*happyhappyhappy*
I really thought tonight was going to be kind of awful. Ava's parents wanted to take Ava out to dinner, and hadn't really invited me along - they don't like me very much. Ava was going to raise a fuss, but I told him no. I thought the time by myself might be nice. And so they went out, and I took a long shower and was just sort of hanging out casually, black long-sleeved shirt and jeans, reading some manga.
At about 5:30ish, the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, and who's standing there?
Sarah.
For those of you who don't know, Sarah is someone I've sort of met just recently - one of Ava's best friends for a really, really long time. I actually first talked to her on the internets through Ava, then we started calling and emailing, and I eventually met her in person when I visited Ava in the States. She's one of the coolest, most spirited, enchanting women I've ever met, and when I went back to Japan I was a little depressed about it, because being that far away made developing any kind of relationship, friendship or otherwise, really fuckin' difficult. Since I've returned to the States we've talked a few times on the phone, but my trips to NH and the chaos of my arrival has prevented us from actually seeing each other.
So I return to the fact that she is standing on the doorstep of Ava's parents' house in New Hampshire when she lives in New York. With a basket in one hand and a smile on her face. And this amazingly adorable short hair. It used to be long (I'm not kidding, like ass-length long) and in this sort of wild spirited celebration of the near-end of her schooling she took a leap and cut it short, leaving it just an inch or so below her chin. When she told me about it on the phone it sounded horrifying, but she has beautiful huge eyes and amazing cheekbones and a perfect smile...and the short dark hair just makes you notice all of that more. She's gorgeous.
Anyway, after I hugged her and asked her what the hell she was doing in New Hampshire, she told me she'd had a conference to go to this weekend about an hour from NH and had decided to leave early to cheer me up, since she knew the stress with Ava's parents and just being here have been wearing on me a little. So she'd gone to Panera (I worship Panera...) and picked up a ton of little quirky pastry-things, packed the stuff to make chai, threw it in her car, and headed off.
...it was the best night I've had in a long time. A really, really, really long time. Ava's parents have this sort of sunroom/walled-in porch that has windows all around, so we went in there with tea and all the food, and sat on a blanket, and talked. For hours. About everything. She's one of the most intelligent women I've ever met, and just being able to talk to someone who knows so much about what she does, who's so intense and passionate and creative, is just overwhelmingly amazing. She's so sincere and sweet and direct, and it's been a long time since I knew anybody with whom I felt that immediate snapclick of belonging (at least after I let myself get over my insecurities).
We laughed a lot. It'd been a long drive for her, and she ended up falling asleep with her head all tucked into my shoulder, for over a half hour. I didn't dare move. And all I can think now is that I swear she smells like green tea and....oranges, and she looked so tiny and fucking adorable in the shirt I gave her to wear from my dresser when she said she was cold.
I was really, really touched she did that for me. More than any actual gift, the sheer gesture blew me away, and for the first time in a while I felt really...special.
And now I can't get her out of my head.
At about 5:30ish, the doorbell rang. I went to answer it, and who's standing there?
Sarah.
For those of you who don't know, Sarah is someone I've sort of met just recently - one of Ava's best friends for a really, really long time. I actually first talked to her on the internets through Ava, then we started calling and emailing, and I eventually met her in person when I visited Ava in the States. She's one of the coolest, most spirited, enchanting women I've ever met, and when I went back to Japan I was a little depressed about it, because being that far away made developing any kind of relationship, friendship or otherwise, really fuckin' difficult. Since I've returned to the States we've talked a few times on the phone, but my trips to NH and the chaos of my arrival has prevented us from actually seeing each other.
So I return to the fact that she is standing on the doorstep of Ava's parents' house in New Hampshire when she lives in New York. With a basket in one hand and a smile on her face. And this amazingly adorable short hair. It used to be long (I'm not kidding, like ass-length long) and in this sort of wild spirited celebration of the near-end of her schooling she took a leap and cut it short, leaving it just an inch or so below her chin. When she told me about it on the phone it sounded horrifying, but she has beautiful huge eyes and amazing cheekbones and a perfect smile...and the short dark hair just makes you notice all of that more. She's gorgeous.
Anyway, after I hugged her and asked her what the hell she was doing in New Hampshire, she told me she'd had a conference to go to this weekend about an hour from NH and had decided to leave early to cheer me up, since she knew the stress with Ava's parents and just being here have been wearing on me a little. So she'd gone to Panera (I worship Panera...) and picked up a ton of little quirky pastry-things, packed the stuff to make chai, threw it in her car, and headed off.
...it was the best night I've had in a long time. A really, really, really long time. Ava's parents have this sort of sunroom/walled-in porch that has windows all around, so we went in there with tea and all the food, and sat on a blanket, and talked. For hours. About everything. She's one of the most intelligent women I've ever met, and just being able to talk to someone who knows so much about what she does, who's so intense and passionate and creative, is just overwhelmingly amazing. She's so sincere and sweet and direct, and it's been a long time since I knew anybody with whom I felt that immediate snapclick of belonging (at least after I let myself get over my insecurities).
We laughed a lot. It'd been a long drive for her, and she ended up falling asleep with her head all tucked into my shoulder, for over a half hour. I didn't dare move. And all I can think now is that I swear she smells like green tea and....oranges, and she looked so tiny and fucking adorable in the shirt I gave her to wear from my dresser when she said she was cold.
I was really, really touched she did that for me. More than any actual gift, the sheer gesture blew me away, and for the first time in a while I felt really...special.
And now I can't get her out of my head.