April

            Our third meeting was different, in so many ways. The snow was gone completely now. In its place came spring rain, nights disrupted by thunder storms, and cool breezes that stirred the warm air. Her winter coat was gone as well. This time she wore a blue plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose her pale arms to the sun.

            The biggest difference was how we met. The first time I had seen her from a distance, and she was gone almost before I knew what had happened. The second time we simply crossed paths. Everything had happened so fast before. Now she was sitting on a bench at the nearby playground, reading a novel. There was no need to rush; she wasn't going anywhere.

            I sat down at the other end of her bench, avoiding conversation at first. What did you say to a perfect stranger that you were madly in love with? Everything that popped in to my mind seemed strange or overbearing. In the end I decided on the simplest approach.

            "Hello."

            She looked up from her book, a bit startled at first. She must have been completely engrossed in the story and not realized I was there. After a moment she smiled though, the same bright smile she had given me when I helped her up last month.

            "Hello." she replied. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

            "Yeah." I replied lamely. "Hopefully the good weather will stick around."

            She nodded. Then her eyes scrunched up a bit as if she were trying to remember something.

            "If you don't mind me asking, have we met before? Your face seems familiar."

            It was better than I could have hoped for. She had actually recognized me somewhat, if not completely. I had been worried she wouldn't remember at all. In my mind I had imagined stumbling over words, trying to make her recall what I remembered so clearly.

            "I helped you up when you fell a few weeks ago." I told her, pointing to the spot. "Right over there, I think."

            "Of course." she laughed, and there was that smile again. "How embarrassing. You must think I'm a total klutz."

            "It could have happened to anyone." I reassured her.

            "Thanks. To be honest though, I am a bit of a klutz."

            We both laughed. The more I heard her laugh, the more I loved it. Some girls had pretty, fake laughs, but not her. Her laugh was heartfelt and unafraid of judgment, and as wild as her hair. Some people would think it was too loud or too strong, but I was not one of those people. I wanted to make her laugh again, but there was something I wanted more just then.

            "I'm Jared." I said once we had calmed down.

            "Nice to meet you Jared." she replied. "My name's Claire."

            Ever since I had seen her last I had been trying to dream up her name. I had never thought of Claire, but as soon as she said it I knew it was the one I had been looking for. It was like the name had been made just to describe her. It started out strong, but ended lightly. Similarly, she was strong and vibrant, but she was at the same time soft and light.

            Just as I was about to speak again a little girl who had been playing on the playground ran up to us. She tugged on Claire's shirt to get her attention, then whispered something in her ear. Claire smiled at her and patted her head gently.

            "No, he's a friend." she told the girl. Then to me, "She wanted to make sure you weren't bothering me. This is my little sister Madison, by the way."

            I gave Madison a smile to put her mind at ease. She shared Claire's bright, emerald eyes and wide smile, although her hair was brown and not nearly as wild. Her face still held a bit of baby fat, but instead of making her look pudgy it just made her smile seem even bigger. She was adorable, and very sweet for worrying about her older sister.

            "Hello Madison." I said, holding out my hand to her. "I'm Jared."

            "Hi." she answered softly, shaking my hand once before quickly releasing it.

            "Well Maddy," Claire announced. "How about we head home and make you some lunch, how does that sound?"

            Madison cheered happily. I however, was not quite as happy. This may be my last chance to talk to Claire. I had no idea if or when we would run into one another again. I did not want to wait another who-knows-how-many months to see her. I could not let this opportunity slip through my fingers like I had last time. I just had to come out and say it.

            "Claire." I blurted. "Before you go, I was wondering... well... would you like to go out with me?"

            For a long moment I thought she was going to say no. I could tell she had not been expecting the question, and I could almost see everything crashing down around me. I should have waited longer. She probably thought I was crazy, or that I asked out every girl I met. We had just met, and we knew hardly anything about each other. There was absolutely no reason in the world for her to say yes. But she did.

            "Alright." she said. "When?"

            "Are you free next Friday?" I asked. It seemed like an eternity to wait, but any time before that would definitely be too soon.

            "Yes. Seven o'clock?"

            "Sounds good."

            She entered her number and address on my phone so I knew how to get in touch with her and where to pick her up. Then, after a smile and a goodbye, we parted ways once again. Like the last time we met I watched her leave. I couldn't remember ever being happier in my life.

March

A continuation of December....

     It was three months before I saw her again. It was that time of year when the weather couldn’t make up its mind; it was warm and sunny one day, freezing cold the next, and sometimes in between. That day was one of the in between days. The sun shone through the clouds, and although it was below freezing, it still felt warm.

     The slight breeze rustled her hair and set her scarf fluttering. Again I was struck by her vibrant beauty. Her soft sparkling eyes were even more amazing than I had imagined. She was like the spring we were all waiting for.

     This time I got my chance to talk to her. As we were about to pass each other she lost her footing and slipped on the ice. I saw her going down, but I wasn’t quite close enough yet to steady her. She hit the ground hard.

     “Are you alright?” I asked, hurrying to her side.

     Then I realized she was laughing. Hidden beneath the mess of hair that had fallen over her face was a smile. She swept the hair back with a grey gloved hand, still laughing, and started to push herself back up. I offered her my hand, and together we got her back on her feet.

     “Thank you.” She said in a bright voice. “I’m fine. You’d be surprised how often that happens.”

     “No problem.” I replied.

     She smiled at me before walking off, seemingly unaffected by our interaction. I watched her go. All I could think of was her voice, the warmth of her hand in mine, and her bubbling laughter, like a brook over stones. It wasn’t until later that I realized I’d forgotten to ask her name.

December

This is just a short little scene I wrote a while ago. It's not for any of my books, just for fun. Hopefully I'll have something more for you soon. Enjoy.

            The first time I saw her, I thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It was late December, less than a week before Christmas. The snow had come late that year. When it did appear, it was almost over night. The world was blanketed with a sheet of white. The trees glistened with icicles. Snowflakes continued to drift down softly, distorting the horizon and turning the world into a wonderland.

            I saw her from a distance at first. Her scarf was a trail of colour in a monotone world, as red as a blooming rose. She had a small smile on her face, as if she had just thought of a joke she'd heard once. Everything about her spoke of warmth, and life, and passion. She radiated light. Suddenly my dull little world was set ablaze, and all I wanted was to touch the flames. I had to know her.