Chapter 4: Star Bursts

He looked just like the pictures he had plastered all over social media. He was gorgeous. An angel, maybe. He smiled at me. It was so bright and genuine, the smile reaching his big brown eyes. I smiled back and stood up from my seat, waiting as he made his way through the crowd to meet with me. I had chosen a small table at the back of the restaurant. The lighting was perfect, the candles made it romantic. Though that wasn’t what we were here for.

 

“Hey, man! It’s so good to see you! It’s been years!” he said as he approached.

 

“Not that many, haha! You make it seem like we are forty years old!” I replied as I grabbed his extended hand. He pulled me in for a hug and I couldn’t help but breathe in his scent. He smelled amazing, like warm cedar and forever promises. I hugged him back and pulled away, motioning for him to sit down.

 

“Ah, well. You know what I mean,” he smiled as he pulled a chair out and sat down. I sat down across from him, trying not to stare at his face, and that smile. His eyes were twinkling from the candlelight glowing from the middle of the table. He was so handsome. He had always been. Since middle school, and here we are, a couple years graduated from college. He had aged a little bit, but it just enhanced his looks. I fought back a yearnful sigh and looked down at the menu in front of me.

 

“Would you like to start out with drinks? Did you want to eat something while we talked over your proposal?” I asked as I glanced up at him. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he had been staring at me.

 

“Yeah, I could totally go for a bite,” he said, his eyes moving down to the menu.

 

We ordered our drinks when the waitress came to our table, though I needed more time to decide on what to eat. We joked back and forth, and it almost seemed like flirting, but I knew better. Our drinks came, and we ordered our food shortly after. I ended up ordering a salad, and he the steak. The joking died down, and I began to notice that we were holding eye contact every so often, glancing away when one or the other realized what was happening. He spoke up to break the silence.

 

“I saw your portfolio. You’re an amazing artist, Alonzo,” he spoke, looking into my eyes again.

 

“I…thank you. I love illustrating, and art in general. It’s a passion of mine,” I began to ramble, returning his gaze, “ever since I was young. I never really excelled at too many other subjects, but art was always my best and favorite. I’m really glad you enjoyed my portfolio, Marcus.”

 

“Your passion shows in your work, and that’s what I’m looking for!”

 

“Passion?”

 

“Yeah, I need someone with a passion. Someone that can visualize something and make it tangible,” Marcus went on, moving his hands as he spoke. “My dreams, this company and the message behind it… Its more than just another pop up place. I want to be a safe space for my employees, investors, and partners.”

 

I nodded as he spoke. His voice had a sense of urgency to it, and I was intrigued. With everything that was going on in the world, it was in need of more safe spaces. I could agree with that wholeheartedly, and I listened intently as he spoke about his business and what it stood for. He was passionate as well, and I could really tell that he was being honest about his dream.

 

“So what I need,” he continued, “is someone that can create a series of posters. I want to release them everywhere. I want them printed and posted at bus stops, on websites, maybe we can get them in magazines… I really believe that someone is you.”

 

“You think so? This sounds like it could be bigger than anything I’ve ever achieved…” I began to doubt myself and my capabilities. I always did that whenever a large opportunity came in to play.

 

“Then let this be the beginning for your greater achievements,” Marcus smiled and reached out to hold my hand. I felt goosebumps form, spreading from my hand, up my arm, and over my back and chest, down my other arm. I caught my breath and tensed up. I couldn’t believe Marcus O’Neal was touching me. More so, he had seen me as more than the art nerd that everyone else saw me as back in those days. He was selling me a dream and I wanted to buy it.

 

“You really think I’m the one that you need to pull this off?”

 

“I do.”

 

I thought for a few moments before I smiled. I dared to put my other hand on top of his, and he followed suit. We sat there, holding each other’s hands, smiling at each other, making eye contact. It felt like it had only been a few seconds when the waitress arrived with our food. We unclasped our hands and we both smiled up at the waitress as she placed our plates in front of us. She uttered something before she walked away, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. This was feeling unreal.

 

I had always admired Marcus. He was kind, and smart. He was always popular, at least for time I had known him, though he wasn’t ever really a jerk about anything. You could feel the warmth emitting from him, and you always wanted to be around him. His eyes were always bright and smiling, even when he was having a bad day. Its not that I was in love with him, I just saw how important he was, and believed he would continue to be. I always wanted to be a part of his world, I just never knew how to be.

 

I looked up to find him staring at me once again. My cheeks reddened this time, because what if he could read my thoughts? I glanced away and I heard him chuckle. Could he read my thoughts? Still, his chuckle made me smile and I glanced up at him to see that he had not taken his eyes off me. Maybe I did have some sort of crush on this man. I wondered if he could tell, or had known the way I felt about him. We had had short conversations in the past. We weren’t complete strangers.

 

“What are you thinking about?” he interrupted my thoughts.

 

“Well…I was wondering if you could read my thoughts,” I laughed, “but if you could, you wouldn’t be asking me that.”

