It was not in the class listings, not a course for which you receive class credits, and not a required course for my degree. It was not graded; at least, I don’t think it was. It is not on my transcripts, but I attended it faithfully. What he taught me was not in the books!“ she laughed at the recall. “Anyway, getting to the music. Without fail, each and every encounter, it was played. It got to the point where I knew it by heart. When the semester ended, so did the class. Don’t get me wrong; I did learn. In the beginning, I thought I loved him, but at the end, I knew differently. It was a hard lesson for me, but I eventually learned the difference between ’using’ and ’loving’,“ she finished, opening her eyes.
“It is a sad story, Annie. No wonder you broke down last night,“ he said softly.
At his mention of her emotional meltdown, she blushed. “I am truly sorry for doing that to you,“ she whispered.
“I’m not,“ he replied. “It provided me with insight into you.“
Unable to lean forward due to her current position, she reached for his hand and brought it to her lips and kissed his palm. “Thank you, Jeff, for understanding.“
“Speaking of last night. . . how did you sleep?“ he asked her.
Interlacing her fingers with his as she brought them down to her lap, she felt the contact of his ring. She had subconsciously captured his left hand. Staring at the ring, she replied with sadness in her voice, “On my side, in the fetal position.“
Bewildered by her tone, he saw her gazing at their joined hands. “Here,“ he said, withdrawing his hand from hers and removing the ring. “It is yours.“
Annie looked at the offering and shook her head. “I do not want it,“ she said softly.
“Nor do I,“ he said, tossing it carelessly onto the dashboard and intertwining their fingers again. “I, for one, could not sleep last night. It is your fault. Every time I moved, your scent would consume me. I had to finally get up and toss my comforter into the wash,“ he continued, laughing. Seeing her not join his laughter, he rushed on. “It is not that I wanted to get rid of you, but I needed to sleep. And, with the constant reminder of you, I knew it would not happen. By the way, what perfume do you use?“
“Envision,“ she answered. “Why?“
“It is perfect for you,“ he explained. “Not too much, not too little. Just right!“
“You should write an ad for them, Words Man. I can see it now. Escape her Envision. Toss it in the wash,“ she laughed.
“No, I am a poet, remember? The last words should rhyme,“ he informed her seriously.
“Okay, give me something that rhymes with ’Envision’,“ she asked.
“Hold on a second,“ he requested as she saw his eyes glaze over.
“I am kidding,“ she said, tugging on his hand.
“I got it,“ he said, looking at her deeply.
“It was not his mission,
To escape her Envision.
The water couldn’t drown,
The love that he found.“
“Oh, Jeff,“ she moaned, pulling her legs back and rotating her body so she could lay across him, facing him. Once positioned, she placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him.
“Wait,“ he said, pushing her back gently. “I am still working on the song, but I wrote a poem for you while I waited for the machine to cycle. It is a very serious poem.“
“You wrote me another poem?“ she questioned. At his nod, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. Flabbergasted at the very thought of one poem, she was floored by the news of two. She hesitated to take it as he handed it to her.
“Take it,“ he directed, reaching over to turn on the dome light with his other hand. She stared at the paper as curiosity washed over her. “Read it,“ he said. She saw his eyes twinkle in the dim light of the dome.
“Okay,“ she responded still
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