Those Wretched, Long Toenails

Every time I clip my toenails there is an unbearable screech that can be heard for miles around. It is a tremendous force that shakes me to my core. It does not, however, come from me. Nor does it come from my toenails – which, arguably, could be consider a part of me that I've cut off. Regardless, the screech is incredibly painful.

Yet, what is a person to do? Don't cut the toenail and they grow to such a long length that feet become painful, or they can curl around and make walking unpleasant.

There is something so pleasant about ridding myself of those pesky hard shells. There is, perhaps, a reminder that things change in a rather nonchalant and unnoticed way. We don't feel the nails growing. There isn't any real problem with them until they've grown too long, but then there is a real problem with them.

That screech, though. That bloody fucking screech. It feels like it will never end even though it lasts for seconds. The screech is so loud that it is deafening, painful, and borderline killer.

There is something about it that I miss once I stop clipping those damn things, though. Maybe it is that the sounds feel like home. I'd like the say it is the action itself but I know that isn't true. I find it rather dull, to be completely honest.

Maybe it is that satisfaction I feel after the screeches stop.

Actually, I'm sure that is what it is. There is a feeling of accomplishment every time that wretched sound is cleansed from my ears. It is like I've had some grand successful mission, a huge accomplishment that only a minor amount of people have been able to complete.

Truthfully, though, it just feels like letting go of the past.

Honesty and Why It Is Better to be So

Why do people lie?  There are times, sure, in which the person doesn't get caught, but what benefit does it really have to lie?

Humanity has a strong tendency to try hiding things from others by lying about it.  Hell, everyone does it.  It is pretty well ingrained into ourselves from the time we're born - whether it be to put on a facade of Santa Claus for children, giving money for lost teeth under the name of the tooth fairy, to the stories our parents read to us, all the way to our parents lying to us when explaining why mommy and daddy are yelling at one another (or any other subsequent event that would have a negative impact on perception of mommy and daddy together).

This, of course, never ends well.  A child learns that Santa isn't real, or the tooth fairy, and dreams get shattered with lighting speed.  We discover that, hey, our parents have some pretty serious arguments and, upon reaching that first major argument we have with our significant others, we realize they, too, are just human.

Essentially, being a teenager and early adult ends up being the harsh reality that we've been lied to our entire lives, but since it is all we know then how do we escape it?  Of course, this is where I interject and say, "understanding is the first step in the journey to resolve."

That isn't what this blog post is about, though.  This post is to point out some pretty major flaws in lying and how it impacts all those around.

This brings me to the act of lying.  Let's say, as a completely hypothetical, someone has made actions they are none-too-proud of - like eating a cake when they are claiming to be on a diet or cheating on their significant other.  Well, it is easy to understand why they wouldn't want to fess up to the action.  A whole fucking cake?  That's insane.

But then, you ate the cake.  Someone, somewhere is going to be wondering what happened to that box of cake mix.  What do you say?  Well, you don't want them to know so you say you threw the box out so you wouldn't be tempted.  Your significant other, the one you're lying to, believes you.  Cool, you've succeeded in eating that giant fucking cake.

But wait - the day after you ate the cake, and before you turned the dishwasher on to clean those dirty dishes, a friend was over and put their wine glass into the dish washer.  What did they see?  They saw that glass cake pan with the remnants of a cake on it.

Now, weeks, maybe months later that friend is over, hanging out with you and your significant other and something is brought up about cake.  That guilty conscience of yours is suddenly kicked into overdrive and, bam, you have to announce once again that you haven't ate any cake in 6 months or better.  The problem is,of course, no one brought up your lack of cake eating.  The friend, remembering in that very point in time, perhaps mentions the cake pan they saw that fateful day.  Maybe they don't, though.

It should be noted now that if they don't mention that cake pan then the situation is far worse.

If they mention the cake pan then suddenly you have to make up a new lie.  Perhaps, oh, you made a cake for a coworker but it wasn't the same cake mix - it was a cake mix you went out to buy after you threw the other one away.  Maybe you make up a lie about how it wasn't icing plastered on the side of the cake pan, it was something that resembled it.  Maybe you deflect and blame it on your significant other.

Anything that happens, however, everyone in the room is now noticing something even if they don't realize it.  They are noticing that you're acting off.  You're acting as though you're in on a secret that you're trying to convince everyone else that it isn't a secret.

