I tap my fingers on the cold surface of the table. This cafe is quiet. I realize I’m tapping my fingers to the beat of the song “Winter Winds”–I wonder why.
I see the door open through the reflection of the television that is painting a soap opera in front of me and my fingers stop. I know it’s you but I’m too nervous to turn around.
Butterflies,
Butterflies,
Butterflies,
I bite the corner of my lower lip and smile. It is you. I can tell because I can smell you, that mixture of the night sky and deep woods. Just what I expected. I laugh under my breath and quickly fix my hair.
You walk closer but it seems like you are in slow motion. I watch you through the reflection once more but you are barely moving. What is happening? You finally reach me and I turn around. Your face? It’s blank, my love. I cannot see you and you are standing right in front of me. I reach out and touch you, the electricity between us is undeniable. You touch my hand and confirm my thoughts. You sit there, an almost invisible man. I know you are the one I have been waiting for, but you keep yourself from me. Why?
–Aris
Legends of Youth: 