Beautifully Unexpected

by Lily Morton

“For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?” Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare

Getting to know this carefree man might be the best thing I’ve ever done, I think. I throw my shot back and get up to join him in dancing.

No, Laurie is not the kind of man I’ve become used to. Which is why it’s mystifying that he’s the hottest man I’ve ever been with.

I’ve never felt this free before with anyone, I think wonderingly,

“Can you utter a sentence that doesn’t involve mocking me?” He gives that serious consideration and then shakes his head. “No.”

“He’s mine,” I say, flinging my suit jacket over the plush sofa and loosening my tie. “I always look after what’s mine.”

“I missed this,” he says, pulling back slightly. “I missed you,” I say, pushing his hair back and looking into those sunlit green eyes.

I’m just saying that it’s nice to have someone.” “I have many someones.” “But no one important. No one who would worry about you. No one to listen when you have a problem.”

I’m not much, really. Scared and stubborn and ferociously independent. I don’t let people in, but somehow, I did with you, and the result was a beautifully unexpected summer in London.

The twist to his mouth is sad, and I have an intense desire never to see it again on those soft lips

“I’m not sure where, but maybe you’ll find someone better, Laurie.” I think of that nebulous figure and feel rage towards him. “But he wouldn’t be me. And I think you need me.”

He pulls back, looking up at me with those sun-washed pale eyes that echo the Danish sea of my childhood. “Us?” I nod.