I still remember the first warm day of spring that year. The grass was damp from the previous day’s rain and we managed to find the park infested with car alarms. I forgot the ice pack so our salad wilted in the heat and it took long enough to find a parking space that the warm soup you made got cold. Regardless of all that, that day was the point you erased all my doubts.
We were never ones for planning. I think it was the thrill of entering the unknown that brought us together. So when you woke up and saw the sun shine through your window it is no surprise to me that you gave me a call. The weather forecast gave the all clear and before I knew it I was knocking on your door with a blanket under my arm.
I let you guide me that day so I could watch you take command. Neither one of us likes to be in charge, but when an idea enters your head you are the most adorable taskmaster anyone could want. Never one to supervise, you gave yourself the hardest jobs, and the ones you knew I hated. Like clockwork that morning we orchestrated a masterpiece of culinary invention to delight our taste buds in harmony with the sun.
Sure the soup got cold, but I have never had as flavorful dish as that. Maybe the salad wilted a bit, but the almonds and cherries inside were still delightful. After all, the biggest treat we had that day was each other’s company, no matter how delicious our strawberry pie was.
As we lay there, water soaking through the blanket and leaving imprints on our backs, I remember listening to your heartbeat and feeling your breath on my skin. Subconsciously, I fell in sync with you and even subtle movements were perfectly mirrored. We lay there much longer than we had spent enjoying our lunch. We watched clouds drift lazily by. We listened to songbirds sing.
I almost wish the heat death of the universe occurred in that moment because it would mean I could spend an eternity with you.
While we were packing up our basket and folding the blanket, I remember pausing for a second and watching you do that thing with your hair. A cloud rolled away and the sun glinted in your eyes. You looked up at me and with a smile that could melt the polar ice caps you said, “I love you.”
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