Snippet Stories: Heartbeat

As they sat there in the well-worn recliner, she lay with her head on his chest, listening. Not really listening to the words he spoke of his back story, which were too sad and too long for someone with so little of his life behind him, and so much ahead. No, she was just listening to the soothing tones of his voice, and the gentle thump thump, thump thump of his heartbeat. She re-focused on his words long enough to hear him tell a tale of him and his sister nearly running away together at a time probably more recent than she'd like to think, and thanked god that they hadn't. Now that this boy, this amazing, wonderful creature had been shoved head-first into her life, she couldn't imagine what she would do if he had disappeared before they'd gotten so close. She admits to herself that her life wasn't really bad before they met, in fact is was better than it had been for a while. But she recalls that there was no true reason to it. She was just wandering around waiting for it to feel less empty, waiting for her great Something to happen. But now, listening to the rhythmic thump thump, thump thump of his heart, her breathing slipping into tune with his, she was sure that this was her Something. Thump thump, thump thump. She thought of the thing in his chest making those quiet noises, pumping the blood through his veins, keeping her beautiful Something alive. Thump thump, thump thump. She didn't know how the stars had managed to line up so that  they met, but she understood that there were too many small things that could have happened differently, and not even his name would have never crossed her path. And thinking all this, she was grateful the stars wound up exactly how they did. Thump thump, thump thump. She was grateful for for every breath she spent with him. Thump thump, thump thump. She was grateful for this thing inside of him, pumping the life through his body, keeping him here with her. She understood that at any moment, without a speck of notice, that thing inside his chest could simply stop, and that it didn't. Thump thump, thump thump. She was grateful for this ridiculous boy who talked his life story away as he held her.  Thump thump, thump thump. God, how she was grateful for him. She was grateful for every little thing about him, from the way his cologne smelled to the feeling of his hand when it held hers, and every little quirk that some might deem annoying. Thump thump, thump thump. She was grateful for everything in that moment, but she was mostly grateful for that soothing heartbeat, which kept her Something going.  

Love love,
     Phrank Mc.