 

He laughed and shook his head, looking down in his lap after his laughter died down. I picked up my fork and began to poke at the luscious, green salad in front of me. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I finally had the chance to be a part of his world. I wouldn’t let my self doubt get the best of me and take this opportunity away from me.

 

“You have a beautiful smile.”

 

I almost choked on air, and had to take a sip of water. I looked up at him and he flashed a smile at me. He looked down at his plate and began to eat his meal. I was completely caught off guard by the compliment. I didn’t know what to say back so I just stayed silent and began to eat the salad that sat in front of me. We sat without talking for several minutes, each of us eating our meals. The sounds around us filled the void, and I let my mind wander.

 

“What do you say? Are you willing to be a part of this with me?” He broke the quiet streak.

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“Yes, I would love to. I would be…I would be honored!” I grinned over at him. I had answered immediately, because I was serious about not missing my chance to be a part of his world. He clapped his hands together and then pumped his fists in the air with an audible “Yes”. I smiled and clapped my hands as well. I was experiencing true happiness.

 

“This is going to be amazing, I just know it,” Marcus said, loudly enough to get a few looks from other patrons.

 

“I truly believe you.”

 

“We should celebrate!”

 

“So soon? Maybe we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch,” I smiled softly, glancing between his eyes and my hands.

 

“No, no. We should celebrate. This is going to be a great partnership, and I really think we should express that,” he insisted.

 

“Okay, Marcus! I get it, I think,” I chuckled. His excitement was radiating. I was excited too, I just wasn’t sure it was for the right reasons. “How do you want to celebrate?”

 

“Let’s…shoot, I don’t know actually,” Marcus laughed. I laughed in return.

 

“I usually just go to the beach and bask in the moonlight when something good happens to me,” I offered. “It might be a little silly, but-“

 

“Let’s do it!” he interrupted me.

 

We finished our food, and he insisted on paying the bill. I only went along with it when he agreed to let me leave the tip. We caught a cab down to the pier and we walked along the beach for a while, just talking with each other. Every so often, we would accidentally bump hands or shoulders as we walked, and each time, my heart skipped a beat. I wanted to hold his hand, and I wanted him to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me close to him as we walked. I had never been this close to him, and it felt like I was supposed to be in his orbit.

 

“Ah… I’m going to do something, Alonzo.”

 

I just looked at him. We had slowed down an were now standing still, looking at each other. His eyes lowered, and as I was about to ask him what he was going to do, I felt his fingers interlock with mine. I smiled and tilted my head as I looked at him. This confident man was having a moment of uncertainty, and it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. The night was lit up enough for me to tell that he was blushing.

 

“I am perfectly okay with this,” I offered quietly, and tuned to keep walking.

 

“I’m hardly ever nervous, but you make me second guess myself. I like that about you.”

 

I just smiled again and looked over to him. I hadn’t been wrong about earlier that night. We had been flirting. I felt this giddy little tingle in my chest, and a flutter in my belly as I thought about kissing him. It was probably way too soon for that, but I wanted to. I put the thought in the back of my mind and just continued to enjoy the moonlit stroll along the beach. As cliché as it was. It was quiet for a while, with me just concentrating on Marcus, his presence, and his hand wrapped around mine.

 

“I was always too shy to say anything to you in highschool,” I whispered.

 

“High school, huh? I always thought you were too cool for me, so I didn’t approach you. Plus I wasn’t sure if you… you know.”

 

“Too cool?” I laughed.

 

“Yeah, you were one of those mysterious, cool, art kids. I know we talked a few times, but I always wanted more than just that with you…”

 

“Marcus O’Neal thought I was cool and mysterious!” I laughed again.

 

“What? You definitely were!”

 

He pulled my arm around his waist and let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I didn’t stop myself from leaning into him, looking up at him with a smile on my face. My eyes widened as he placed a kiss on my forehead. I know my entire face turned red and I couldn’t stop myself from covering my mouth and nose with my hand. Marcus reached up with his free hand and pulled mine away from my face.

 

“Don’t cover up that beautiful blush,” he said in a hushed voice. He stopped walking and turned to face me. He looked into my eyes, and I looked into his with a soft smile on my face. He pressed his finger beneath my chin, tilting my head upwards as his face lowered to meet mine. He pressed his awe inspiring lips to mine, and I felt stars burst between our lips. I was happy to return his kiss, and my hands found themselves planted on his chest. We stayed like that for a few moments longer before we both pulled away. I could see the stars shining in his eyes, and I knew that my life would never be the same.

 

Something had ignited within me that night, and it stayed with me for years and years after. We worked closely together, spending hours and hours on his dream, while I got to practice my passion in turn. The hours we didn’t spend working, we spent together, sometimes with friends. We were content, however, with each other’s company. Our campaign was a success, and his brand went worldwide. I was so proud of him and his accomplishments. I was bombarded with companies wanted me to work on their campaigns, and I did choose several of them to continue pursuing my dream of becoming a well known artist. Marcus was always so supportive.

 

We got married in June, under a magnolia tree. Stars still burst every time we kiss, and I don’t grow tired of it. Not one bit.

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