Okay, so I want to be super good at writing. I want to write a book, and writing, just like anything else, takes practice. So, I've decided that, every day, I will find a writing prompt and write until my brain shuts off. No pressure. Just whatever I can muster. I have no problem with sharing you, but please note that this is all original work, and therefore, my personal property, so please, no stealing. That being said, let's get this party started.
Writing Prompt:
I know it is cliche to say he smiled with his eyes but, he did smile with his eyes. Unfortunately the rest of him was saying...
I know it's cliche to say he smiled with his eyes but, he did. Smile with his eyes, that is. It was one of the things about him that had always fascinated me. Unfortunately, the rest of him was saying, "If I make it out of this alive, there will be hell to pay." I shivered at the thought, though it wasn't necessarily an unpleasant one.
"I think what Mara meant to say is that I'm currently in-between jobs while pursuing a career that's both financially as well as intrinsically rewarding," he seethed.
"Potato, potat-oh." I waved my hand absently, while deep inside, my stomach tied itself into knots. I would never understand why I couldn't just leave well enough alone. I always had to push.
"Not exactly, darling," he said, smooth as silk, but his eyes had turned to steel. I swallowed hard and forced a carefree smile.
"I'm just saying, darling, that I worry about you, and I want to help you through this midlife crisis in whatever way that I can." Take that, asshole.
He opened his mouth to respond but my sister, forever the peacemaker, beat him to it.
"Mara, there's nothing wrong with taking some time off of work to find yourself," she chided lightly. "In fact, Hunter, I find it quite admirable. I mean, I love my job, but there have always been other dreams I wished I'd had the courage to pursue."
"Courage is a myth, Ana," Hunter said to my sister, pausing to take a sip of his scotch, and I rolled my eyes. "It's about balancing patience and sacrifice with living in the moment, which is something the younger generations never quite learned how to handle," he said, inclining his head slightly towards me. I crossed my arms, fuming, while they shared a laugh at my expense.
"Yeah, well, I'll remember that when you guys are buying canes and living in nursing homes and I'm still completely independent. And wealthy. From all the money I earned working my ass off at my job." I hated the fact that I'd let him turn me into a petulant child, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.
Hunter chuckled, which only served to infuriate me even more. "Mara, love, ten years is hardly that big of an age difference. I have a feeling you won't be too far behind."
Blessedly, Ana's phone chose that moment to ring. She glanced down at it and frowned. "Shit, it's my boss. I have to take this. Will you excuse me for a moment?"
Hunter stood as my sister grabbed her phone and quickly disappeared in the direction of the lobby. When he was seated once again, I turned my best glare on him, and he sighed.
"Mara, why do you insist on making this so difficult?"
"Me?" I yelped incredulously. "We're supposed to get married and you quit your job, which was the only reason we were getting married in the first place... and on top of it, you tell my sister about it before you tell me?" My voice was shrill, and people were beginning to stare, but I didn't care; I was too angry.
Hunter was quiet for a moment, silently appraising me, his jaw clenched tight. His eyes traveled slowly across my face and, briefly, I found myself wondering what it was that he was seeing. Were my eyes too far apart? My nose too upturned? Could he see the tiny scar just above my eyebrow from the time I'd slammed my head into the corner of the bathroom mirror?
Did he - could he - find me beautiful?
He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated instead; his gaze moved to the glass in his hand and he swirled the amber-colored liquid slowly for a moment. I watched, tense, trying to anticipate his next move, waiting for him to pounce.
But he didn't.
"Have I ever let you down before?" he asked, so quietly that I wasn't sure, at first, that I'd heard him, and when I realized what he'd said, my anger vanished. I sagged against the back of my chair, defeated.
"No," I said, sighing softly. "No, Hunter, you haven't."
"I am a man of my word," he continued. "I said I would take care of you, and I will. I know you could never love me, and I would never ask that of you. What I do ask for, however, is your respect, which is something I feel I have earned."
"You have," I responded quietly. I looked up at him, and when our eyes met, I knew I couldn't leave it at that. Not anymore. Not when it was the only thing I wanted. With courage I didn't realize I even possessed, I continued. "But that's just the thing. You always say that I could never love you, but..."
"I am so sorry about that," Ana said as she sat back down at the table. I hadn't even seen her coming. Hunter had that effect on me; his presence tended to block out the rest of the world. Ana noticed the awkward silence as the words I hadn't been able to say burned in the back of my throat. I took a sip of water and snuck a glance at Hunter, who was staring at me so intently that it made me feel like I was the only person, besides him, who existed in the entirety of the universe.
Ana looked back and forth between us slowly. "Um, I'm so sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
I wanted to tell her that she hadn't, but I had come so close to telling Hunter the truth, and I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, all the things I'd been hiding for so long would come tumbling out and embarrass us both. It was Hunter who finally broke the silence.
"I do believe," he said quietly, "that your sister was about to tell me that she's in love with me."
It was now or never. I took a deep breath, knowing the the next words out of my mouth were going to cause one hell of a shitstorm.
I didn't care.
"I do believe," I said, "that you are correct."
No comments:
Post a Comment