My Second Perfect Moment

The sunrise is beautiful. The sky is painted rose gold, with tinges of blue and fiery orange. The golden orb starts to rise from the horizon, slowly moving towards it's place in the sky. I never watch the sunrise. But I didn't sleep last night, and so for the first time I'm awake to see the spectacular sight from my bedroom window. I sit on my bed in my fluffy pyjamas, cross-legged, and stare out my window with its indigo curtains. It's like something out of a fairy tale, the golden sky, shining stunningly through my four paned window, bathing my room in a majestic golden pink hue. I let the soft sun rest on my face, its rays struggling feebly to warm my face. I wish I could remain in this moment forever. This one perfect moment. But then the sun moves too high up in the sky for its rays to continue washing my face, and the moment is over. If only I could've photographed that moment, kept it with me for the rest of my life, but no mere photo could grasp the beauty of that moment. My only perfect moment.

Two hours later, I stand in front of the mirror, contemplating how I should do my hair. Should I let my brown curls cascade down my back, or should I tie them up in a bun? Which would be more appropriate for an university interview? I glance down at the rest of my outfit. Black denim skirt, black stockings, black flats, and a silky white t-shirt. I decide to let my curls bounce down my back, and just put a couple bobby pins in to keep the unruly curls away from my face. I've put on extra concealer to hide the bags under my eyes. I apply some shiny lip gloss, and take a deep breath. This is it. Time to see if I get into my dream university or not.

I walk up the stone steps to the enormous building that either holds my future or my shame. I try to pretend I'm not nervous as I stride along the corridor to the reception desk. The receptionist looks up at me, and asks my name. "Sophie Veers." She nods, and gestures me to an uncomfortable looking couch to the left. I take the seat, and try my very best to make it look like this couch isn't the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat on.

I haven't even been waiting for five minutes before I see him. Not the professor who will interview me soon, but rather the young man who decided to crush my heart with the heel of his boot. Those damn hazel eyes with specks of blue that first drew me in, that tall figure, those sharp cheekbones, that effortless gait that radiates confidence. He was my first and last boyfriend. We were perfectly happy for a year in high school, but then he decided to end it all, not because of a good reason, but because he didn't want to end up in different universities and have to maintain a long distance relationship. I didn't even realise he had wanted to go to this uni. If I had known he was here, I probably wouldn't have applied for an interview! I stare at him, my heart in my throat, my body frozen, him walking along the corridor straight towards me, chatting animatedly with a friend. And then he looks up, we lock eyes, and all hell breaks loose.

My brain screams obscenities at him, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, my body starts shaking with both fear and rage and discomposure. It's just like him to ruin everything for me yet again. Why does he have to go to this university? Damn him! He walks slowly towards me, as if he's walking towards an apparition or illusion that might disappear if he walks too quickly. My body trembles even harder the closer he gets, and yet I can't move. But then my saviour appears, in the form of the professor who's about to interview me. The professor calls my name, and I scramble up and follow him like a subdued puppy as he leads me into his office.

I emerge into the glorious sunshine and lean against the wall next to the door with a smile on my face. I got in. I got in! I start laughing, and then I hear that voice. His voice.

"You got in, then?"

My mouth remains glued shut as I stare at him, the laughter dead and gone.

"I didn't know you wanted to go here."

A speech forms in my head, but still my lips remain pressed together.

"Are you gonna talk to me? Or should I give up now?"

The glue breaks and words come rushing out. "You're the one who gave up! You are a selfish jerk, and you are not worth my words!"

He looks taken aback, but he smiles. "Nice to see you too, Sophie."

"Leave me alone, Zac! I thought that was easy for you!" I don't realise just how harsh the words are until I see the pain on his face.

"You're not making this easy, Sophie."

"Neither are you!"

"Won't you just listen?"

"Why? So you can rip my heart out and stomp on it again?"

"That was never my intention, Sophie, you know that."

"No, I damn well don't know that! I don't know anything about you anymore!"

"Well, here's one thing then: I'm in love with you."

A laugh escapes me, but it holds no joy. "Yeah right, this is just another one of your ploys to destroy me again! It's not gonna work, Zac!"

"I'm being serious, Sophie!" He's shouting now. "I love you, I love you, I love you! Not one day has passed where I don't think about you, where I don't regret leaving you alone in the school parking lot. I wish I could reverse time so I could make sure you stayed in my life forever. Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to walk up the steps to your house, knock on your door, beg you to take me back? No, you don't know! You don't know how much you've been tearing me apart! So listen to me, listen to me right now, because it's the first time since we broke up that I'm being honest with myself. I love you, Sophie, and I don't damn well care if you don't think I'm telling the truth! Because at least I know that I'm being honest." He's breathing heavily, cheeks flushed, and he's gazing directly into my own eyes. He's never looked at me that way before. And that's how I know that he's telling the truth. That's how I know that I mean it when I utter my reply.

"I love you too."

Zac doesn't waste a single moment. The words have hardly left my mouth before he grabs me around my waist, and presses his lips urgently to mine. We kiss forever. I can hear the whistles and cat calls from other people walking by or who watched our argument play out. But I don't care. I kiss him and kiss him, because I'm in love. It's my second perfect moment.