Older Chests (Chapter ?)

Older Chests

I was once told, by someone of sage-like wisdom, that some words, when spoken, can't be taken back. Only now was I learning that this was so evidently true. She was sitting there, waiting, no.....wanting for me to say something. Her deep, brown eyes stared back into mine, tears brimmed the edge of their perfect shape, and created a reflection of their beauty. It was heartbreaking. How could I tell her what was going on? How could I tell her what was wrong with this...with all of this,

"Are you....ok?" I asked tentatively. She blinked, quickly turning her attention away, as a tear fell slowly to the table, soaking the checkered cloth. I could see from her reaction that she was not, but that wouldnt stop her from saying that she was. Always headstrong.

"I'm fine," she whispered, not wanting to give her voice a chance to betray her sentiment, I'd imagine. She was so beautiful. Her perfection radiated out from our table, warming those around us with her glow. "Wh....wh.......why?" She whispered, even more quiet than before. The song in the background had begun to pick up into a sweeping 4/4 rhythm, acoustic picking slowly below the singers distinct voice.

The lyric in the chorus seemed to sum up exactly what I was feeling so I just let it go, let it explain for me what I was thinking. I pushed my eyes up, giving her the indication to listen closely. She responded ever so slightly, locking eyes with me again, tilting her head to the left, and pulling me into that lovely, chocolate void.

Some things in life may change and some things, they stay the same. Like time...there's always time.

She welled up again, her full lower lip pulsated out from under her perfectly slim upper lip and her bottom teeth, biting ever so slightly on the plumpness. This was a look that could kill, and indeed, thats what it was doing. It felt as though someone had shot me through the chest. There was a hole and it was being bored out like an engine, ever widening, whether I wanted it or not.

I moved my hand up to brush another tear away from her cheek, but she instinctively moved just out of my reach. I shrunk back at the rejection. I wasnt doing this to spite or hurt her. At this moment, I wish that she could have seen my thoughts. This was best for her. She would understand it soon enough. Just then, she looked at me, strangely....sadly.

"Hold....hold still." She said quielty, still unsure of her voice. She moved slowly with her left hand to my cheek and found what she was certain was not there. "You;re....crying?"

I looked away from her intriguing face. Of course I was. She didnt know what this was doing to me. It was nothing compared to what I feared she was feeling. If I only had a way to know....to know what she was feeling.....what she was thinking. That could only help me in my decision. The neckline of my shirt began to grow as wet as the edges of her sleeves. She was looking down now, the cloth below her face growing wetter by the second.

"How long?" she asked without looking up. Her voice cracked on the backend of the last word.

"Not long now," I said shortly and quietly. "Not long now."

Her hand slammed down on the table, drawing stares from the small amount of patronage in the restaraunt. She didnt care, and at this moment neither did I, She slid her chair back quickly and spun out of it, her movements graceful as ever, and ran from the restaraunt....from the table......from me.