Chilly New Jersey : A Short Story (Yudi Bahtiar)

• Part 1

Megan Thornhill had always loved chilly New Jersey with its broad, breakable buildings. It was a place where she felt anxious. She was a loving, with her charming face. Her friends saw her as a good girl. Once, she had even rescued an injured baby bird from falling from the tree. That's the sort of woman she was.

At home, Megan walked over to the window and reflected on her rainy surroundings. The clouds very gloomy just like her heart. Then she saw something in the distance, or rather someone. I don’t know who he is, and then she came outside of her house, she really wants to know him. His name is Austin James. He has a handsome look and good personality.

Megan gulped.
As Megan stepped outside and Austin came closer, she could see the cute smile on his face.
Megan looked back, even more concerned and still fingering the weathered book.
They looked at each other with lovely feelings.

• Part 2

"Megan ..."

The girl called Megan raised her face, and smiled when she knew that Austin also liked her.
Day after day, after that incident, suddenly her father asked;

"Hey Megan, are you alright?"

Her face is sweet and soft. It's just that face never smiles. Only the people closest to him can see his smile, like now.

"I ... I ..." Megan did not get the idea how to answer her father's question. Because actually, Megan has never been so happy just to think of someone she likes.

Megan's face turned even redder because of holding shame.
"Yes ... yes ..." answered Megan in a super small voice. Then, she moistened her lips, turning her gaze the other way.

His father smiled, and he stroked Megan's head gently. Actually his father didn't know who she was thinking about.
His father stood up, then with a strong heart, he spoke to Megan.
"You don't have to think too much about anything, Megan. I'll worry later. "
Megan answered, okay father. and he continued reading the novel on his lap.

• Part 3

“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. We better to have a loved and lost it again than never to have loved at all. You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams". This is Megan’s favorite quote on her novel that she reads all day long.

It seems like she was too stunned by the quote that she always read, until in the end, she became like she forgot her own life.

The next morning, Austin sent Megan an e-mail and he wrote a message like this "Hi Megan, meet me today in the city park at 1 pm, I want to talk to you secretly".

 After reading his e-mail, Megan was shocked by what Austin was planning later this afternoon. After hours of waiting for the time when Megan was curious about what Austin would discuss with her, they finally met.

• Part 4

Today is the day that Megan was curious about. Megan came accompanied by his father because it accidental that day his father would go to see his friend in the city and Megan was one way with him, so she followed his father in a car.

Finally, she met Austin and start to having a conversation.

We started having lunch together at restaurant. We’d talk about many different things and laugh. We would always ask for the menu. He liked soda, but I preferred to drink water. He liked salad and I liked pasta. I would ask for fruit for dessert, whereas he’d ask for a flan. I’d look at him in the eyes and imagine us on some island sunbathing and swimming in crystal clear waters.

We kept seeing each other more and more. It seemed like he was interested in me, too. Up to this point, I had been in love with him since the first time we met. One day, we decided to go grab a cup of coffee. We had a nice time. We had different hobbies but I didn’t mind. I realized we completed each other in spite of that. He’d do certain things that would make me think there was a special connection between us.

Love is something that doesn’t just happen at a certain time. It builds up over time and the more time you spend with someone, the more you realize that you love them and love being around them. As you sit by yourself some days, you realize that you would rather be spending time with that person. Love is the sense of never being tired of just hanging out with your significant other. Realizing that you love someone can be super exciting. A little void in you feels to have finally been filled and it’s something that you can’t explain.

Some people jump into relationships and love, but you need to take it slow. You need to spend time with that person, in person. You may start to “like” something through texting or chatting, but until you sit with that person or hang out with them, you can never decide if you love them or want to date them. It is probably someone’s safest bet to just hold off on dating until you are 100% sure.

Saying “I love you” first is extremely stressful, so it is probably the best to let the other person say it first, honestly… At the end of the day, finding the right person is very rewarding. You spend each day happy because that person is always there for you. I met the girl I date at work, but I had known her for over a year before we even talked that much. I became friends with her after she told me stories after the craziness of the days she spent at work. We went the entire rest of the summer without really being too romantic and stuff picked up with her when we were both away from each other. Over Thanksgiving break, we went on a hike and she said "I love you" first. Of course, I felt the same way, so that was awesome. 

THE END