You lie on your bed, gazing up at the ceiling. You feel the soft cotton of your bed sheets wrap around you, comforting tendrils laced with velvet. You sigh heavily, as your stomach coils and writhes with an unfamiliar feeling. It is disconcerting, this feeling of uncertainty, and it makes you uncomfortable. You furrow your eyebrows, trying to determine the source of your unease. Then, you glance over, and spot your favourite stuffed animal perched on the chair in the corner of your room. You smile, standing up and crossing the room to pick up the fluffy toy and grasp it to your chest. You gaze at it fondly, taking in the ruffled yellow feathers and the bright orange beak. You read the label that says, "Hi, I'm Quackers! Thanks for adopting me!". Then you bring the toy up to your cheek, feeling the pleasant sensation of the feathers tickle your cheek lightly. You take in a small breath, accidentally inhaling the scent that always seems to accompany this particular item of yours. Your senses are suddenly overwhelmed by a familiar smell, which for some reason makes your heart wrench. Syrup, cinnamon, honey, chocolate. All of these aromas waft tantalisingly around you, enticing your senses into a state of hyperawareness. You close your eyes, and your mind then jolts, as an image pops up behind your closed eyelids. You see blonde hair, cascading down smooth cream shoulders. You see light blue orbs, filled with love and trust. You see a smile; a smile that makes your knees weak just by thinking about it. Then, the image in your mind zooms out, and you see her. She is the definition of perfection. You think about her laugh; the way her nose crinkles in that adorable way as she giggles at your silly jokes. You think about the way she snuggles into you when you're watching a scary movie, and the way you can feel her relax the moment you place your arm around her and hold her close. You think about the way she lies with you just before you're about to fall asleep, her arm draped across your stomach. Her head leans on your shoulder, and she gazes up at you, a look on her face that can only be described as pure, unrequited love. You think about all of this, and the tight feeling in your chest suddenly dissipates as you realise what you need to do.
You feel the pavement beneath your feet pounding into the bottom of your worn-out Converses, as you sprint down the road. Your breath begins to catch in your throat, and a burning sensation starts to build in your lungs. But you don't stop. You persevere, not stopping for anything until you reach the house. The house on the corner of the street. The house that you have called a second home for as long as you can remember. As you approach the front door, you suddenly stop, unsure of what you intend to do now that you are here. You take a deep breath and ring the doorbell, readying yourself, preparing to plunge into the unknown. You hear rapid footsteps descending the stairs, and you feel your heart speed up, beating erratically against your ribcage. The door is suddenly flung open, and your heart leaps. It's her. Standing there in her duck pyjamas, holding open the door, staring at you with a mixture of elation and confusion. One word ghosts across your lips, whispered so quietly you aren't even sure if you actually said it out loud:
"Brittany."
You gaze at her, chocolate brown eyes piercing into crystal clear blue, and see her face soften, as a gentle smile graces her lips. You walk forward, crossing the threshold, until you are as close to her as you can be without actually touching her. You take another deep breath to steady your racing heart. You then bring your hands up from your sides to take hers, rubbing your thumbs over soft knuckles, smiling slightly at the contact. You look up to meet her questioning gaze once again, and you are pleased to see that she is smiling too. You open your mouth to speak, but your words are suddenly cut off, as she leans in and plants the most gentle of kisses onto your plump, slightly parted lips. You exhale sharply, your eyes wide with surprise. But then, you smile, and you are excited to see that a faint pink blush has crept across her porcelain cheeks. You let your grip on one of her hands loosen, bringing your free hand up to lightly caress her cheek. You then lean in, once again bringing her waiting lips into contact with yours. Feelings of ecstasy course through your veins, and you have to break the kiss for a second to make sure that this isn't all a dream. But, gazing at her, in that moment, you know that nothing could be more real. Then, she leans back, locking her eyes with yours, gripping onto your hand. You can feel the change in the air between you; you don't know what exactly, but something has shifted, something has now changed in the way you behave with each other. Every action, every word, every touch; they mean something more now. And then, when you believe that nothing could be better than this moment you are in right now, she leans forward, placing another light kiss onto your lips, then whispers in your ear: "I've been waiting for you to make my life complete. Now you have. And I'm never going to let you go. You're mine forever."
