• Tristan

    Tristan’s eyes were an intricate weave of vines as they latched onto me, pulling me closer. Each time my gaze shifted to the frostbitten blades of grass below us, his eyes grabbed me back with a sort of gravitational force. From where his hands still rested tenderly on my lower back, I could feel a distinct difference of warmth and numbness from the frigid winter air. I couldn’t help but notice how spectacular the contrast between his mahogany hair and light skin was. His perfectly shaped lips were directed upward slightly at the edges, but not enough to be considered a smile. He didn’t need his mouth to smile; his illuminated eyes did it for him. Complete happiness radiated from his bright features and shone out over the barren park. The single streetlamp above our embrace cast a dim glow across where we stood like a spotlight. Few clouds were present, letting the stars that freckled the dark canvas be shown. The crisp scent of orchids eased my tense shoulders and relaxed my mind. The smell of the flowers somehow matched him completely; warm, luscious, and almost romantic.

    My long hair was lifted slightly by the gentle breeze, and a single pastel strand caressed my cheek and tickled my nose. His hand rose to brush the hair away, lingering on my face only a moment before it returned to my back. I shivered lightly at his touch, icy fire pricking up my bare arms. He smirked at me with a look of accomplishment as my neck grew hot. I knew my cheeks were crimson red. Embarrassed, I tilted my head away, turning my attention back to the breathtaking scene around us. Silently, a feather-like leaf swayed to the ground, caught in a small flurry of wind. A lone crow cawed in the distance. He let out a quiet breath.

    “Charlie.” His voice was a baby’s laugh and a bird’s sweet tune, mixed with a Hershey’s kiss and a dozen white carnations. My eyes traveled back to his reluctantly.
    “Charlotte,” He corrected, seeming to like the sound of it, the tiny smile still set on his face. He paused as if to ready himself, staring deeper into my eyes than I thought possible.

    “Your eyes are the diamond drops of dew on my desert plain,” He murmured poetically, his gaze full of affection. A thousand roses bloomed in my stomach as I looked back at the ground, too self-conscious to face looking him in the eye. I wondered if he was quoting something, or if he had just made that up on the spot. Once again, a blush found my cheeks. He ran his fingers down my jaw, tilting my chin up.
    “Your blush is the fire on my frozen soul,” His hand moved down the side of my neck and over my shoulder. A wild current raced in my heart.
    “Your skin is a cotton field to my rough touch,” He cooed, leaving a tingling trail down my arm wherever our skin met. I bit my lip, grinning against my will. He leaned in closer, our faces inches apart.

    “Your smile is but a tropical bird in flight.” He sighed into my ear as his soft lips met mine. And suddenly, everything was right. The anxiousness that had tightened my stomach untied itself, and my worries dissolved. Automatically, my arms entwined themselves around his neck and the hand on my back eased me closer to him greedily. The other had advanced back up my arm and was now resting just below my jaw. He glided a finger down to the base of my neck delicately. I swore right then that nothing in the history of the world had ever been so perfect. The kiss lingered only a breathtaking moment before his lips touched the edge of my jaw sweetly and he broke away. My eyelashes fluttered against his skin. I opened my eyes slowly to find him gazing back at me with his smoldering emerald eyes.

    “Tristan…” I breathed against his lips as my hands laced through his untamed brown hair. He brushed his lips against mine ever so softly, his left hand tracing invisible lines on my back. Unable to resist, I pressed harder against his lips into a deep kiss that he returned without hesitation. I could feel his heart stuttering rhythmically against my chest, almost in time with my own racing heartbeat. It was going ten times too fast. I was aware of his hard stomach, and I strained to not run my hands along it. Without realizing what I was saying, I opened my mouth and mumbled the three most emotion-filled words of my life.

    “I love you.” Right as I said it, I froze. When I pulled away somewhat violently, he looked at me with eyes full of confusion. I tried to catch my breath, staring back at him with mirrored question and an ounce of horror. The difference in temperature was shocking; the cool air rushed over me and brought me back to reality. What had I just said? What had I just done? I had a boyfriend, and Tristan had been my best friend since grade school, practically my brother. We should NOT be doing this. Everything that had felt so right moments before died in an instant, and I squeezed my eyes shut as if to erase everything. When I opened them, he was still standing there, looking like a god in the pearl moonlight. The haze that shone down on his sculpted, stone body made his ivory skin almost translucent. He glowed.

    I stopped myself right there.
    “Tristan…” I choked out, my eyes filling with tears. I backed away a step to keep myself from reaching out to touch him, my knees nearly giving out. The temptation was unreal. His eyes pleaded with me to come back.
    “We can’t do this,” With a long, shaking intake of air, I continued.
    “Ever,” A flash of pure hurt came over his features. It was painful to look at, and I knew at that moment my expression was identical to his. Then just as fast as the expression had come, it disappeared. His face was blank, unreadable. My heart felt as if it had just been ripped out of my ribcage.

    “I’m sorry, Charlotte.” His voice faltered on my name. The betrayal behind his words gave away exactly how he felt, even if his face wouldn’t show it. I knew him too well. I paused a moment, never wanting to leave but somehow knowing it was necessary. We stared at each other’s familiar faces, his emotionless, and mine full of grief before I turned away to hide the tears that were beginning to trickle down my face. It took all I had to not run back to him, to feel his strong arms around me, but instead to walk away alone. It took all I had to convince myself that what I had said was a lie.

    You don’t love him. You love Brandon. I told myself, trying to believe it. When I had made my way to the entrance of the park, I glanced back at him against my will. He stood motionless; about 20 feet away, staring back at me with defeated eyes. The soft wind blew his hair into his face, but he didn’t move an inch to get it. I doubted he could even tell it was there. Suddenly, his lips parted. If I hadn’t been so fully aware of everything he did, I wouldn’t have noticed it when he spoke. Almost as though he were speaking quietly in the back of my mind, he murmured,

    “I love you too, Charlotte Harper,” A sob caught in my throat as I whipped my head away from his beautiful figure, stumbling a few steps until I caught myself and ran as fast as I could for the gate. I bolted through without another look at him. My hair blew crazily around my shoulders as I sprinted to nowhere in particular, my feet slipping multiple times on the slick cement. How could I be so stupid? I should have never let him touch me.

    And yet, I wanted him to. No, my brain demanded. You’re being delusional. He tricked you into it. But how could someone trick you into saying I love you? My internal argument ended abruptly as I tripped over a huge branch I hadn’t spotted in the dark, no doubt fallen from a recent windstorm. The road in front of me disappeared and transformed into concrete aiming straight for my face. There was a sharp pain in my legs and arms as they skidded to a stop on the rough sidewalk, and my head fell limply to the frigid cement. Hard bursts of tears rattled through my body, and I trembled violently from a mixture of cold and grief. The cool pavement on my cheek helped me come to my senses somewhat, and I knew I should get up. When I tried to move my legs, they cried out in pain, sending shocking signals to my body to stop. Giving up, with nothing left to motivate me, I stayed sprawled out on the cement. My loose, tangled hair was a mess all around me.