Soul Bound

    “Your shoulders are the reason schools have rules.” My face turns a deep shade of crimson; and he looks away, smiling shyly. It was one of the strangest compliments I had ever received, but I never considered him to be normal. I twirl gracefully in the dress he had picked out for me, radiating happiness and beauty. He laughs when he notices how much I adore it and we both knew it was the perfect fit. Love is the only emotion that truly knows no distance, and ours was no exception.

     I had spent most of that past summer at my grandparents’ house, soaking up the hot Georgian sun and observing the polite country folk. June 24, my grandfather noticed I had been out-of-sorts since I arrived and kindly suggested that my sister and I accompany him to the auction. I was not very thrilled about going to a dingy shack where people bid on grimy merchandise, but I had nothing better to do.

     I gazed out from the white truck across the country side, the sun was setting and I couldn’t deny my love for my home state. The worn pick-up groaned to a halt and I swung out of the passenger seat as two children ran past me. A girl with a bright red rubber ball; another girl, without. They were locked in an intense game of keep away, dodging haphazardly in-between vehicles. I breathe in deep as a sweet crisp breeze ruffled my hair. I knew that there’s one undeniable truth about auctions: the air inside is suffocating and musty.

     I browsed through some of the goods until I came across a concerning handmade erotic poetry book, I quickly set it back down and made my way to our section. The auctioneer came to his podium and the proceedings began. Usually, I would find great wonder in watching the absurd prices people would pay for this garbage. Today however, my heart just wasn’t in it. I had lost many friends recently and was now subjected to the endless torment of loneliness and my own heart ache. Nothing seemed to cheer me up, not even the silliness of the scene before me.

     After hours of shouting numbers and helping load boxes, I was both emotionally and physically exhausted. We puttered home along the winding roads under a starry sky, yet I saw no light amidst the darkness. I was an empty shell of my former self, bursting into tears as soon as I made it to the guest room. I went numb as my long forgotten depression once again started to grip ahold of me. Collapsing against a wall, I logged on to a chat site.

     That’s how I met the boy who was going to change my life for the better. He showed me deep compassion that night even though I was a complete stranger. Our one-in-a-million chance meeting led to a beautiful friendship. He supported me and always brought a smile to my lips when I was feeling blue. He’d draw the most amazing pictures for me and I would write him countless heartfelt poems as we talked the summer away. We helped one another cope with the hardships we had been through and, in spite of my wariness, we fell hard in love.

     In a way, I could go as far as to say he saved my life. I hadn’t realized the extent to which my depression had grown and without him I may not have noticed until it was too late. He inspired me to be confident in my abilities and quirkiness. The friends I had lost were never truly there for me in the first place if they couldn’t accept who I truly was. I dyed my hair red, then purple, then red again and cut it boy short. I stopped caring so much what others thought of me and focused more on my own joy.

     I like to think I helped him too, when we met he was incredibly pessimistic and didn’t think very highly of himself. Now, he says I am his light in an otherwise dark world. I saw grand positive changes in him and found that I adored ever last thing about that goofy boy. Even when we were apart, we were bound by one shared heart.

     I think of all these things as I lay next to him that night after picking the dress, listening to his heart beat out the steady rhythm of restful slumber. I am blessed with this pure emotion that can’t be defined to merely love, it’s an emotion that could last to the end of forever. I kiss his cheek and cuddle into him.

     “Peachy dreams.” I close my eyes, his warmth lulling me to sleep.