"Fuck," she cussed, biting her lips, "I'm so fucking done." Yet another opponent to take her down today. This time, the table leg. "Okay," she stood breathing slowly, “okay. I’ll remove myself. I’ll just… I’ll just leave.”
What a morning. Dog failing to listen to her, acting out against others, broomstick falling on her, cat running over her feet claws first, window shutter almost pinching her finger…
The latest: a sharp edge colliding with her little toe. She turned on her heels to grab her coat. I will remove myself from the situation had been the mantra that had kept her from blowing. Yet with her toe screaming in pain, the kettle was about to burst.
When it took her three tries to get her arms properly into the sleeves, she screamed in frustration and tossed the coat on the ground, barely suppressing the urge to stomp on it in vexation.
“What is it with this fucking day.” Anger poured out of her every pore. If the Gods had chosen violence today, so would she. She bristled, grabbing a different jacket, then reached for the door handle, when a palm flat out in front of her face both brake checked her and somehow pushed her several feet back without even touching her.
“Stop,” he said.
She did, looking up at him bewildered. Where had he come from out of a sudden? Not that it was unusual for him to show up unannounced, but while she was in the middle of steeping herself in irritation — that might have been a first.
“What?” was all she managed.
He shook his head and sighed, eyes gentle. “Just stop.”
An odd sensation flooded over her. As if he had caught he red-handed in sin. As if she had betrayed him somehow, by being this angry. Confused, she dropped the jacket. Her floor was getting a little crowded.
A soft motion ran through him. He let his hand drop, and took a step toward her. “Breathe,” he tried to remind her.
Guarded, she narrowed her eyes, watching his every movement. He came closer still, so close she had to lift her gaze.
With a single finger, he tapped her sternum, repeating. “Breathe.”
She rolled her eyes, sighed, and took a deep breath.
He smiled. “Good. Now. Listen to me.”
A sound of annoyance, but she closed her eyes and nodded. Why not hear out what kind of wisdom he claimed to have for her on this shitty day.
He leaned closer to her ear. Shit, she thought. Too close. When I can feel your breath, you’re too close. A shy line of goosebumps spread downwards from her neck to her shoulders.
“You,” he said, low, voice laced with the heaviness of attention and a secret that needed to speak. When felt the outside of his fingers brush her cheek, she opened her eyes. He had leaned back again, eyes locking on hers. What now? Something about his face reminded her of the first ray of sun peeking in between sunken branches. There was something akin to a smile, curling around his lips like smoke around a lake in the morning.
Only when she started wondering if he was ever going to say more, he did.
“You,” he repeated, “are loved.”
And the sun washed over her face with a warmth that both took her breath and made her want to cry. “What…?” she choked.
“I’m reminding you of what you’ve forgot. You’re loved.”
That doesn’t even make sense. Why would that have anything to do with… She felt her voice crack.
“Always,” he continued.
Her lips trembled. She tried to stop them by pressing them together, but the tremor instead moved to her eyes. He grabbed her hand. Had he always been this radiant? She was too distracted trying to make sense of what she was feeling that she put up no resistance, when he lifted her hand to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Like a cold hush of night pulling back when the rays of the sun hit. “Deeply.”
She blinked. A single teardrop dislodged from her eye. She saw him watching its slow trail next to her nose, until it nestled in the corner of her mouth. He cocked his head, as if he were looking at something truly endearing. He let go of her hand, and caught t…
It is #FlashFriday. That’s a thing, right? If not, I declare it so.
My day started with fury. It didn’t end there. It didn’t even last long. Often, it’s the unexpected things that turn everything around 🌙 ✨ Things, visits, words.
#vssdaily #shutter #claim
#vss365 #magnanimous