Time Flies

The breeze couldn’t have been sweeter. I had spent an hour cleaning my apartment. I opened a window, the sweet smell of flowers outside had uplifted my mood. It was the day I had a date with the love of my life. I remember how the thought of her spun around my head, I felt like I was going to pass out.

We met on my first day of university. Most students had visited the campus on a previous date though I was too busy to attend. I was searching for the library during my lunch break. I looked around for a few minutes and that’s when I saw her, my star in the night. She introduced herself as Emily Rose and I did the same. Once we both introduced ourselves, she placed her hand on my shoulder and assured me everything was alright. She had mentioned how the building was easy to learn. Though if I didn’t meet her, I would have never found my way around the campus.

After a month, I had the chance to know Emily better. We’ve talked for hours upon end over the phone and soon after I managed to gather the courage to ask her on a date. She said yes. Within the next hour, I had grabbed all the cleaning supplies I owned and scrubbed my apartment top to bottom. I had also made a trip to the local supermarket to buy some ingredients. I was going to prepare the best meal I had ever made.

A day later, my first love was knocking on the door. I made sure all the fans in my apartment were switched on, so she smelt the steak dinner I had prepared as soon as she walked through the door. An hour later and I could confidently say that the dinner was a success. She loved it. As she walked out the front door, she hugged me and thanked me for the meal. I knew watching hours of Heaven’s Kitchen would pay off. Thank you, Chef Wamsay.

A few weeks later, we had gone out on another date. However, Emily was the one to suggest it during our biology class. We took the bus to the carnival, which was a mile or two drive away from campus. As soon as we arrived, the scent of popcorn and candied apples had hit me. I knew the money I had saved would go to a great cause. The carnival only comes to town every three years or so. I am glad she recommended it.

By the time we had our sixteenth date, I had developed strong feelings towards her. It was the third anniversary of our first date and I had saved a lot of money for this moment. We went to the park, which was a ten-minute walk away from campus. Once we had settled down on a bench, I produced a diamond ring from my pocket. I opened the box. Words couldn’t describe how I felt. Tears started to roll down her cheek and a smile appeared as she reached for the ring. Her hand trembled as she inched closer. She felt the same way. It felt like a dream.

We have arranged for the wedding to be three months after we finished university. I was working extra hours to make sure the wedding will be perfect. Every night, I visited multiple florists in town to see if they have Emily’s favourite flowers in stock, pink peony. I remember how her face lit up when she found them in the park. It is a moment I wish to cherish for the rest of my life.

One week had flown past and I had found them. After my shift, I had driven to a florist out of town. Luckily, the first one I came across had the flowers I was looking for. I brought sixteen bunches of pink peonies towards the counter and the cashier had a puzzled look, I managed to take the entire stock. I explained why I took soo many and the florist laughed. He told me not to worry as he was expecting a shipment of them the next day. Peonies are a customer favourite.

When the guest list was almost complete, I was certain the wedding would go well. After the event, I had planned to visit a nearby park to watch the November 5th fireworks, it was the perfect day for our wedding. That day, I had requested Emily’s favourite coffee company to cater for us after our service. I sat in my car and daydreamed. I imagined my true love laid against my shoulder as the fireworks filled the night sky. It was a dream which I wanted to be a reality. 

November 5th had come and gone. I remember standing on the altar with my soon to be wife. Both our family had travelled far to celebrate our wedding. As we said our vows, tears were shed. Then that moment came, I planted a kiss on her lips and held her hand close to my heart so she could feel it racing. I blushed with embarrassment as she pecked another kiss on my cheek. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Later on, we walked to the park holding hands. I hadn’t told her about the fireworks nor the coffee truck. She hugged me tight and kissed me again on the cheek when she saw the surprise I had for her.

After the wedding, we moved someplace far from home. We settled down in a house in a quiet village, near some woods. The house had a fireplace, perfect for the winter evenings. Once we finished our shifts, we would rush up the stairs to grab our dressing gowns and we would cuddle by the fire. We managed to get the last of the boxes into the house before night had taken over and despite the piles of moving boxes, the living room was cosy.

One night, we sat on the carpet by the fire with our mugs of hot chocolate. The gentle roar of the fireplace had filled the atmosphere. The timing couldn’t have been better. I stood up and opened one of the moving boxes. I grabbed our wedding picture and placed it on the mantelpiece. The initial AJ and EJ were scrawled onto the frame. Followed by our names - Alyssa Jenkins & Emily Jenkins. I held her hand and sat with her on the couch. We talked about how we met and how it began all those years ago. 

Time truly flies.