There had been an enormous tree in my backyard growing up. I used to take my book and a blanket and read under the shade of its branches nearly every day. I was a bit of a loner as a child, I suppose I still am in some ways, but back then, I really enjoyed the solitude that came with being outside in my own happy place.
It was the summer that I turned 14 when the boy started coming around. At first he was just an annoyance. I hated having my quiet time interrupted by anything. But then he started bringing his own book and he’d just sit against the tree next to me while we both read.
Then we started discussing our books. I liked mysteries. He liked SciFi. I started to realize that I was looking forward to my happy place a little more than usual and that I wasn’t just looking forward to the quiet, either.
I was looking forward to seeing him. He brought out the happy side of me. A little more of my ‘carefree’ persona. I think I maybe even started flirting, just a little. A touch of his hand, grabbing his arm when he told me something exciting from his stories. Resting my hand just next to his thigh while we read. Feeling the fabric of his shorts as his thigh moved just slightly closer to mine as we got lost in our own worlds of imagination.
The movements we took towards each other were Infinitesimal, but so significant. I was so painfully shy that it was like crossing an ocean just to get up the nerve to touch him each time, even just 'accidentally' brushing against him.
It felt like a whole new world opened up when his hand took mine for the first time. I just sat and tried to be subtle as I watched our fingers so perfectly intertwine.
My heart raced and my palms grew sweaty. I wondered if he noticed how nervous I was, but I didn’t say a thing. I didn’t move at all, just sat there, absorbing the magnificence of the intimacy of our hands linking together like the branches of the tree we sat beneath.
- Day One: Bananas Are a Great Source of Potassium
- Day Two: The Painting
- Day Three: Exploration: Erotica
- Day Four: Entry in the @freewritehouse selfie contest!
