Astrid

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **

Seamus settled into his car, locking his seat belt in place with a soft click. It would be a long ride home tonight. He had a lot to think about.

The low hum of his Prius hybrid cut through the silence of the fall air. Dusk was sweeping in at a steady pace. He was looking forward to watching the sun set over the Mohawk as he drove home. The reflection in the steady autumn waters would help clear his mind.

It had been a wonderful night. Astrid and he had taken a delightful walk together, hand in hand through the changing colors near her cabin home. It had been a few days since they had seen each other, so the pair had caught up along the dirt roads and crisp leaves that lined Astrid’s property. A few oaks had begun to shed their fire red dressing. Astrid had commented on the change in the weather. It was going to be a long winter. The cold air was moving in quickly.

Seamus had enjoyed surprising Astrid with tender kisses as they sat together in the grass, sipping on a sweet red wine. Astrid’s skin would flush every time his lips met hers. Hours later, after they had made love, Astrid had whispered that she loved him. It was then that Seamus knew.

Sitting in his car now, watching the flicker of the last bits of the day peak through the baring branches, Seamus let out a heavy sigh. He, too, was in love. He slipped his hand into his pocket and his fingers brushed something tiny and warm in his pocket. A small circle of silver with a simple marquee diamond was nestled into the depths of his jeans. Tonight he knew.

Astrid was a wonderful woman. She was kind, patient and funny. He had become infatuated with her from the moment she started showing up to his poetry workshops. She was so… different. He called her his hippie girl. She was a free a spirit. She had moved into her cabin after college, living on the food she bought from the local farmers market, never watching TV, biking wherever she went. She wasn’t tied down to the world he was.

The silence in his car was calming. Seamus knew what he had to do. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but he knew it would be the right choice.

Sitting in the driveway of his home, Seamus clicked off his engine. He knew Astrid wouldn’t understand, but she didn’t have to. He had never meant to fall in love with her, but falling in love with her had been the best thing that ever happened to him. Falling in love with Astrid had made everything else in his life begin to finally make sense.

Seamus slipped in his front door. The house was still. He smiled to himself and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. He loosened his tie and pulled his belt from his jeans. He slipped off his shirt and piled his pants on the floor, but not before he pulled the ring from his pocket. He hoped it would fit.

He stood, examining it in the moonlight that seeped between his blinds. It sparkled back at him. Astrid had been the best thing to happen to him, and the worst. Astrid had made him realize how much he loved everything he already had. She made him realize that he wanted to fight for his boring, normal life. It was the world he belonged in.

Seamus slipped into his bed. The sheets we rumpled and warm. He pressed his body close to the sleeping figure in the dark.

“Heather?” He whispered.

She stirred and yawned. “Seamus? You’re home late.”

“Open your eyes… I have something for you.”

Heather cracked her eyelids open slightly. Her mouth opened in a wordless smile as she saw the ring Seamus was holding up for her to see. She reached for it.

“Seamus… I…”

He pulled it away. “Before you say anything… There’s something I have to tell you.”

Tonight, everything would change.

______
Word count: 683
For Invalid Item