Real Life Romance Novel: Late NIght Dance
This one speaks for itself, I think.
She was researching on her computer, trying desperately to avoid procrastinating through social media. The work light over her desk cast long shadows across the kitchen. Her little dog slept near her feet, snoring a counterpoint to her breathing in the late evening stillness.
He was maybe twenty five feet away from her, engrossed in the evening news. The television volume was no more than a murmur. She glanced at the clock; in five minutes the weather would be over, and he'd get up, turn off the TV and let the dog out. She closed her laptop and slid off her stool. She stopped at the refrigerator for a swig of seltzer; straight from the bottle. Her mother might be appalled; she knew he wouldn't care. Frankly, so what if he did?
She was unsure what to do with herself. They had established a tentative routine in these early days together, and she was torn. Should she go up to their bed alone, disappointed and silent, or pretend that nothing was wrong? Should she confront him, call him out for his bad behavior, and risk the raw wounds they could no doubt inflict on one another?
She had held her tongue all day, waiting for an apology that never came. She wasn't even sure how much to say when she finally asked for one.
She was caught up in musing about about the strange dance that was loving someone and living with them when she crashed into him. He'd come out to the kitchen on exceptionally quiet feet for so substantial a man.
He picked up her left hand, and circled her waist with his other arm, and whispered, "Listen."
She was about to ask why, but he stepped her back, in time with the music. Music? And then she listened. It was an unlikely slow dance, an old Johnny Cash tune, but it brought prickly tears to her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I love you," he said.
For the rest of that three minutes, they were a universe unto each other, turning to the straight four rhythm of the Man in Black.
She was researching on her computer, trying desperately to avoid procrastinating through social media. The work light over her desk cast long shadows across the kitchen. Her little dog slept near her feet, snoring a counterpoint to her breathing in the late evening stillness.
He was maybe twenty five feet away from her, engrossed in the evening news. The television volume was no more than a murmur. She glanced at the clock; in five minutes the weather would be over, and he'd get up, turn off the TV and let the dog out. She closed her laptop and slid off her stool. She stopped at the refrigerator for a swig of seltzer; straight from the bottle. Her mother might be appalled; she knew he wouldn't care. Frankly, so what if he did?
She was unsure what to do with herself. They had established a tentative routine in these early days together, and she was torn. Should she go up to their bed alone, disappointed and silent, or pretend that nothing was wrong? Should she confront him, call him out for his bad behavior, and risk the raw wounds they could no doubt inflict on one another?
She had held her tongue all day, waiting for an apology that never came. She wasn't even sure how much to say when she finally asked for one.
She was caught up in musing about about the strange dance that was loving someone and living with them when she crashed into him. He'd come out to the kitchen on exceptionally quiet feet for so substantial a man.
He picked up her left hand, and circled her waist with his other arm, and whispered, "Listen."
She was about to ask why, but he stepped her back, in time with the music. Music? And then she listened. It was an unlikely slow dance, an old Johnny Cash tune, but it brought prickly tears to her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I love you," he said.
For the rest of that three minutes, they were a universe unto each other, turning to the straight four rhythm of the Man in Black.
Labels: RealLifeRomanceNovel, Writing
posted by Cameron | 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
Beautiful. It made me cry. :) samm
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