-S-
Sara really liked the restaurant that Joe had taken her to. It had a really nice atmosphere and the food was also really good. It was a little bit expensive, but not too much. She liked talking to Joe. He had good manners and was a good listener. Compared to Jack or Jake, he seemed very grown up. She thought Keith was somewhere in between the two. Why am I still thinking about Keith.
“So have you made any friends yet?” Sara asked.
“N-no. I haven’t.”
“Well. Now you have one.” Sara told him. Sara thought she and Joe could be good friends. She felt comfortable talking to him. It was a different feeling from her other friends.
When Sara arrived at home, Michelle jumped on her and asked, “How was it?”
“That was a really good restaurant. 'Beautifule Rivière,' have you been there before?”
“I heard that place is good, but no.”
“I really liked it. They served good food. I ate…”
“No, no. Not the food. How was the guy?”
“He was good. Kind and nice.”
Sara saw Michelle’s eyes were glowing.
“If you like him, I can set you up with him,” Sara said.
“No, no. I think he likes you.”
“How do you know?”
“Well. When he said your name yesterday, he smiled really brightly.”
“But he didn’t know me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he saw you from somewhere. Maybe from Apple Blossom?”
“No, he said he has been here only for three days.”
“Ok, so are you going to see him again?”
“Yes, we are going running tomorrow.”
“Running?”
“Yes. He asked me to show him around.”
“Will you go out with him if he asks you out?”
“I don’t know if I like him that way,” Sara said with a tired voice.
“Why not? It’s just a date. Go out and have fun. You did with Jack.”
“No, it wasn’t a date. He was so persistent so I just spent some time with him.”
“Well, that’s the same thing.”
“It’s not-- It’s apples and oranges.”
“You know what? I think that old man tried to hook you two up.”
“I don’t think so. He is leaving in like two months.”
“To where?”
“France.”
“Well. It’s ok. Go with him. You said you wanted to go to Europe.”
“You are crazy.”
“And I think 2 months is enough time to get to know each other. All I am asking you is just to leave your mind open.”
“Well. We agreed to be friends.”
“For now. What would you do if he came after you?”
“I really don’t want to, but I will have to stop him. Jack is enough of a burden now.”
Sara thought Joe was a nice guy, but she did not want any romantic relationship. She needed a good friend that could listen to her and spend quality time with her. She didn’t want to ruin the friendship with him. Before she went to bed that night, she got a text message from her mother.
-It’s your birthday in two weeks. Will you come home? I miss you lovely daughter. <3
That text made her day. It seemed like it had been forever since she left. She missed her family, she missed the sound of her mother working in the kitchen. She decided to go home and told Michelle.
The next day, she left15 minutes early and did some stretching. The weather was nice and everything looked green. She saw people going to work and school. Soon Joe came outside. Joe came out with a t-shirt and shorts. He was definitely not dressed for the occasion. Sara giggled to herself.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” Joe replied with a smile.
“Are you ready? Do you want to do some stretching before we go?”
Fresh wind blew around the neighborhood and Sara smelled the cologne from Joe. She laughed because she thought it was so funny for him to be wearing cologne before they run.
“What?” Joe asked Sara.
“Nothing. Are you ready?” Sara tried to hide her laugh and started running.
Sara liked the peaceful neighborhood. She explained the area to Joe. She looked at Joe. He was having a hard time running. I guess he hasn’t run much. However, Joe tried to pretend he was fine and that was also very funny, but Sara tried to not laugh. She thought Joe needed some rest, so they stopped running at the park. Sara remembered Michelle telling her that Joe might like her, so she told him that she had a fiancée and she did not want to date. Joe seemed surprised, but unlike Jack he understood quite well and stopped asking personal questions. Sara recognized from yesterday that Joe was thoughtful. He always listened to her carefully, and obviously cared for her. Sara saw Joe's side profile and smiled. Joe seemed ok now.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah, let's go." They went to the edge of the city.
"I heard there is a good trail for hiking. Do you like hiking?" Sara pointed to the mountain and asked.
"Yes, I do. I haven't gone a lot though."
"Let's go together later. It will be fun."
"Yes, sounds good."
Joe did not talk as much since the break. Sara thought he may be tired.
"Let's go back." Joe smiled and nodded.
"I am sorry, you didn't run much because of me." Joe told Sara. Sara usually ran a lot further.
"No, it's ok. I am also tired today. I hope it was helpful."
"Yes it was."
"I will let you know when we go dancing this week."
After Sara came back, she checked the date to go home. She was excited to see her family; on the other hand she might run into Keith in the neighborhood. Sara considered Keith just like family. Now, she was doing a lot better, but she was not sure how to treat him. She closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep. When she woke up, she was still alone in the house and everything was very quiet. She was a little bit drowsy. She did not move as she looked up at the ceiling. When she was thinking deeply, she heard a voice in her mind. The true love you are looking for is him. He always thinks about you before himself, and you do the same thing for him; when this happens at the same time, you will know what each other thinks, and wants. You will understand each other's love language. When that happens consistently, it’s just like your heart is pounding endlessly, that will be the one that you are looking for. At that moment, Sara knew what she really wanted.
That is what I was looking for. I want to be loved, and I want to be in love. Sara smiled and closed her eyes. She cried a tear of joy.