They'd known each other for only a few months. However they had become much closer to each other than either had to anyone else. He thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. She was intoxicating to be around. And she surpassed every ideal he had had in his mind since he was a young boy. She made it clear that she was a submissive, lady-like girl, and yet she had a commanding presence in a room that he'd only seen in movies.
She always knew what to say or do. A few weeks earlier they had gone to a football game together at his school. She met all of his friends for the first time. She was charming and sweet, but fit right in with the boys, saying all the right things to make him sound good. Here was a boy who had never felt the smartest or the most athletic, let alone popular, who now felt like a king when she leaned into him in public. He loved the smell of her perfume and how he could always smell it on the pillow he borrowed when sleeping on her couch. His favorite time to be alive was when he was laying next to her in her fluffy queen bed, feeling her soft skin and smooth dark curls.
And she wouldn't have it any other way either. She had always promised herself that she wouldn't be that girl that made ridiculous plans for the future, like kids and weddings. Before meeting him, she wouldn't look twice at a crib or a white picket fence with adoration like some girls. But now her logical mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the nights they would spend together as husband and wife, although she always fought to try to remain grounded.
But the way he treated her and the way he looked at her, she knew he loved her. She just knew. For the first time in her life, she felt like she possessed a woman's intuition. From the beginning, she knew the decision of their future together was solely hers. And she loved that security. She loved how he was always striving to keep her, never too comfortable with how things were.
But he already had her more than anyone before him. She'd been with others. They both had already claimed to love others, just at the young age of 18. And both had realized how mistaken they'd been.
So he knew this night had to be special. He had never been as nervous before. His hands shook as he handed over what little cash he had left over from his paycheck over the counter, barely enough for a night. They both told their parents that they were sleeping over at friends'. He sat and waited with anticipation for her.
She met him in the hotel lobby. She had worn his favorite dress and the scarf she'd been wearing when they met that night on the beach. Her dark brown hair was down, left in the natural curls she knew he loved.
He watched her walk in the door towards him. His heart beat what felt like five times for every step she took. When she was close enough, he stood up and put his arm in the small of her back and pulled her towards him. "Hi, beautiful."
She blushed and looked down, hoping her hair was falling just right, praying her makeup wasn't too noticeable, and trying for once to believe the name he always called her.
He placed his other hand on her neck and traced her lips with his thumb. He laughed to himself about how many times he'd tried to convince her of how beautiful her lips were. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world as he bent his head down to kiss her first on the forehead and then on her bare lips.
They walked hand in hand to the elevator, both conscious of those looking at them and both aware that the youth and the love they possessed were something to be envied. Alone in the elevator, they didn't say a word. She just giggled at the grin on his face.
