The Portrait

I avoided Erin for a week. And then two. And then two and a half. The days were absolutely dragging. I had nothing to do with my time. I started a new painting, only to turn it to face the wall after I realized that the scene I was painting was one that reminded me of Erin.

I hated that we weren’t speaking. Or rather, that I wasn’t speaking to her. Never, had I gone so long in an argument. To tell the truth, when Erin had said to me that I was terrible at apologizing, she had been spot on. I never apologized. For some reason, my pride just refused to let me. Instead, I waited for the other person to apologize or I pretended the fight had never happened. It was easier that way. For me at least.

But Erin was proving to be difficult.

It was the Tuesday, two and a half weeks after our fight, when I was walking along the river and suddenly felt a hand grab my elbow. I spun around, waiting to find a druggie demanding all that I owned, only to find that my “attacker” was Erin.

Suddenly, I preferred the attack-ready, desperate, druggie.

“Hey.” She said, without a smile.

“Hey.”

She looked at me for a long moment and then, “So…are you going to explain to me what happened?”

I felt myself flush. Erin obviously didn’t know how this worked.

“Nothing to explain, really, it was just a silly spat.” I said, as cheerfully as I could.

Her face twitched into a frown and then she said, “A spat?”

“Well, yes, but it’s alright now.”

She shook her head, sending her red hair flying through the air and sending out a wave of perfume.

“When did we get into a ‘spat’?” she asked.

I shrugged, uncomfortable.

“Because, I remember, you KISSING me, and then running away as fast as you could.”

I felt a blush start to rise along my cheeks.

“And then, I distinctly remember you ignoring me for ages. The only reason that you’re talking to me now, I presume, is because we happened to run into each other,”

Now I was really blushing, and I couldn’t think of anything to say. So I merely shrugged again.

“And now you’re shrugging at me, you’re shrugging, what does that even mean?”

“I…I don’t know what happened to me. I really don’t know what came over me. I am SO sorry, and I promise, it won’t happen again.”

She gaped at me for a moment and then she said loudly,

“You are so selfish!”

“Excuse me?” I said. This was not what I expected.

“Did you ever think to consider MY feelings?”

Oh, God. Here it comes.

“Well, that was why I was apologizing…”

She shook her head, sending her hair flying again. I almost expected it to turn me into stone like Medusa did with her victims.

“Well, that’s stupid!” she said, just as angry as before.

“Excuse me?” I said, I really hated being insulted or laughed at, and here was a girl that did both, frequently.

“Maybe I liked kissing you!” she yelled.

The wind caught at her words and threw them over the river. Sending them soaring downstream and leaving me completely dumbfounded.

“You…you liked, me, kissing you?” I asked. It was all I could think of. Oh, my God. She liked me kissing her. For some reason, for all those days I sat alone, it had never accured to me that she might like me, the way that I liked her.

“Of COURSE I did!” she said just as loudly. People were beginning to stare. Why was it that whenever I was around Erin, people always seemed to stare.

“I like you stupid! I always have. Ever since you walked in and ordered a cup of TEA. I mean, honestly, who orders TEA, anymore. You are interesting, and funny and sweet! Why wouldn’t I like you?”
I stammered for a moment.

“I…well, when you put it that way, well, I…I…I don’t know what to say.”

She put her hands on her hips and tossed her hair off of her shoulders.

“You don’t talk when you kiss.” She said matter-of-factly.

“What?” I asked, confused.

She laughed at me, a beautiful giggle that I was so happy to hear. One that I hadn’t heard in ages but was so nice to hear.

“Just kiss me!” she said, stepping forward.

I smiled, pulling her into my arms, and I kissed her.

And this time, I didn’t run away.