Mary Anne couldn't believe her eyes - such a beautiful man in her bed, kissing her leg, slowly making his way up her body and toward her face. He rested his head next to hers on the pillow, pulling her body close to his with his strong arms. A gentle blush came to Mary Anne's face, her heart racing from a combination of excitement and fear. Never had she been with a man in such a romantic and intimate way. Between sprinkled kisses on her rosy cheek, he whispered, "I love you so much".
When they had initially met, neither cared for more than small talk - the attraction was purely physical. The two had never spoken to each other in a meaningful fashion, however as time had passed and their chemistry had grown stronger, they had begun converse and soon a bond had been formed. With this connection, they had truly opened a new chapter in their lives.
Mary Anne was a young girl, freshly eighteen and unsure of her future. The possibilities were endless, but unfortunately, so were the decisions she would have to make (film school, journalism, floral design, teaching?). She'd only had one long term relationship - she felt unrelatable and far too quirky to attract the attention of any of the men in Stoneybrook. She preferred to float along the social cliques, never quite fitting in, while not standing out either.
Noah was a twenty-three year old man, looking for a friend to be as loyal as himself. He'd worked manual labour jobs since his mother moved to Jamaica shortly after his seventeenth birthday, and never had the opportunity to immerse himself in his passion - art and storytelling. He'd gone through several hollow relationships, never fully connecting with any of the women he saw and becoming more and more detached from those around him - including his close friends.
Moving to New York had been the most terrifying and exhilarating experience for Mary Anne - finally she was on her own, but was it too far from her familiar surroundings? She wondered how she would fare in the big city as she gazed at the road zooming by through the window on the bus. There was no turning back, she thought, and she smiled anxiously, never expecting what was ahead...
Soulmates is what they had become - dreams and secret pains exchanged for the first time. Both had broken down the walls of the other and managed to discover trust was possible; soon, neither would worry about perceptions or doubts, they would simply be.
For the first time, Mary Anne and Noah were truly happy - with each other as well as themselves.