My Whiskey Heart (Short Story Version)

. rain .

she's heading home on a rainy day. there goes the intense pattering of the rain outside.

"shit." she says. she doesn't have an umbrella.

the bus gets to the stop. she sees him sitting there. she wants to run into his arms and kiss him so hard that he melts into her arms. but she also wants to scream at him and embarrass him and make him leave forever.

the doors open. she gets off the bus. but there's no rain. and all the colors began to get so much brighter, and so much more vivid.

he has that effect on her. she could be in the midst of a hurricane, but once he shows up, all he has to do is get her to close her eyes and breathe slowly. inhale, exhale. inhale, exhale. she'll open her eyes, and birds will be chirping. the grass will be the richest green, and the sky will be the most soothing light blue.

the bus pulls away, and she tries to scream. she tries to rip him apart, but her tired, aching soul crumbles and she collapses into his open arms.

he holds her and smooths her hair. his touch feels like dandelion seeds floating through the air. steam coming from a hot cup of coffee in the morning. fresh, warm laundry. she closes her eyes, and she hears the soft chirping of birds in the distance. she smiles and opens her eyes.

there they are. his light brown eyes staring back at her. those kind, loving eyes that hold so much mystery, and have so much depth. his eyes were light brown, but she could see a million colors in them. bits of deep blue and fiery red and forest green here and there. that's what his planet looks like. she's convinced that he's not from this world. that maybe he comes from a different world, galaxies away.

"when will you take me there?" she asks.
"where?" he replies.
"to your world. how far is it?"
"oh yeah. i'm not sure."
"don't you know how you got here?"
"no. i don't remember. and i don't know how to get back."

she breathes in, holds it for as long as she can, and then exhales.

he has this scent. this amazing aroma that smells of oranges, lemongrass and lavender mixed together, but not quite. there's something in that scent that smells like coming home to a warm house after trudging through a blizzard. like hugging a kitten, but also like a sun shower. comforting, yet confusing. bittersweet. but not exactly. he smells of love. but just the beautiful things about love. no strings attached, no games, no lies. just love, care, and nourishment.

but that's what gets to her. it gives her this horrible feeling in her stomach. this twisting, churning feeling that she just can't shake. it's like the feeling you get before going on a rollercoaster. you know you're not going to die, yet you have this horrifying, uneasy feeling that you can't get rid of. she knows he won't hurt her, but she still feels uncomfortable. she stands up abruptly.

"i must go." she says.
"no." he frowns.

she grabs her bag and begins to walk away, fast. she can't love. she's fallen in love with someone from a different world, and she doesn't know what to do. she feels like she has to hurt him. but he's so precious, she doesn't want to cause him any harm. she feels like she must go. but leaving will only make things worse.

then there's a noise. the roar of thunder. she looks back and watches as he slowly melts away. she's drenched all of a sudden.

with another clap of thunder, he's gone. and the heavy pattering of the rain that was there the whole time continues.