Chapter 2: Realistic Fiction Story

As Olivia approached the old wooden bench she took one last deep breath before turning to sit.  For a warm spring night in Virginia, the seat felt fairly cold to her skin as she sat, crossing her right leg over her left.  Sam slowly took the seat next to her.  Originally sitting a bit too close for Olivia’s liking but he slid back a few inches before turning to look up at her.

“Do you remember the first night we found this spot?” Sam asked.  Olivia searched his face to see whether or not he was genuinely unsure if she remembered. It upset her that he could actually think, for even one second, that she didn’t remember that night. If she wanted to she could tell him that he was wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt and his white baseball cap turned backwards.  She could tell him that his face had burned slightly from standing in the sun during his lacrosse game.  She could even tell him that she could still picture the exact  smile he gave to her when he finished carving their names into the tree.  

She didn’t tell him that though. 

Sticking with her short but stern replies she simply answered, “I do”.  She could see a flicker of pain in his eyes at her impassive answer but her face remained fixed.  “What about it?” she asked.

Inhaling deeply, he turned away for a moment to look back at the tree.  “When I was carving those letters, I knew that I loved you.  I tried to tell you that night but I couldn’t”.  Sam turned back to look at Olivia’s face as she sat there motionless.  Continuing on, this time with his eyes towards the ground, “I always thought this was it. You and me.  I want you to know that.”  Clearing his throat, he looked up, straight into her eyes this time,  “I want you to know that for a long time every time I passed this tree I thought about that night and how happy you made me”.

Olivia felt her eyes beginning to fill with water.  She quickly battered her eyelashes, holding back the tears she knew would come later and hoping that Sam hadn’t noticed the internal struggle she had just briefly went through.

Finally, she broke her silence.