(excerpt)
If Love Had a Heart
I smiled weakly and promised I would try to be there.
We hugged goodbye and she ran off excitedly to find Michael as I sat for what seemed like forever. I hoped she wouldn’t tell anyone else I was here. Even though I would be happy to see them all, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the onslaught of questions I knew I had to answer. Where had I been all this time? When was I coming back? Plus, after Danielle’s reaction when I had asked how everyone was, I was afraid to take a headcount and come up short. Who would be missing? Would they even tell the fragile girl who falls to pieces for months if a loved one dies? Probably not and even so I didn’t want to be the reason they had to think about something unpleasant.
I wanted to get up and pace around the garden, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and I didn’t want Michael to see me upset or worried. I would need to be very calm when he came down.
He saw me before I saw him. He had entered the garden from the opposite direction than I was expecting, and I could feel his eyes on me. I turned around to see him standing in the distance watching me. Luckily, he was alone; that must mean Danielle hadn’t told anyone else I was here, or he had asked them not to come.
He walked over slowly, and I was aware of moisture in my palms as I watched the miracle that was Michael. He had changed into slacks and a light blue sweater. His hair hung loosely around his face, and he was smiling though it didn’t touch his eyes.
I stood up as he got closer and instead of the accusation and hurt, I had been dreading he hugged me close to him without saying a word. I lost all train of thought and drank in his musky smell. It was glorious to be held by him: calming, safe. We stood like that for a while, and it was over long before I was ready to let go.
He smiled down at me, and this time his eyes, though still with a hint of hurt, smiled too.
“You came,” he whispered and lightly brushed his lips against mine. I lost the ability to speak. I just kept looking into his eyes as if they held the answers to the universe.
“Are you ok?” He prompted.
“I needed to see you,” I whispered back praying he would never let me go.
He took my hands and we sat down together: there was very little space between us on the bench where we had first met.
