Him + Her | Story 1

Her hair blows in the gentle breeze and she smiles up at the sun beams that finally decided to burst through the clouds. She giggles to herself as she thinks about Gilbert and Anne. What an unlikely yet oh-so-predictable couple they make. Anne of Green Gables is her favorite book. Shes read it a million times and always carries it around.

As the sun beats down bringing much missed warmth to the earth she lays down on a blanket in the middle of the campus commons and checks her phone.

"4:30. He should be getting out of class soon. Man, I miss him. I wonder how rock climbing with his parents went last weekend. I told him I'm here...."

She lays on her back and shuts her eyes, just listening to the chirping of the birds and the gusts of wind.

A soft kiss on her forehead wakes her up. "Are you sleeping?" His whisper in her ear is sweet and familiar. She knows this boy, and she forgot how much she really missed him.

Smiling, she rolls over and begins to squint her eyes so they adjust to the sunlight. "No, I was just waiting for you to finish your class and come and find m--," something catches her attention and she sits bolt upright. "What happened to you?!"

"That?" he says nonchalantly gesturing to his bandaged forehead with some eyebrow movement, "oh, that's just a little cut I got last weekend."

"What happened?!" she squealed. "Does it hurt? What happened? Have you been to the doctor?"

"Woah, woah. Calm down now!" he quickly interjected. "It isn't bad anymore. I'm totally on the mend. I told you my dad and I went rock climbing. So on Saturday when we were out on the cliffs - with all the gear we needed, no fooling around -  I just misplaced my foot and lost grip, that's all. Thankfully, the my guide was already at the top and caught my rope so I didn't hit the ground. I did hit my head pretty hard on the rocks, and it did knock me out for a few minutes. I woke up laying on the ground on the top of the cliff. They had pulled be up and already cleaned and bandaged my forehead there on the trial. When we got back to the hotel I went to the ER and they put in stitches-

"Stitches!?" She was gasping, squealing, crying and staring all at the same time.

"I'm fine! Alright, I'm fine!" he says grabbing her shoulders for emphasis. "The stitches come out tomorrow, and I'll be as good as new... with a very interesting conversation piece on the side of my forehead." He chuckled and tried to make his voice sound humorous and reassuring, but he could tell by her face that it wasn't working.

"Where you really being careful?" Her voice sounds as if she were accusing him. "Are you sure you and your dad weren't trying stunts off of the cliff and you're just telling me that story? Because that is totally something you two would do!"

"No! I promise! We were being really careful!" he snapped back. He could tell he was starting to get defensive.

"Sure, alright," she said sarcastically. "If that's how it's going to be. You go off and be dangerous, spontaneous and impulsive! Have fun! Jump off cliffs! Then you come back and expect me to be fine with any injuries you get- I don't think that's going to work." She stands up, begins to quickly fold her blanket, and gathers her backpack together.

"Listen to me." He grabs her arms so she has to stop zipping her backpack. "We weren't being stupid. Honest. We both made the decision before we ever stepped close to a cliff that we weren't going to be foolish because we both have people in our lives that mean more to us than one moment of impulsive excitement." He let go of her arms and dropped his shaking head. "You know something? You were the first person I thought of when I woke up." He said it almost in a whisper.

She was stunned. All of the harsh judgment began to melt away, but she couldn't speak. She realized that she was so glad he was ok. So glad that he wasn't really hurt. So glad that he was still here and that she still had him. But she couldn't say a word.

He grabbed her blanket and stood up. "Are you parked in your normal spot?"

All she could do was nod her head.

"I'll be over to pick you up in 3 minutes."

He turned and began to walk through the buildings towards the parking lot. Slowly she turned around to pick up her backpack. Tears began to fall, she dropped her shaking head into her hands. "He didn't want to do anything stupid because there are important people in his life? He thought of me first?" she was thinking silently as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Yelling his name, she turned around and began running after him. He turned around and dropped the blanket just in time to catch her in his open arms and feel her throw her arms around his neck. He held her tight and let her bury her head into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scold you! I just.... I just..." she stuttered and sobbed.

"Shhhh. It's alright, don't worry." he soothed as he smoothed her hair.

"I just... I just don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't. I couldn't bear it if you... if you ever," she pulled her face out of hiding and looked into his eyes. "I couldn't bear it if you ever really got hurt."

He wiped the tears away from her red, puffy eyes and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, my girl. I'd never do anything really dangerous. You are too important for anything really dangerous."

They both chuckled and she wiped her face.

"You are important to me too! That's why I try so hard to let you be a boy, and do dangerous stuff sometimes. But it's hard!"

He offered her his handkerchief and lifted her up with a hug, spinning her around for a moment. Setting her down he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed her hand beginning to run down the walk. "Now, what do you say to going and doing something spontaneously exciting? Hmm?"

She rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand. "How about we don't forget to grab my stuff and we just go to a movie?"

"Alright," he said with a chuckle in his voice, "we'll save the spontaneously exciting something for another time."

After retrieving her backpack and blanket the walked arm in arm towards the parking lot. She waited a few moments then looked up at him and asked, "Was I really the first person you thought of when you woke up?"

All he did was smile.