I have known him for years. He has been a close family friend. He had many appealing qualities, but i had never really thought about him in a romantic way. It was true that he had a sensitive and tender side that I had seen on a few occasions. But he was also extremely passionate about truth, and I felt sometimes he came across a little too strong on certain points. To be honest, he intimidated me. It also seemed that he was a little too involved with "church stuff." When I thought of him, i was reminded of Sunday school lessons with flannel Bible story characters or gold offering plates-- this was not exactly the atmosphere for true love!
He was one of those people with a piercing gaze that can see straight into the depths of your soul. Because of this, i had gone out of my way to avoid him for the past few years. For some time now my life had been a chaotic mess of compromise and confusion. I didnt want him to see what i had become. If he found out what i had done, i was sure he would sternly reprimand me and remind me that it was too late for me to ever discover anything more. But i soon realized i was very VERY wrong about him.
I found him waiting for me by the apple trees near my back gate one day as i headed out for a morning walk. I was startled to see him there, surprised that after all these years, and all the times i ignored him, he still wanted to spend time with me.
I gave him a tentative glance, and he smiled at me--a tender, intimate smile that made my heart lurch in spite of itself. I quickly looked away.
"Can i walk with you?" he asked in a gentle voice I nodded, still avoiding his gaze, and he fell into step beside me. We made our way in silence for a while, listening for the occasional chatter of a squirrel or high-pitched chirp of a robin. I kept my eyes on the gravel path at my feet.
"I missed you," he told me simply. Though it was obvious to both of us that I was the one who had put the distance between us, there was no hint of accusation in his tone. I bit my lip and nodded again, unsure of what to say in response.
We walked a little farther, and i realized his presence was both refreshing and comforting. I could feel his tender eyes watching me, silently tell me how important I was to him, though i could not figure out why. Nothing else was said during the rest of out time together that day, but i sensed that something more was about to happen between us. I just want sure if i was ready.
Our friendship grew slowly. The more time i spent with him, the more i realized how utterly different he was from any guy i had every encountered. In him, there was none of the sex-hungry glances that i recieved from the guys at school, not a trace of flirtatious teasing that had always surrounded me, not a strain of seductive charms i had grown accustomed to in men. But somehow i knew that he loved me. That he deeply desired me.That he found me beautiful. I had hardly dared to hope that i had finally found the one man that could fulfill all of these long-forgotten dreams of mine. Even if he could be my prince, I was sure i had found him too late.
I couldnt help but wondering wether or not it was too good to be true. The more time i spent around him, the more something inside me just wanted to desperatley surrender and fall into his arms. But i was afraid to let myself trust him, I was afraid of that what decision might cost me.
My guard slowly came down. No matter how many times i tried to pull away from him, i repeatedly fell back into his arms. And never once did he stop lavishing me with love.
One morning, as i was sitting alone on a bench in the crisp spring air, i felt him softly approach me. He didnt have to speak. I took a long look into the unfathomable depths of love in his eyes, and i melted. With tears coursing down my face like a cascading waterfall, i fell into his arms and told him passionately that my heart belonged to him and no one but him. At that moment, my life, my pursuits, my friends, everything i had built my world around, faded into nothingness. None of it seemed even remotely important anymore. Nothing mattered now, but him.
As I whispered my devotion to him, a brilliant peace crept steadily into my heart and began to quietly mend its broken pieces.
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