reluctant.

a short short story by maisha r. carter

“How do I know?”

She asked no one and every invisible One at the same time. 

The unrelenting heat rising through her chest she’d dismissed as heartburn.  A lingering case of the random chews gone bad.  Or perhaps it was the stress.  Yes, the stress of life.  This city was driving her mad. So was the whole wide world and everyone in it.  Lately.  But somewhere in the unspoken, she knew the true source of her dis-ease…

Him.  He was under more than her skin.  Annoyed.  She could not read what his eyes told.  A combination of fire and ice cold-ness.  Fear and admiration.  Surprise and….could it be…?  She did not want to belong to anyone.  Yet…Him. 

“How am I to know??”

She said to no one and every invisible One at the same time. It was shameful, that unreadable stare of his.  Shameful and consistent.  Through every season, there IT was.  Him.  With his unwanted bewilderment written in bold on his good and lovely face. 

“No, not me.”

He said to no one and to every invisible One at the same time.  His perfect plan bounced around in his skull like corn kernels under pressure. SHE was not in the plan.  He only wanted to extract the knowledge in her mind, not her thoughts.  He had not desired her beautifully complex heart at all.  And he knew that she was not offering it.  For she had wrangled it to a cage behind layers of steel and sweat, thick glass and fight many moons ago.

“No.  This canNOT be!”

He said to no one and every invisible One at the same time.  Besides, there was no space no moment no air for hearts and such.  He was trying to fly.  Alone.  He did not want to belong to anyone.  

Yet, he could not stay away.  As he knew his breath…his very heartbeat…was with her. 

They belonged.  They fit.  Together. 

Peace. Finally.