After All This Time

It was a warm, sunny, summer day. I walked into the local grocery store putting my headphones in before I grabbed a cart. The store wasn’t very busy, it was 7 o’clock in the evening. I just missed the busy dinner rush. Humming along to the song I was listening to, I made my way to the cleaning supplies section. I grabbed a roll of paper towel, laundry detergent, and dish soap and moved on into the food area.

Hmm, I thought to myself, What sounds good for dinner? I browsed the shelves tapping the cart to the beat of the music. As I looked through the pasta, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m in the way,” I smiled moving the cart, then I turned around. My eyes widened and I felt my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was my ex-boyfriend Alex. His smile made my heart feel like it was glowing.

“Oh my god, Lex.” I breathed and wrapped my arms around him. His arms wrapped around my waist, almost instantly, and it felt like I was coming home after a long day. I pulled away and set my hands on his shoulders, studying his face. It had been two years since I saw him last and he looked slightly older, but still devastatingly handsome. I pictured and longed to see his face everyday for two years, and I couldn’t have dreamed it would feel this good.

“Hey Jas,” he smiled at me, the same smile that I grew to love years ago, “How’s it going?”

“What are you doing here? You hate coming to the store.” I smiled still in shock.

“I had to come get stuff for my lunches for the week.” He said with something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite pick up on. A lady behind us coughed and sent us a glare so we moved out of her way.

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked me, pushing a curl out of my face, then caught himself and quickly pulled his hand away.

“Just getting some cleaning stuff and stuff for dinner tonight,” I motioned at the stuff in my cart, “Did you have plans for dinner tonight?”

“Nah,I probably was just gonna grab food on the way home.”

“Did you want to come over? I’ll have extra food.” I asked, shrugging my shoulders, hoping he would say yes. He paused for a minute and then nodded, “I’d like that.” 

“Okay, what sounds good?” I asked him, “Lasagna?”

“With breadsticks.” He answered with a smile. I nodded and we walked around the store together grabbing what we both needed and catching up with small talk. After we both had checked out we decided he would go home and clean up and I’d go home and start cooking. 

As I drove home my mind was racing. I had been dreaming of this day for so long. Our break-up was mutual, we were still very much in love but we just were two different people, and we decided it would be best for some time apart but we would give it another try if the chance came up. I knew Alex was my soulmate very early on in our relationship, and I hadn’t dated since we broke up. I kept my distance, like we agreed but I did keep tabs on him and it hadn’t looked like he had been with anyone since either. We spoke occasionally but we hadn’t seen each other really since we had broken up. It was so shocking to me that this is how we met again, but it also seemed so right.

I got to my apartment and began cooking the meat while putting water to boil. My thoughts were all regarding him. Does he still love me? Is that why he agreed to come over? Does he miss me? My heart was racing as I went into the bathroom and fixed my curls and put some mascara on. I changed into some jeans and a nice shirt. A text popped up on my phone. It was a text “I’ll be there in 10 minutes” from Alex.

I finished getting the lasagna together and put it in the oven setting a timer on my phone and lit some candles. It felt like hours as I waited. I must have checked my phone a thousand times when I heard the knock. I ran to the door and pulled it open quickly with a smile that stretched all the way across my face.

“Hi,” I smiled stepping aside so he could come in. It was then when I realized that he had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a case of beer in the other. “For you,” he smiled shyly, handing me the flowers. He never got me flowers before we broke up, maybe this means something.

I shut the door and took a minute to take a few deep breaths then I followed him into the kitchen. “It smells good, just like it always used to.” He leaned back against the counter opening a beer for me and him. 

“So are you seeing anyone?” I asked him with my eyebrows raised. 

“No, not since you.” He spoke quietly, “You?”

I shook my head, taking a drink of my beer. A small smile came across his face and a gleam of happiness entered his eyes. I missed him so much, his smile, his eyes, the way he smelled, everything. “I missed you.” I blurted out.

“I missed you too, baby.” He whispered closing the distance between us, grabbing my face in his hands, and kissed me. I kissed him back and instantly got butterflies in my stomach. He pulled away and pushed his forehead to mine and whispered, “After all this time I still love you. I never stopped loving you.” 

My heart felt like it could burst and I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt, “I love you too. Want to try this again?”

He nodded smiling down at me, “Yes, we will work on this together and make this last. These past two years, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you every day we’ve been apart.” My eyes were watering and I knew I was going to start crying. He pulled me into his chest, "It's okay baby, I'm not going to let you go again." And he never did.