What to do, when it was always you

“God, you bruise so easily” you say as you look down at my legs resting on your lap.

I lay back on the bench and shield my eyes from the sun dancing through the leaves of the maple tree. The park is quiet, mid afternoon the children still in school. The only other people are on the far side of the park where an elderly woman is being pushed in a wheelchair by what appears to be a caretaker. I sigh and bring my hand to my heart to remind myself of its comforting beat. I do bruise easily but I think my heart takes a majority of the bruising. You grab my hand and play with my fingers.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” you say as you pull me up so I am now sitting next to you. I cross my legs and mindlessly twist my rings on my fingers.

“You know, I think it was always you. Each step I made with him, each mistake, brought me closer to you. And I think being away from it all and sitting alone with my thoughts buried 10 feet deep in snow made me realize how much I wasn’t being fair. It was always you. Not wanting to tell you about him should have been my first sign but I..” I look up finally to see your deep brown eyes. You pull me in for a hug and kiss my forehead.

“I just wanted you to choose me and when you did, I became the luckiest guy alive”