Let me take a step back.  Let's assume that the friend doesn't say anything about the said cake pan and let me explain why the not mentioning it is the worse of the options.  If the friend doesn't bring up the cake pan they very obviously saw in your dishwasher, well, that means, quite simply, they have lost trust in you to tell the truth and simply have no desire to hear any more of your lies.

Now, back to the scenario of it being brought up - perhaps you get away with it.  The cake pan is dropped and no one has caught the fact that you just lied.  The problem is that they now noticed your actions being odd.  Maybe it didn't register, but from that point forth, every time your actions resemble those actions it will be related back to you acting funny.  Eventually, and this is an obvious one at this point, it is all going to link together - provided you stay in the people's lives long enough.  That eventual event is going to cause them to think about all those times - well, maybe not all, but enough.  Now is when your significant other loses trust in you.

Of course, how can your significant other talk to you about it?  You lied about eating a whole fucking cake, for fuck's sake.  Confronting you about it is obviously just going to lead to more lies and even if you come clean at this point, well, how would anyone know if you're omitting more of the truth?  Saying that you only ate part of the cake is a lie when you know you ate the whole thing.

Now, typically the people outside of the situation, but around it enough to witness it regularly, will catch on far sooner than your significant other.  They don't have the same kind of emotional ties.  Understandable, but then who do you have to turn to when your significant other leaves you?  None of your friends trust you, and if they do then they are probably just as untrustworthy as you are.

And there is the real shame in lying.  It isn't getting caught.  It isn't the fact that the whole cake is gone and you ate it all.  The shame comes when you realize just how alone you are and the only person you have to blame is yourself.  Eat the cake, just don't hide the fact that you did it.  Let those around you judge you or not judge you accordingly.  You'll find that those who accept the fact that you ate the cake make you feel far less alone in the world than those who just believe that you never ate the fucking thing in the first place.

-Dustin S. Stover

For my collection of short stories, find the digital copy below:
Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness

The Perplexing Complications of Finances and Relationships

Finances are claimed to be one of the biggest reasons for arguments in relationships, and with little wonder.  Either there isn't enough of it and the couple is stressing to pay for things or do extra things, perhaps one person makes significantly more than the other and thus a power struggle is formed, or perhaps splurge spending is to blame for the argument.

Now I'm going to extend my arms in an effort to form a hypothesis correlating the current state of the economy, along with how it has been for my entire adult life, and the increase in the rate of divorce.

First, and I'm aware at how unpopular this opinion is in the masses of this country (USA), but I don't believe anyone who works full time should be suffering financially so bad that they are forced to eat Ramen Noodles for dinner just to keep their bills paid - I actually believe that a first world country should feed into a healthy living for all who contribute to the work force, regardless of their job.  Save your arguments on that topic for another day.

Now, having said that, if a couple makes decent enough money to sustain an actual life together, affording to take vacations together or do activities together, I believe that the divorce rate would significantly drop.  Perhaps it isn't the money itself that is the problem, but rather it is the inability to share in activities that encourage personal and relationship growth.

I know I've said in the past that experiences can be taken in drastically different ways between two people who share in said experience but not having any experiences will dull the relationship even more quickly.  At least the memories are building when experiences are shared as opposed to watching television, which is to say, watching other people do things.  Arguably, a good television show is an experience, but does a television show compare to a month long road trip across ten state lines?  Does it really compare to seeing the depth of the Grand Canyon first hand?  Does it really compare to people watching in Paris?

I don't believe it does.  There is one thing that all of these experiences have in common - they all require money.  Even something as minor as driving 15 hours for a vacation can add up to a thousand dollars or more once you include hotel stay, gas or airplane tickets, and food.  Especially if you want to make it a worthwhile trip and stay for a week.  That doesn't include souvenirs you may want to purchase.

The sad truth of the matter is that I know more people that struggle to come up with that thousands of dollars than otherwise, people who aren't necessarily bad with their money just people who don't have the money to be bad with.  It isn't from a lack of work, either.  They work their asses off.

