Click. Click. Clickclickclickclick.
“What are you writing?”
The boyish frenzy of hair swirls her step.
“I don’t know.”
Clickclickclick. Click.
She claims his shoulders.
“You don’t know?”
His muscles sharpen. A warning.
“It’s a complete, fucking mystery is what it is.”
Click!
She places her chin on his head. The wet fingers of her hair cup his face.
He leans into her.
She shivers.
“But you always say this . . .”
Click . . . click . . . ?
Her hands stream down his chest. Particles of water duped into mist.
She reaches for his belt.
His hand fires.
Skin gasps.
He locks onto her wrist, following its warm promise, awakening to her damp bareness, her shocking otherness. The apple of her shoulder. The wings of her collarbone. All this sweet terrain.
He stirs.
She rounds the chair, sliding his lap between her legs.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I just thought you should know.”
Her lips are plums.
“Mm?”
“That I’m falling in love with you.”
His hands halt their dizzy progress.
“Only now?”
She advances her curves into his hard lines.
“But—”
She kisses him.
His elbow recoils.
Click.
He pulls back.
“We’ve—”
Click.
“Been—”
Click.
“Married—”
Click.
“For—”
Click.
“Seven—”
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ick.
“Centuries.”
She traces his lips with her thumb. He follows.
“But it just came upon me again. Like a spring day.”
He places his hands on her shoulders to study her.
And shrugs.
“You’re a complete, fucking mystery is what you are.”
She tucks her chin down, mostly smiling.
The light from a computer falls silent.
Two hearts twirl into warmest, wettest rain.
[Art: Lovers in the Red Sky, by Marc Chagall]
22 comments:
Nice! Very affirming. I love reading about couples who keep the love alive. It seems so rare in reality.
I really like the use of the clicks-- the auditory component makes it read like a movie. And (as you can probably guess) the setting is so close to home. ;)
Thanks for giving me (more) warm fuzzies!
Such sweet irony!
Very sweet. I too very much like how you showed the particular kind of seduction known only to people who've been together a while.
On the technical side, the wings of her collarbone...that was perfect! In my piece, I failed to come up with a collarbone reference that didn't feel like an autopsy.
It is an everyday challenge to maintain that kind of connection, Aine. Luckily, Paul and I believe in working hard. ;)
Thanks for commenting on the computer element! I thought it was a fun flourish that said a lot, without really saying anything at all.
Thank you, Scott. :)
LOL about the autopsy, Jason! Having taken a year of gross anatomy, it's sometimes all I can do to not slip in that direction, too. ;)
I felt like I was aping your Valentine's piece a bit in this...
Then I just realized that we're both really lucky.
:)
Then I just realized that we're both really lucky.
Very true. :)
Very nice, Sarah. The situation these two are in seems familiar! lol Lovely.
Ha!! It is refreshing to find someone else that feels comfortable mixing writing about romance with thoughts of autopsies! :D
I too was premed (Bio major) and did end up working with a cadaver in my therapy studies.
It seems rare to find people who have a balance of interest/knowledge in science and the arts.
Glad you concur, Jason (and Aine). :)
Hmm...maybe a little, Seamus. ;)
Another almost-doctor in the crowd, Aine? You, Jason, Abhinav, and I should form a post-med club. We can don our white coats and watch "House" together. ;) That's about as close to the actual experience as I want to get now (and Hugh Laurie is a hoot)...
But I agree with you that it's valuable to have that range of interests and pursuits. I like that I can answer (some) of my daughter's questions about the living world, and yet can also make up stories about magical cloud animals for her.
And of course, that sort of balance is more likely to be passed on as a result (I hope!).
Anyway, glad to hear that you're a fellow lab rat. ;)
I love the story, especially the clicks. A belated Happy Valentine's Day. :-)
To you too, Abhinav. And thanks! :)
Beautiful, Sarah, very poetic!
“But it just came upon me again. Like a spring day.” - oh, I like this very much!
Thanks for coming by, Vesper!
And for the kind words. :)
"Sweet terrain" indeed! Really terrific post. I loved every line of the seductive progression.
Nice writing and nice picture pairing! :-)
Do the painting inspire you or did you write this and find the painting? Sometimes I can't tell. Gosh, it's been 22 years together for hubby and I. I'm only 37. I don't work anymore. I am rather fond of him, however. =)
Thanks, Billy. I hope it got "sweeter" as it went along. ;)
Cakespy, I love matching appropriate art to each story. I wanted something soft and floaty for this. Chagall seemed like the perfect match. :)
Thanks for your comments!
Wow, Beth! That's amazing that you guys have been together for that long. High school sweethearts, huh? Love those stories. :)
The art almost always comes after for me. I like having the visual element there, and I try to pick a piece that fits the mood. I only wish I were a better photographer, or that I had a decent camera, so I wouldn't always have to rely on others.
Awwww Sarah every time I read something you've written I can tuck it away like a little jewel and bring it out again and to again to revel in. I can see the little smile you were wearing when you wrote this.
Ruth, that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me about my writing. Really.
Thanks so much! What a jewel of a compliment. :)
Oh I love this one. And the Chagall--I heart it.
I loved that computer click! I could hear it as I read. It added a great reality to your sweet story. Loved it!
Thanks, Jaye. That Chagall is just too sublime. Even the crazy, floating horse.
I was lucky enough to visit a Chagall museum in Nice, France. One of the highlights of my trip.
So glad you liked the sound effects, Ello. :) Thank you!!
Hey Sarah!
Really beautiful, descriptive, and HOT! Wow! I've been writing for children for too long, I think...
Gorgeous string of words delicately strung together.
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