Perfecting Patience

I wrapped the sheet around my naked body and stepped from the bed. My feet met crisp pieces of notebook paper that had been cut into different sized snowflakes. My eyes followed the pieces of paper, which seemed to be laid out in a path to the room where the music came from.

I followed the path, careful not to step on the perfectly cut paper snowflakes. Occasionally, I’d pass one with a word written on it.

Beautiful, strong, unique, mine, and then at the end of the path in the biggest lettering was the word “Perfect.”

I smiled as I reached down and picked up that particular snowflake and brought it to my lips. Zeke thought I was perfect. As long as he thought I was, then that’s all that mattered. I’d struggled my entire life trying to be my best for someone. It was nice to just be me and have someone accept that and love me regardless.

I pushed open the door and stepped into the sitting room lit by a single candle. The flame on the tip of the wick danced in the breeze. Soft shadows moved in corners and made the room feel alive with the light sounds of Zeke’s playing.

The music got louder and Zeke’s voice filled the room. I’d never heard him sing, but it was nice. I looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Stepping farther into the room, I narrowed down where the music was coming from. A small CD player sat beside the candle. I walked over and turned the music down in confusion. Where was Zeke and when did he record the Guns N’ Roses song?

“You look like a Greek goddess with that sheet wrapped around you like that.”

I spun around at his voice and found him leaning against the doorway I’d just stepped through. His arms were crossed over his chest and the gray sweats he wore clung to his hipbones. He was so unbelievably sexy, and he was mine.

He stalked toward me while his eyes took me in, and then he pulled me into his arms. The light sounds of him and his guitar played behind us.

“I recorded this for you after we were done with the album. Do you like it?” he asked as he softly kissed my forehead.

“I love it. I love you.”

He ran a finger down my cheek and his face became serious. “You came into my life when I needed you the most. I didn’t even know I was capable of being the man I am when I’m with you. I was dark and broken, and you lit up my world and put me back together piece by piece. I can’t breathe when I’m not with you. I can’t think of anything but your smile and the way you make me feel when we’re apart. I’ve decided that I never want to be away from you again, and if you’ll have me, I’d like to be yours until there’s nothing left of me.”

He dropped down to his knee in front of me and grabbed my hand. “I want us to take care of each other. I want to hold you when you’re sad and protect you from anything that threatens to hurt you. I want to fall asleep with you every night and wake up to your sweet smile every morning. I love you more than I could write in a song, more than I could put into words, period, and I want you to be mine always. Will you marry me, snowflake?”

He popped open a ring box and I looked down at the single diamond resting the cushioned box. Smaller diamonds surrounded it and gave it the look of a tiny snowflake molded into the platinum band. It was beautiful.

Looking down at his eyes, I could see they were watered up. I didn’t even realize I was crying, too, until he reached up and wiped away my tears with his thumb.

“Yes. I’d marry you every day for the rest of my life.”

His smile was the brightest I’d ever seen as he took the ring from the box and slid it onto my finger. He stood, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me.

“Forever,” he whispered into my hair.

Life had been difficult for Zeke and me. There were hard times that we almost didn’t make it through. But then we found each other and held each other together. Not everyone meets their other half. Not everyone has the chance to feel the kind of love that Zeke and I have for each other, but I’d like to think that after everything I went through in my life, Zeke was my happy ending.

I’d never be perfect—no one is—but when I was with Zeke, perfection wasn’t needed. The truth was I was a beautiful mess and Zeke was the crazy glue that held me together.

Epilogue

Zeke

The wind blew her long platinum hair to the side, covering her beautiful face as she turned toward me. She was leaving and it was killing me. She held up her hand with a frown. Sad, icy eyes stared back at me. My perfect little snowflake. She was mine for such a brief moment in my life, and now, she was leaving and moving on. Expanding her mind and becoming a part of society.