Smother Me

Wind whipped her hair away from her pale face. Her orbs didn’t seem settled on anything in particular and her face titled towards the swings that swayed unaided due to the zephyr. The right side of her body was pressed against the moss green bench in the isolated park. Her right forearm was placed on the tip of the bench. Her eyes stared distantly to her right in the same direction she was staring at for at least three minutes now.

I noticed it was one of the few times I’ve seen her wear a skirt. The knee length fawn hippie skirt hugged her hips and upper thighs loosely. Her bare legs were set on top of another on the bench. Her ankles were crossed and she wore plain black flats.

I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, attempting to keep warm. Moving my gaze, I stared at my sneakers as I walked, nearing the park. When I was merely two feet away from the bench, she still hadn’t noticed my presence, her eyes fixated on yellow leaves rocking with the wind. Not wanting to frighten her, I quietly situated myself across her on the olive bench. Her focused eyes didn’t leave the spot they were staring at. She smiled before turning to me, obviously noticing my presence. And then, she pulled her gaze away fleetingly to look at me and acknowledge me with an alluring smile.

My insides tickled and warmth spread through my body as fast as blood. I loved how she was so patient and calm. She rarely ever got livid unless at times when she needed to be. I smiled back, trying to rid the fact that I felt my stomach flip.

“Hey” she said in her soft, gentle voice. I found her adorable with every word she said and appealing with every action she made. My fingers inched closer to her left hand that rested on her knee in her sitting position. Our fingers entwined and like every time I did that, I notice how dampened and petite her hands felt against mine. And it always felt right, and mostly I felt the need to hold her hand all the time.

“Hey” I replied back, smiling to her and savoring the friction of our hands touching each other.

“How was detention?” she asked, like it was a question she requested everyday.

“Uh, it was okay. All I did was listening to music…” I explained, revived to feel her fingers smoothly stroke the back of my hand.

“Okay” she answered calmly.

I tilted my head to the side, studying her profile for a minute. Interestingly, I turned my head and followed her stare to find her staring at the swings that danced with the air stream. As I examined the setting carefully, I thought it would look beautiful if Danielle would sketch it as a landscape portrait. With the drawing skills she has, I knew it would look striking and certainly memorable.

I tore my eyes away from harsh wind and glanced at her pretty, clear face. I noticed her thin black cardigan. Her eyes didn’t seem to leave the dancing swings. I wanted so badly to know what she was pondering. Instead, I rubbed her fingers with mine and slid down the bench to rest my head onto her lap like I did so many times before.

Looking up at her, I noticed she didn’t remove her eyes away from the beautiful setting. It seemed as if she was having some sort of flashback and I didn’t want to interrupt her. I gazed up at the grey and white sky. There were some far off clouds and I supposed it would pour tonight like it had lately in the autumn nights.

The clouds resembled dirty, used cotton balls. For the few moments I watched the dim clouds gradually move with each other when suddenly I felt Danielle’s fingers lightly graze my cheek. My eyes peered up at her and found her staring straight at me, smiling cutely.

“I love moments like these.” I spoke out. She ripped her eyes from the grass and fixed her eyes on mine.

“Moments like what?” she asked, subconsciously toying with my dark long hair.

“These moments where there is a nice and peaceful setting while I am with you and when we don’t have to speak or show any kind of emotion. Just by actions, it makes the occasion seem pleasant and enjoyable.” I explained, looking up at her the entire time, waiting for her reaction.

“I know what you mean. I feel like that too sometimes when I’m with you. Mostly when we’re on our own and someplace calm, I notice times like that are cherished and I do think about them. I have flashbacks about them. Just like a minute ago, I had a flashback when I was staring at the swings; I remembered the day we met.” She explicated.

“Yeah, I thought you were having a flashback or something.” I added, admiring her flickering eyelashes.

“Yes. I have them every so often and conveniently I remember them even when I’m with you. I have these recollections of times where we have these kind of conversations.” She added.

I noticed her shift her eyes to her left and squint them. I followed her eyes and spotted a boy picking up trash from the floor miserably.

“Hey, kid!” Danny called out softly, hoping not to startle the boy. His head jerked up and noticed us on the bench. He wore somewhat baggy pants with an Elvis t-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Danny asked him, politely and interestedly.

“Community service work.” The boy replied glumly.

“Looks like you didn’t volunteer,” I added knowingly.

“Of course I didn’t. My principal’s making me do this. But at least, this is better than getting suspended.” The boy shrugged and continued to pick up carton containers and papers from the grass.

Danielle smiled at him. “What’s your name?”

“Willie.” He retorted.

“Well, Willie, can you do me a favor?” Danny asked him kindly.

“Yeah, sure.” He replied, rather enthusiastically.

“Can you take a picture of us, please?” she asked, handing him her camera.

“Sure,” he quickly retorted, taking the camera from her grasp. He stood several feet away from the bench and snapped a shot.

“Thank you!” we yelled in unison as he trudged into another field to clean.

“That was a good day. And he was such a cute boy too.” Danny added as we both sat out in the mall’s parking lot at the dead of night.

“Yeah,” I agreed staring at her face, not completely paying attention to what she said.

“Wanna go grab a cappuccino or something?” she suggested excitedly. I smiled at her expression.

“Sure.” We both stood and began our walk on the deserted streets towards Starbuck’s location.

“Hey, Danny? You look very pretty.” I smiled shyly. Her dark jeans hugged her legs well and my Nightmare before Christmas hoodie looked great on her. She smiled, her cheeks growing rosy. She stopped walking and pecked my cheek.

“Thank you.” She said, looking away. My hand found its way to her palm and lifted it to my lips. I pulled her to me quickly and hugged her tightly, lifting her in the air and twirling her. She giggled as I set her down.

We walked closely, swinging our entwined hands in the cool air.