JPG: Stories: Photo Essay: blue eyes and love

blue eyes and love

By Aaron Foster

22 Oct 2009

the hotel room was quiet, the only disturbance coming from a half open window letting in the slow drizzle. standing at the window you could hear dutch locals laughing, bikes squeaking as they rode over the wet cobblestone, and the faint sound of thumping bass from the bar doesn the street.. the air smelled of deep fry and egg rolls leaked out from the eateries below. a chinese woman scooped sweet and sour pork from behind the counter to a young couple. they smile and nod, then leave. they step out onto the street as a man passes by unaware of the their existence. he peers into the window and smiles at himself. stepping back he cups his hands together and lights a joint. his shoulders slump of satisfaction and he continues on down the street.

"i dont want to leave" he thought as his gaze drew back to the hotel room window

"are you okay?" says a soft voice behind him.

his brain kicks back in, and the highlight reel of the past ten days stops projecting in the back of his mind.

"hey, yea sorry, just a little tired i suppose. kind of dazed off there didn't i?" he said sheepishly running his hands through thick black hair.

he turned and saw her sitting laying on her side propped up by a pillow. her eyes caught his. those blue eyes left him speechless every time she looked at him, making him feel shy. the middle eastern accent in her voice was soft which calmed him instantly. even when she spoke in arabic, it became a unfamiliar soliloquy of sounds. she could have been talking about his webbed toe or unusually bushy eyebrows for all he knew, but whatever it was she was saying made him smile. the when she would glance back and forth from her conversation. he knew.

a cool breeze from the window breaks his concentration on her, and triggers flashbacks. he took it all in as the brain flipped through the past ten days. it searched and scanned for a single bad moment. but it came back empty.

memories.

how he flew over twelve hours and checked in at three different airports to get here, and in the last few hours on those small cramped planes, became claustrophobic out of nervousness.

how the customs agent at schipol laughed at his machine washed passport.

waiting for the baggage to come. sitting, watching, fiddling. anything to keep his mind off of those doors.

forward.

being introduced to friends who were uniquely different yet the same. his sense of curiosity was overloaded, questions boiled over. he had to restrain, there wasn't enough time

sitting in the square with two half empty pints talking like they had known each other for years. people around them unaware what had transpired previously to bring them both here.

turning over and meeting her gaze, out stretching his hand though the cold metal bar,s he found her hand, embracing it and not letting it go. holding every last finger until they fell asleep.

he leaned down and kissed her in front of everyone, as the rain dampened the world around them making that moment, their own.

a plane ride to spain, looking over and seeing her with that concentrated slightly constipated look that always made him laugh.

floating in the mediterranean. letting the currents of the sea take them, but never letting go.

a view overlooking barcelona in room six four four, dinner and two bottles of wine.

baggage, a cart and a small kiss at the airport heading back to amsterdam.

did we really do all this?

"hey" a soft familiar voice said. the haze slowly dissolves.

"come sit down" she smiled, sending an warm invitation with that smile

smiling he walks over, stealing part of the pillow, he lays down and looks at her. his eyes wander over her face, studying each feature. tucking a piece of hair behind her right ear. a lame attempt to not make it obvious he's staring.

a kiss.

both smile.

in a quick second he pushes her right shoulder and slides over on top. placing an elbow on the bed as a subconscious decision to not crush her. both are now staring at each other. for what seems like hours. as if there trying to figure, rather understand what each one is thinking.

silence.

slowly opening his mouth, he looks at her soft pink lips and then those blue eyes. his heart breaks open immidiately. they both know what the other wants to desperately say.

"i would do anything for you...and..." he starts off genuinely focusing his gaze on a strand of hair resting on her forehead

'I love you" she cuts in

his heart stops, and a wave of emotion crests and crashes over his entire body.

'i love you" she repeated, as if he didn't hear it the first time.

the emotions start filtering through in order. amazement, surprise, relief, happiness.

he stammers.

"you just made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.." he smiles and stares into her eyes. the drizzle outside continues to fall on the window sill drowning out the world below.

the next morning they walk, quietly. enjoying company but dreading every step. they arrive at the departure gate. they hug, the tears trickle down her face splashing on her pink sweater. the business of the airport mutes any hope of eavesdropping.

looking on from a distance you could see him look at her, reassure her, kiss her. he smiled turned around and walked through the gates. he did not look back, secretly afraid that if he were to glance over his shoulder he would have an image of a girl with tears streaming down her face. afraid he would have a picture to forever accompany the regret of getting onto this flight in the first place.

he gave into temptation and looked back.

she was gone.