To relate it back to the relationship aspect - arguments are formed because the couple never do anything together.  There are only going to be so many times a couple can visit the same "favorite" restaurant before it no longer offers a special feeling, only so many times that quick trip to the movies for some alone time is realized to be a lack of connection.  Still, those things cost money and I've seen hard working couples struggle to afford tickets to see a movie or to go to that nice restaurant once every six months.

Then comes the logical answer - they need to find better jobs.  The problem with this is, and we all know how this turns out, how stressful is it searching for a new job?  Is the new job going to be worse than the old one?  How about the pay?  How about the hours?  How about that one really shitty employee that you get stuck with every single fucking time you are forced to work alongside someone else?  And who gets all those stresses taken out on?

Yeah, that's right, the significant other.

No one works because they want to work, regardless of what they tell themselves.  Everyone works so they can support hobbies and experiences.  When a couple can't afford hobbies and experiences, how can a relationship survive?

I'm not at all an economics professional, but I believe that if money weren't such a major issue then we would see relationships - and marriages, especially - stand together for a significantly longer time.

-Dustin S. Stover

Purchase my collection of short stories in the links below.
Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness

Toxicity in Relationships

It is so easy to ignore the toxic behaviors of a person you love, or believe to love, while in a relationship with them, and the way that toxic behaviors exist can be as wide ranging as there are the amount of people in the world.  I will outline some of the behaviors I find most unsettling in this blog.

First, lies.  Lies can come in so many different flavors and just about everyone is guilty of shifting the truth in some fashion or another, but severe lying - compulsive, even - is something drastically different.  If you catch your lover in lies and they deny those lies, or find ways to circle around their lies to confuse and defer blame of those lies then there is something seriously unhealthy going on.

This is one of those things that doesn't even have to be direct, either.  Just the fact that your lover lies in general means that it is only a matter of time before your trust in this person dissipates into oblivion.

Passive aggressive comments are another big sign of an unhealthy relationship, especially if they are done in such a fashion that makes it seem like a joke in public.  Let's just take out the possibility of it being meant seriously, that means your lover is utilizing you as the butt of their joke.  That instantly puts on display a lack of respect for you.  Now, obviously, comes the fact that there is meaning behind it as otherwise it wouldn't be said.

Passive aggressive comments belittle the recipient to such a degree that the effects aren't directly known.  Their emotional and mental well being just consistently shrinks over time, the more they hear these comments, so that where they may have initially thought, "this is a harmless joke," they no longer laugh.

Then there is controlling behavior.  If your lover tries to dominate what you do, how you do things, or expects severe double standards out of the relationship - especially if they have far more freedom than you do - then there is a very degrading situation brewing.

It isn't fair to anyone in a relationship to be looked at as less of a person inside the relationship, and it most certainly isn't conducive to allowing the person to grow into a better person.

Analyzing these traits, at least in my mind, leads me to believe they are all inherently connected by a single personality trait - insecurity.

Why would someone lie so consistently, and then try to wrap their denial around in so many paths that it is impossible to follow?  Because they are insecure with themselves and look for a means to feel better about their actions.

Why would someone make such passive aggressive comments?  Because they don't know how to effectively portray what they feel in a constructive, healthy, and respectful fashion - and why wouldn't they know how to do that?  Because they are insecure about their feelings.

Why would someone be so controlling?  Because they feel that if they don't control the person then they will lose the person - again, insecurity.

Now, what is the most basic reason for insecurity?  What is the root of why a person is so insecure?  Where does it stem from, insecurity?

You tell me what you think the answer may be.

-Dustin S. Stover

For my collection of short stories, click below:
Kindle:  Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook:  Happiness in a Void of Darkness

What Should We Focus on for Love?

As an individual, we're all lonely. We all seek out these deeply profound connections to other living beings in an effort to fill this gaping hole that can only exist in our minds. We pass people on the road, we pass people walking through the mall or store, we stand behind people in line at the restaurant, and yet we always have this longing for something more.

In theory, every lover should start as a friend but we all know that rarely happens. Boy sees girl, boy asks girl out on a date, then another date if the first goes well, and it is all with the intention of getting to a point of togetherness that extends well beyond a mere friendship and it all bases itself purely in a sense that the two people's attraction to one another was, essentially, enough to judge how lasting a relationship might be. (This is obviously a generalization and strictly being utilized to make a point – situations may vary.)

