Love is a black hole. It can’t be quantified, nor can it be understood; yet it has a weight to it. A gravity of sorts. I was sent careening towards that vast expanse unable to pull away from those twin lights suspended in her eyes. She held me transfixed; I felt my soul being dragged deeper. I was lost in the depths of those crystal-clear ponds.
Normally, this would be a wonderous thing. Not for me. I’m in my mid-thirties, and still I haven’t been on a date. I’m not much to look at and I’ve never been particularly good with my words. My love life has been one set of disappointments to the next. Frankly, I had come to accept my impending loneliness as a fact of life.
That was before I met Sarah, though. She strolled into my life as casually as the spring breeze, yet she left my heart devastated in her wake. She didn’t just reignite my passions, she made me believe once more. For the first time in my life, I found myself daring to think that I could be happy. Maybe, just maybe, it could be me.
I met her at my favorite diner. She was a new hire and one I entirely approved of. She approached my table and flashed that radiant smile. I was hopeless at first glance. Even then, I felt myself being pulled by her gravity.
It was that fateful fall when I decided to put my plan into motion. I spent two blissful years enjoying her company in measured spurts from the shadows of anonymity. I’d come into the diner on those days I was certain she would be present. I would try my best to be seated into her section. Often, I’d succeed.
It was becoming impossible to turn away from her irresistible pull. I found myself thinking of her. Wanting her. Needing her. Every day she wasn’t mine, was a step closer to the abyss. I felt myself coming undone at the seams. I was like a star imploding in itself. My life seemed to be slipping.
I am not a brave man, but the torture of not having her fueled my confidence. I couldn’t go another day without her. The gravity pulled me back smashing down to the surface. I was powerless to stop it. It washed over me like waves on the seashore.
It was nearly closing time. It was now or never. If I refused the pull, then she would walk out that door. I wouldn’t be able to live in a world without her. It was a crossroads, and a decision was required. Without a second thought I made my move.
I loaded her unconscious form onto my boat preparing to set sail with no specific destination in mind. As long as it was a place warm and far and of course somewhere they didn’t ask many questions. Sarah, please don’t be too angry with me; after all, who can fight gravity?