I was following my routine and like everyday I walked down a long block of concrete leading to the park with headphones on and a walkman on my hip. It was old and dusty with a age everyone cared to relive, but it worked as it was made to. I hummed to the tunes and let the sun hit my face and legs with a startling strength. I was sweating but a breeze came by to cool me. I closed my eyes and opened them once the force passed, and somehow my surrondings had gotten more beautiful. It was nothing but houses and landposts and yet it felt like home and I was forced to continue my walk with love in my chest. I loved this city, I loved it so much and I felt as if nothing could compare to it because nothing compared to the people.

As I took a right, into a small community of trailers and kids with lots of energy and no supervision, I was proven right. The first ones to talk to me were a group of preteens on bikes that I walked past. They said my name and waved, many of them were family of my friends and after we talked I gave them some money and continued on. Next I passed some teenagers playing basketball and they were quick to give me a chance to shoot. I told them to watch this and threw a 3 pointer with effeciency as they all groaned and I bowed while telling them to try again next time. Then I went past them and came to my destination. The mini park was isolated and empty just as I wanted and I sat on the nearest bench with a smile on my face. If there were people here I wouldnt mind, it just happend to always be empty which gave me some peace of mind. This time was a tad different though.

I wasnt there long, maybe 30 minutes before a guy came to sit with me. The bench creaked under the weight of a new master and I kept crotcheting without paying him any mind. He pulled out a book and did the same to me. We sat on opposite sides of the metal seat in silence until an hour passed and I was the first to leave. The next day he was there again, before me this time, and he left first. The next few weeks continued like this, we each came to the park around the same time, with the same hobbies, and not once did we acknowledge each other.

It wasnt until 2 months in that I broke the routine. I was going through horrible period pains and rescheduled my hour of peace for the next day. When I got there 24hrs later, the pain hadnt subsided, but I loved my routines and this one in particular kept me calm, so I went anyway. In sweatpants and a t-shirt in the middle of 80 degree weather I walked half a mile and sat in the same empty spot that I sat in every day. It felt good, and as I suspected, he was there, head buried in a new book. I said nothing and took my crotchet tools from my bag but before I could even get a single stitch off my symptoms started again. I felt cold as a lightning strike of pain hit my abdomen. I flinched and set the needle and yarn in my lap, choosing to breath through the pain with a hand on my lower stomach. A few seconds later I was stitching again and the man was getting up to leave, but without his bag. I watched him through my peripheral as he walked away and down the street. I was curious but chose to mind my business and about 10 minutes later he was back and to my suprise he was talking, to me at that.

“Here.”

I looked up and pushed back my headphones. Now that he was directly in front of me I realized that he was taller than I had thought, and I had noticed this before, but he was pretty too. The way his features sat on his black skin was so incredibly, him. As if his soul had manifested itself perfectly onto this body. His short yellow checkered hair didnt look a ounce out of place and nor did any of the peircings he had splayed across his face. He was really beautiful even though he didnt smile, or give off any sort of comforting energy. But even with his deadpan expression I could tell he didnt speak from a place of indifference, especially when I saw that the thing he brought me was a heating pad.

“Its my sisters.” He said.

I took it and said thank you. He nodded and sat back down, his book already open again. I didnt say more and just turned on the battery powered heater before I continued crotcheting.

Everytime after that we greeted each other, and as unintresting as we may have been, that was our love.

And it was ok for it to be boring.

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Annoucments: Havent uploaded because i got a IUD a month ago thats been killing me from the inside out. Ive been in extreme pain while catching up on school work this week cause we had a snow week, yes WEEK, had no classes till today and today i only had 2, crazy. But anyway IUD removal is monday, will continue writing when i can stand without crying, toodles🫶🏾