That is, primarily, a perfect depiction as to how desperate humanity is to fill the space next to the individual.

Even in situations where the two people desire a slower pace to get to know one another, that physical attraction can be alarmingly hard to deny, which can, in turn, spiral the entire process of getting to know another out of control. Before the two know it, a type of dependent relationship has been formed and the two individuals may not even be able to tolerate one another.

And still, it is just to occupy the innate emotion of loneliness – filling an imaginary gap in one's life. Looking at the dating world from this perspective, it is no wonder why so many marriages end in divorce, but how can we prevent it? Is it just the way humans are wired emotionally, latching onto narrow threads of emotional hope in an effort to justify time spent?

The opposite side of the spectrum isn't really any better - the non-committal side of the equation, casual and meaningless everything with casual encounters.  Sometimes they're lined up through the shady, back ended areas of the internet like Craigslist Personals and other times finding the one at the bar who is at just the right level of intoxication to drop their inhibitions for a night of adult fun, only to wake the next day and wonder why they made the choice to not use a rubber with someone they can barely remember the name of – was it Jamie or Jenny?

Both sides of this equation are trying to solve the same problem, despite their deeply different means of going about doing so, and yet both fail miserably. Why is this?

The answer is quite simple – no one ever really gets to know the other person before developing emotions. Better yet, how many people truly know themselves well enough to concern themselves with who someone else is? I get it, it is hard working full time, paying bills, trying to socialize with people you tolerate and sometimes enjoy, making dinner, cleaning the house, trying to find a hobby that gives you a reason to wake up the following day and do it all over again, and trying to find a love interest. It leaves little room to do the, perhaps, hardest things in the world – analyze yourself enough to fully understand who you are.

I'm not talking about the, “I know who I am because I enjoy the job I do and I have kids to take care of,” knowing, either. I'm talking about the kind of knowing in which there is full understanding of how you'd react in a situation never encountered before due to being able to visualize the emotions it would provoke inside. I'm talking about having such a deep understanding of yourself that you can sit in a room alone and think about where the emotions you are encumbered by stem from, and have the ability to work your way through it all to readily accept things as they truly are – not sugar coating them in a way that makes you feel better about them. I'm talking about the ability to call yourself out on how much of a bullshitter you truly are, not cover up lies with more lies because those lies you've told yourself to hide from the truth prevent you from seeing where the truth even began at.

There are few things in this world more painful than someone else seeing you for your true self when you can't. How much lonelier does it get to lie next to someone who sees your strengths and weaknesses when you've made up strengths to hide the fact that you have weaknesses? And really, who wants to be with someone who refuses to grow beyond where they are at in that stage of their life?

I firmly believe that the central point of every healthy relationship revolves around that one simple thing – knowing yourself, both people (or in some cases, three or four people – I'm not here to judge) involved in the relationship knowing themselves. If you can't maintain a realistic perspective of yourself then how can you have a realistic perspective of someone else, and if you can't have a realistic perspective of the person (or people) you're with then how can you ever hope to have a healthy relationship?

Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

-Dustin S. Stover

For short stories written by me, follow the links below.

Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness

Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness

Attraction (Let Me Get Personal)

With the recent influx of titles for sexual preferences, I thought it should be time that I put in my two cents in regards to attraction.

First off, I think labels are grossly misused.  Why should there be a thousand labels to identify someone's sexuality (or lack thereof)?  It is simple - do you like the person?  Yes?  No?  Alright, let's move on.

I've always struggled with why I'm desirable and I, very typically, come to the conclusion that it is for all the wrong reasons.  I feel that personality should be the highest priority in finding a partner, but it is the hardest part of a person to uncover.

More often than not, it is appearance that strikes someone's fancy.  It should be no wonder, then, why so many relationships fail.  By the point comes in which you discover the person's personality, what makes them unique, you're in too deep to just walk away.  It is also the time people discover their distaste for the other person.

Let me turn this a bit more personal.  It should come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I've had my fair share of relationships, typically lasting far longer than their expiration date should have allowed.

Through these experiences I have discovered that there are two primary reasons people find themselves attracted to me.  Either through physical appearance, which I've already touched upon, or what I represent in their life.

