She looked over at me with her lips turned up into that smile that I loved so much. She was so beautiful when she smiled. She was beautiful when she didn't smile, with long dark locks and her deep brown eyes that made me want to give her everything. But when she smiled it just made me want to melt. She was the centre of my universe, the one I would move mountains for, the one person I would give my life to protect.
We made our way to a park and she led me to sit with her under a tree, I could see her perfectly by the light of the moon and the stars overhead. I sat with my back against the trunk of the tree and she sat facing me with her legs bent up on either side of me. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around me as I wound mine around her. Sitting there with her in my arms was the best feeling, if I died in her arms I would die happy. She completed me in a way no one else ever could.
I pulled her closer to me and lifted her slightly so she was sitting on my lap, no space left between us I held her to me. She squeezed me lightly and tidal waves of emotion swept through me nearly breaking me apart. This girl would have a hold on me until the end of my life, so I twisted my head slightly so my lips were almost touching her ear and whispered, "I love you."
She immediately stiffened in my embrace and stopped breathing, my stomach dropped and a deafening silence settled around us.
After what felt like a lifetime she leant back from me and said, "Um, ok," in a tiny voice. Not looking at me she slid back to her former position on the grass and my heart broke as a single tear escaped from her eyes. I'd never hated anything more in my life than I hated myself in that moment for making her cry. I took her face gently in my hands and tried to get her to look at me but she kept her eyes lowered.
"What's the matter?" I asked gently.
She raised her eyes to meet mine, "You know I can't say it back," she said, hurt written all over her face.
"It's okay," I tried to soothe as I wiped the moisture from her cheek. She looked small and broken sitting there and all because of something I'd said. "I just want you to know," I murmured as I helped her to her feet; and as we left the park a small part of me died.