A Perfect Night

The night was late and all her friends were asleep soundly in their warm comfortable beds. All except one. She was out on the balcony, reminiscing her past, being depressed and disappointed with how her life was turning out to be. But she wasn’t alone. As tears fell from her eyes, she heard her name being called softly from the other room. There he was. Her best friend was standing in the opposite balcony probably preoccupied with his own life and all the stress that has been going on. Hastily, she wiped her tears and smiled at him. A sad smile. Immediately, he sense that something was wrong and beckoned her into his room.

“What’s on your mind?” he muttered silently, staring deeply into her eyes, trying to figure out her dilemma. “Nothing much, really. Just thinking about the past again.” As she said that, she wanted to hit herself. She was on a holiday with her closest friends and there she was, feeling sorry for herself again. She was starting to wonder when she would ever return to normal. The both of them just stared quietly at the glimmering stars and appreciate the sounds of nature. Finally, he said, “You know, there’s more to life than him. He was only a chapter in your life. It is time you started writing new beginnings. It always gets better.”

She sighed and pondered his advice. He was right, but somehow, she couldn’t let go. Her friends, as a joke, rubbed it in her face and the sting from the wound he caused was still there. She had a feeling that it would be there for a long time. Her heart, given to that guy and he broke into two. The wind brushed against her, causing her to shiver from the cold. He reached out to hold her, to give her warmth, to protect her. He knew how she felt and wanted to help her. To heal her. Once again, silence struck them. It was not often where the both of them are equally lost for words. The only other time that happened was when she was sad.

“What happens if I get hurt again?” she whispered. He continued the silence for a while. “Well, you just have to pick yourself up again. This is life. Bad things happen to the best of us.” As he said that, tears cascaded down her cheeks as she silently wept. Panic was aroused as he gave her a bear hug. She continued weeping into him as he stroked her hair, calming her down.

“I promise never to hurt you...”

That comment caught her off guard. She looked up to him and he gently wiped her tears away. He was shocked that those words came out of his mouth. He had vowed to keep quiet about his liking toward her. He didn’t want to complicate her life anymore than it already was. It would make things difficult for him too. There would be questions from their circle of friends, maybe even disgust. But he couldn’t help it. He took her cold hands and brought her closer to him. Her eyes widened and before she could speak up, he gave her a kiss. It was merely a kiss on the cheek but the feeling was strong. All the emotions he was feeling toward her came out with that kiss.

“I can’t do this. I don’t want to lose you as a friend. What if this doesn’t work out?” Her eyes widened with fright and she shook her head. But in her mind, she had always wanted this to happen. But she never realised that it would come true. She always dreamt about it, praying to God. Now, it’s here. What did she have to lose? If it doesn’t work out, their friendship would be scarred. Was she willing to take that chance?

“Now that this is out in the open, I really need to tell you. I never thought of you as a failure nor a disappointment. On the contrary, I think that you are an amazing girl filled with talent and have a heart of gold. Don’t ever think of yourself that way again. I’ve always liked you and I think you are a joy to be with.” He took a deep breath and looked away. All she could do was reply him with a long hug. She was willing to take a chance. She knows that her friendship is strong enough to take a risk. They smiled truly out of happiness as they embraced in the moonlight. This was a start to a new beginning and she loved every minute of it. May trouble come; they would face it head on and think things through rationally. Yes, there will be fights. Yes, there will be tension. But they’re doing it for love. That night started with two lonely people from different balconies, thinking about how miserable they are. But it ended with them finally realising the meaning of their friendship. The meaning of love.

Love does not come immediately. It comes over time. Knowing through personality and characteristics and not judging them by their appearance. Love is indeed blind, but it is not deaf nor dumb.