Drabbles 81-90
Drabbles 81-90: Ten love stories, ten Lifehouse songs!
81. All In
"I never thought it would end up this way actually."
"Why, what did you imagine?"
Ida sat up and looked at Mark. "I kind of thought I'd wander the world a bit, settle down late for companionship...I was always more restless than you are."
Mark nodded even as he glanced at their intertwined hands and their identical gold rings. "But you don't regret now? I'm not holding you back?"
Ida placed her chin on his shoulder. "No. You and Nina....you especially, are my new possibility. I said I was all in for it."
"For keeps?"
"Yes, for keeps."
82. Spin
Once, Josh resented Violeta. After all that girl was always in his face, even having the cheek to work on the same projects or go to his university. "Of course she's your neighbor, she has the right to these things too," everyone chided him when he voiced out his irritation.
That had been before the storms, the election, and everyone else graduating. "You know, you're the one constant in my life," she told him one night after class.
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Josh asked.
"Good. You're someone I don't regret."
For the first time, he actually agreed.
83. Sick Cycle Carousel
"As far as I'm concerned, we're getting along just fine."
Polished fingers scraped across the table. "We aren't. You put me down, I try to measure up to what you want, and then you belittle me for my efforts. You make me feel bad, then you try to smother me so that I will forget what you did."
"I try to make it up to you."
"But you never say sorry, not really."
Jace ran a hand through his hair. "Then what do you really want, Lize?"
She sighed. "Either we quit, or we start being honest to each other."
84. You and Me
Darren still remembered that particular Saturday, that convention that had changed everything. It had been so easy to get lost in the throng then; after all he was no one of consequence, just another student with a name tag.
He had run into a hall, thinking he was late. "You're in the wrong room buddy!" someone hollered to him.
Before he could back out in shame, he heard a chair scrape. "Looking for room 323?" a ruddy cheeked boy asked.
Darren had to remember to speak. "Yeah."
"Same here."
Even then, the rest of the people had already melted away.
85. Halfway Gone
"You've got to step up! What kind of boyfriend are you?"
It took all of Emil's willpower not to plug his ears in front of Farrah. "You're not the only person in my world; I've got my parents, my brothers, my friends---"
"Don't mention them, especially that bitch of a debate partner and that fag," Farrah glowered.
Emil shook his head as he gathered up his papers. "I make friends with your friends, you can respect mine."
"I'm your girlfriend. Doesn't my opinion matter?"
Emil shook his head, counting this reason as another to eventually have 'the talk' with her.
86. Hanging by a Moment
"So whatever happened to focusing on engineering?"
Ron shook his head. "I guess I could make other priorities."
"Aside from going to rallies and playing basketball?" Lila teased.
Ron sighed, unsure how to tell her how often she'd been on his mind, and how she'd pretty much consumed his reason. "There are some people I'd compromise that for."
"You, compromise? That's a new word."
"A new word that's worth it."
She nodded, clearly understanding what he was getting at. "Would you really?" she whispered, lightly clasping his hand.
He squeezed her fingers. "For a moment with you, it's worth it."
87. Blind
Sometimes it took all of Laurie's courage to remain cool and detached on the debate podium. "It's obvious you're slipping though," Elise chided him one day. "Everyone knows."
"Except for her." He wiped his spectacles. "It just crept up on me. I wasn't expecting to ever see her that way."
"She's too focused. You;d best save the heartache for someone who has room in her life for you," Elise advised.
"I could hope."
"It's baseless. She's the way she is, you're you."
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Even if I love her more than she'll ever know."
88. Everything
When he was younger, Anton did not believe it was possible for love to be all-consuming. "But life has a funny way of being used to teach you a lesson," he mused as he knelt at the church pew.
He could hear the wind howling outside, but he was not the least bit perturbed. He'd seen worse storms, literally and figuratively. Against all odds he was still alive and about to start anew. The young man crossed himself and picked up the bag next to him.
"All for You," he whispered before turning towards the doors of the nearby seminary.
89. We’ll Never Know
"Don't you think it's about time we stopped kidding ourselves, Anna?"
The engineer shrugged as she looked up at Tato. "What do you mean?"
"You know, people knew we weren't just partners in the CYS." Tato trailed off before wiping his sweaty forehead. "People saw how we felt. Everyone knew it, and yet we still kept lying."
"We had to do it. You know what could have happened if you'd pressed the issue."
"Yes, but I think it's time to stop living the lie."
Anna shook her head. "Someday, Tato."
He sighed. "That's what they say before it's too late."
90. First Time
"Every day is just different with her," Emil thought with amazement as he watched Marce carefully setting up decorations the Edge Cafe. Never in a million years did he think she'd be the one to make him see things so clearly, even more brightly than the rose lanterns she was lighting.
"You're staring again," she said curiously.
"I was just wondering how you manage," he said. "You amaze me."
She laughed. "I'm mundane.It's you who made my world different."
"How so?"
She touched his wrist. "A life beyond Utopia. I never imagined it before, not till you came along."