I represent a fleeting moment in time.  A life that allows my discontent to be explored and turn otherwise relevant and staying points in time to be fleeting.  Even when I'm not moving I'm moving.  I'm a dream that people think they desire in life, the ability to pack up and leave at a given point in time without the fear of what could happen, the ability to leave a miserable job because I can live on pennies on the dollar and not think twice about it, and the ability to pursue my own goals uninhibited by the strains of loans, children to take care of, or whatever other social norms that I feel so far removed from that they only create consequences in my life by separating me further from the norm.

I feel that personality is the least likely to shine through even for myself, which I feel is, essentially, everything I am.

Is this really any different than anyone else, though?  Even the most simplistic person often feels desperately alone in their relationship - could it be that it all rides on them not feeling accepted, deep down, even on a subconscious level, by the one they've grown dependent upon?

I've always been into personality primarily.  Always.  A friend recently made a comment to me about how I don't have a body type of woman.  It is true.  Looking back through my history, I've never looked to a body type as a source of attraction.  I've chosen to look deep into who each person was, appreciate them for being this unique person who could only exist if their life experiences happened exactly as they did to bring them to the very point in time in which we met and then chosen to allow them complete expression of themselves.  Often times at the expense of my own expression, so it goes without wonder why I've felt so little acceptance in my previous affairs.  (Do not message me asking if this is about you.)

Don't get me wrong, a physical attraction has to be sparked somewhere in there; however, anyone can become attractive to another person if the emotions are there first and everyone has some type of preference for body type, but it boggles my mind when someone won't date another person because they are too tall or too short or too hairy, their hips too big, they are overweight, or whatever other reason.  Some of these things can be truly important, of course - say you lift weights and working out is a large part of your life, obviously someone who prefers to watch tv and is overweight won't be the one for you, but is that because of body type or lifestyle choices?

The whole point behind this post is that perspectives need to change.  The level of importance on what you call yourself sexually has been raised far too high.  Physical appearance has got to stop mattering as much if the desire is to be in a truly happy relationship - and if you have it matter less now then you'll find yourself attracted to someone in a way you never knew possible later.

Every human being is comprised of the same building blocks, we all have the same basic functionality - what makes us different are our personalities, not our appearance.  It is time that society started valuing that more.  Or don't.  That choice is ultimately up to you.

-Dustin S. Stover

My collection of short stories can be found through Kindle and Barnes and Noble.
Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness

This Ain't No Rodeo (Pt. 2)

Brandi had to deal with Zach's craziness for years. It was a type of insanity best related to post traumatic stress disorder, but she had a means to calm him in his worst of times.

The nightmares, however, had become increasingly frequent and vivid. Waking in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and crying out for his lost children. Brandi had not yet told him that she was expecting for fear of him having a bigger meltdown.

It was, perhaps, instinctual that Zach was reacting the way he was. He wanted more children. He longed for more children. His fragile mind, however, fears that he'll, again, have to watch their slaughter before his eyes.

Brandi had not started showing, but winter was working in her favor. It was on the horizon and it would be the excuse she needed to wear the bigger and baggier clothes for work to keep warm, hiding any signs she may be pregnant for the necessary time needed to ease Zach's mind into, again, becoming a father.

Brandi was none too sure about having a child herself, but she knew that it would make Zach happy if he could get over his fears.

Her arms wrap around him, it is a little past three in the morning, while his tears flow down his face and drip off into his lap. Her eyes swell with tears beginning to form as well, but she refuses to let them fall. It isn't her trying to be strong for him, it is her trying to prevent more sadness from him. He is, of course, acutely aware of how his emotions impact hers.

Her hands flow through his hair, freshly trimmed to a short cut, and kisses his forehead. “I'm sorry,” Zach says with softness.

“Don't apologize.” Her hand slides down to his stubbly bearded face as she uses the gesture to gently glide his face towards hers. Their eyes lock and instantly a gentle calm floats through him. Her gentle lips touch his soft and vague before slipping back at a distance where their faces become clear again. “We can make it through this.” His tears stop as her left hand slides down his back – the right still resting softly against his cheek.

She lay down beside him again and pulled his head to her shoulder. His arm slid over her stomach as he kissed the side of her neck. “Thank you.”

