I'd like to give thanks to TwentyThreeSweet for taking a look at this. It looks wonderful. Thank you :)
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The idea of beauty has captivated thousands of souls over our short existence, matched by experiences that can be listed on nimble fingers: works of art priceless and poignant, sunsets and sunrises that paint the sky with vivid perfection, architectural designs and wonders that baffle the mind even as they liberate it.
Everyone sees beauty differently, and none of them are wrong.
Rain patterned across the sun room's wall of tall windows, smearing sparkles of midday light as it broke through the murky clouds above. The din of rain echoed dully, rising and falling as heavier drops hammered before lighter drops took over. It was quiet and perfect.
"It's so peaceful here," Elie hummed, stretched luxuriously on the white chaise lounge as she thumbed through a large coffee table book. "Thank you for letting me stay for a day. I just needed a place to relax without expectations."
I looked up from the paperback I was reading, nodding and smiling. "My pleasure. I had nothing going on today."
A slow, stress free smile from Elie, followed by a sigh of content. "I could just meld into this couch and cuddle up warm, like the world has forgotten about me."
Another sigh, a slow closing of Elie's brown eyes before she stretched long and lean like a cat. It was hard not to appreciate the perfect curve of her spine. The black denim vest with white shirt beneath it that she was wearing drew up to reveal lovely tan skin, a smooth stomach, and a very kissable belly button. Black jeans tight against her small hips, long legs that ended in white painted toenails. Strands of blonde hair fell over Elie's face, a soft smile creeping through it.
Petite and perfect, it brought a smile to my face as well.
Elie caught me looking, shaking her head as she continued to smile. "Look all you want, stud. Consider it payment for this wonderful day."
"Well, if you insist," I said, shrugging lightly as I drank her in. "I would hate to offend."
Elie's bark of laughter chimed for a few seconds, fading off to hide behind the patter of rain. "Thank you, truly. It's rare that I find a place where I can just be at peace."
"I understand," I said, nodding while trying not to get lost in Elie's eyes. "Life has its way of stacking stress in the most wobbly of patterns."
Elie grinned. "Artfully put. Hard to balance things when life gets that way." A long sigh, the touch of joy dimming. "It always feels like it's ready to fall over, that wobbly tower of stress, crushing me underneath it."
"That's when you seek those places of deepest peace, someplace unchanging inside all that murkiness and weight," I offered. "To recuperate, relax, if even just for a little time, before challenging the world once more."
A slow blink of brown eyes, pupils widening slightly. "Sounds like the voice of experience."
I nodded. "Most keenly, I assure you. Can't deny our instincts, or fight our nature."
"Nature and instincts, you say?" Elie hummed, shifting slightly to look squarely at me. "You're saying what we do is ingrained?"
"Somewhat, sure. We all move in patterns, surround ourselves with people, places and things that match a need we have - a rhythm or a vibration that we're seeking created by such surroundings. Like birds flying south for the winter, something they know instinctually to do."
"So people fly south when they're stressed then go back north when it's calmer?" Elie chided, shaking her head. "That makes complete and no sense at the same time."
"Well, that's where the nature of the thing comes into play," I said, smiling and nodding. "South could mean across an ocean, down into the earth, up into a trusted tree nook, or comfort in soft arms. Everything knows instinctively where they can be safe even if it's something they purposefully avoid."
"Avoid?" Elie's eyes took on a scrutinizing look. "Why avoid safety? Comfort?" A pause. "Peace?"
"To protect it, perhaps," I said, drawing a stunned expression from Elie. "If no one or nothing knows about the hidden sanctuary, and if it doesn't go there often to where it can be followed, then it will always be there to visit when the going is the roughest and hectic."
Elie blinked, slowly absorbing what we were talking about. It rang through her soft brown eyes, understanding blooming like a thousand-petaled lotus. It was beautiful to watch it unfold, a rare thing for anyone to witness. She looked upon me with profound insight.
The rain fell gently, the clouds getting a bit darker and stealing some of the ambient light. Not enough to steal her beauty, only reveal the soft angles of it even more.
I closed my paperback and stood up. Elie blinked rapidly, sitting up slowly like she was waking up from a hypnotic spell. A small blush found her cheeks, a demure embarrassment curling her lips into a partially revealed inner indulgence.
"I'm going to make some dinner. Would you like some?" I asked.
"Please," Elie hummed lightly, a hint of deep warmth wrapped around the word.
I made cheesy au gratin potatoes filled with grilled hamburger bits - a cheeseburger in every bite. It was easy to make and delicious. Elie's grin as she dug in was absolutely priceless. Like I'd given her an expensive meal and served it on china, she ate with great enjoyment.
