tried to pull away, but she was completely drunk. I couldn’t do anything about it. I tried to help her and I brought her over to an adult. I’m really sorry you had to see that.”

The corners of my mouth pulled up as I stared into his eyes. “Well, that’s lucky for me.”

“Oh? And why is that?” He gave me another smirk as he pulled a loose strand of my hair behind my ear and away from my face.

“It means that I don’t have to fight for you anymore,” I replied.

In response, he pulled me closer. The music slowed down even further as we continued to sway from side to side. I looked up at him and felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach.

His eyes flickered to my lips and my eyes did the same. He leaned close, as if in slow motion, until I could feel his breath on my lips. He looked at me one last time, as if asking for permission, and kissed me slowly, softly. Everything about it was gentle and warm. It made my mind melt as my eyes closed, living in the moment.

We broke apart for a few seconds and he gently grabbed my face in his hands. Again, he placed his lips on mine, and we stayed like that for a while. It drove me absolutely crazy. His closeness was intoxicating and I knew he was the one for me. He was everything I wanted. He wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t have to be. He was perfect to me, and that was all that mattered.

“I really like you,” he breathed.

“I really like you, too,” I said as I rested my head in the crook of his neck.

His head rested on mine and I closed my eyes, listening to the music envelope us. We remained like that, peacefully swaying, eyes closed. Every moment would be engrained in my mind forever.

I shivered as the cold air started to surround us. He automatically pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I gave him a smile.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” he said, draping an arm across my shoulders.

I nodded as I got lost in my thoughts and breathed in the scent of his coat, which was like the woods and everything good in nature. He was sweet, caring, and his whole being emanated kindness. These were the things that made me fall for him.

“Tonight was perfect,” he said, staring at the road in front of him.

“It was beyond perfect,” I said as I intertwined my fingers with his free hand.

Our fingers fit perfectly together and I smiled to myself as we continued down the moonlit road.

“I love it when you smile.”

“Well, you better get used to it, because I love to smile,” I said as the car came to a complete stop.

“Lucky for me. Remember, just smile, everyone loves it when you do,” he said with a sincere curve of his lips.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as I gave his hand one last squeeze and stepped out of the car.

I skipped up the stairs into the light of the porch and thought about how wonderful my night turned out. It would be one I would never forget, the most amazing moonlit night.