It was noon. The middle of the work day and Brandi had no patients. She found herself in the back of her office, the corner, facing books about current procedures in the medical field. Tears the size of rivers are flowing down her face and her right hand rests firmly on her stomach. Under the deep but soft breathing, she says, “how will I tell him?”

A firm, hard knock upon her door happens. She wipes the tears from her face and swiftly moves her hand from herself before telling whoever is there to enter.

“We are...” a pause fills the air. “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” Brandi, still not having turned around, peers from the corner of her eyes to see a male clerk named Johnny standing at the door. “What do you need?”

“We're running low on gauze. I need to run to the pharmacy to pick up some.” His speech came out concerned and desiring of more information. “I know I'm new here but I will listen to whatever you have going on.”

“Thanks.” Brandi's eyes stared into the books in front of her. “I'll be fine. Thank you.”

“You don't always have to be a bad ass.” The door shut behind Johnny as he made his way, presumably, to the pharmacy.

A steaming cup of coffee sits in front of Zach as he stares outside at his ranch, cattle feeding calmly, and his mind lost in some far away land where Brandi and he are living happily and without issue of his previous life. A plate with a half eaten biscuit with eggs to the side sit in front of him, the eggs steaming and coffee filling the air with a pleasant aroma. It is the physical icing of his emotional dreamland.

His fork slides into the egg and he lifts it to his mouth. There is a hint of pepper and salt combined with the egg and for a moment a smile forms on his face that escapes notice. Brandi, in his mind, is brushing a horse's mane and smiling back at him with those beautiful eyes that first caught his attention so many years ago and a smile the makes him melt still to this day.

Two of the cows outside walk alongside one another to a patch of grass as another lets out a loud moo. Zach takes a sip of coffee as he eyes peer towards the cattle but seeing a fantasy landscape instead.

An hour had passed when another knock came about the door of Brandi's office. Her ass was parked firmly in her chair, reading glasses cover her eyes as she read the latest story book to hit the shelves. Her work day was over as far as she was concerned, though she was mentally checked out before checking in.

Johnny peered his head through a crack he made in the door way. “I brought you some chocolate.”

Brandi's lips form into a smile. “Thank you.”

“There's a catch.”

“Oh? What's the catch?”

“You have to tell me what's going on.”

Brandi hunches over, but she knows she has to talk to someone. She can't figure out the answers herself. “Give me the chocolate.”

Johnny breaks off a piece of the chocolate and set it in her hand.

“You're serious about this, huh?” she smirks.

She lays it out on the table, but she has no choice. As soon as she starts giving up information it floods out of her like a river dam breaking. Johnny's facial expressions range from the joy he finds in Zach and Brandi's love for one another to the sadness he finds his Zach's past and how hard it is for him to pull out of it.

The time flows quickly as more and more of the story exposes itself. Finally, as Brandi finishes the story, Johnny offers up the most simplistic of solutions. “Tell him you're pregnant. It will give him a reason to concentrate on the future instead of the past.”

Brandi prepared a fire in the back yard after getting home, Zach still sat at the kitchen table staring off into his dream world. She sits down beside him and slides her right hand over his left to break his trance. The two lock eyes and smile at one another – her smile matching that of the one in his fantasy. “Let's go out back, babe. Let's enjoy being outside. The evening is perfect.”

They sit close to one another on a log just outside of the fire. Brandi's arms wrap around Zach and he melts into her body. They settle into the comfort of one another for a long moment that suspends itself in the air.

“Zach, my love, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Zach says as their bodies are still melted together, and without moving to break the bond.

“I'm pregnant.”

Zach's heart stops momentarily as all of his fears come into the front of his mind – the memory of his children from his previous marriage dying in front of him, the memory of him being completely unable to do anything to save them. His heart begins to race faster and faster when, suddenly, Brandi's hand touches the side of his face to pull it to face her's.

“It will be ok. We have one another. This is a good thing.”

His eyes lock into hers and a calm flows over him. His heart slows to near normal levels. All he can see is her eyes, her lips, her face, her love. All he can feel is that moment in time, filling him as deeply as anything can. A smile forms on his face.

“I know it isn't going to be easy, but we can do this. We can do this together.”

Zach, without any intent or control, finds his lips matching hers in a passionate lock that stills time. After an eternity has passed, his lips peel back and he says, “yes. Yes, we can do this. I love you.”

-Dustin S. Stover