How I Write A Love Story: Part 2

The white stone building stuck out like a surley dwarf amongst a crowd of giants, arms folding and face scowling refusing to move.

“The Public Library?” Ted asked looking sideways at Marissa.
“Yeah, this place is great. When was the last time you checked out a good textbook?” Marissa said with a smile looking up to the roof of the two-story fortress.
“Uh… Is this like the stalker joke?” He asked watching Marissa gaze up at the building. She was a beautiful woman, delicate skin, with shocking blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Turning Marissa looked at Ted.
“No way man, let’s get in this stinking library and pay are past dues!” She said with a laugh pulling Ted along with her up the concrete steps leading to a massive wooden door.

The air inside the library was thick with a smell of stale dust and worn paper. It made Ted cough as he entered.
“Come on; I was just joking about the library, we aren’t senior citizens yet. This place has the best coffee shop on the roof.” Marissa pulled Ted along to the elevator just right of the reference desk where a woman in her late hundreds stood, ears perked for the slightest hint at a sound. She was eyeing Ted and Marissa with an expectant glare.
Ted didn’t want to give her a reason to shush them, so he walked as quietly as possible with Marissa to the Elevator. Once on board, Marissa pressed the button labeled “R” for roof and just as the doors were closing she let out the loudest screech of what could only be described as a bird call, “Braaaaaaatt!” The elevator doors closed as the librarian startled to life.

“What the hell was that?” Ted said with a laugh.
“Birdcall, I honestly wanted to see if she was still alive. I did it out of concern.” Marissa looked at Ted with a concerned smile nodding her head.
“Haha, you are a strange bird,” Ted said.
“Was that a joke?” Marissa looked at Ted mouth wide and eyebrows raised. “Not bad Babe Ruth.” She said as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the roof of the library.

The coffee shop was a building about the size of a small apartment with all glass walls and decorated with white Christmas lights hanging off the roof.
“Wow not bad,” Ted said impressed
There were only three other people in the coffee shop, which was filled with chairs, tables, and one massive bean bag chair, sitting cramped inside the double glass doors.
“One of New Yorks best-kept secrets,” Marissa said pulling open the door, the smell of freshly ground coffee greeted them along with a light melody of some form of classical music. The atmosphere inside the shop was warm and inviting.
“Two cups of joe, please. Ted, how do you like it?” Marissa asked.
“Black.” He said.
“Just like your soul. You got it,” she said with a smile.
Two cups of black coffee, please.
The barista poured the coffee and handed it to Marissa who headed straight for the doors back outside.

“Where are you going?” Ted asked
One, sec.” She said stepping outside and placing the two mugs of hot coffee to cool in the cold night air.
Walking back inside she made her way to the massive bean bag chair.
“Hey give me a hand with this Ted.”
“What? I don’t think we are supposed to move it,” Ted said looking around nervously.
Marissa didn’t wait and began dragging the chair outside the double doors; Ted quickly jumped to help.
“Ma’am! Ma’am!” The Barista called, ” you can’t take that outside!” Marissa ignored the twenty-something Barista barely looking up from his smartphone as he said this.
“Once outside Marissa plopped down in the bean bag chair with a mighty, “AHHH!”
“You are going to get us in trouble,” Ted said.
“Oh, that kid doesn’t care, look at him he isn’t even paying attention anymore.” Ted looked inside the Barista was back to doing whatever it was he was doing on his phone.
“Now come sit next to me Babe Ruth, Check out this view.” Marissa patted the spot next to her eyeing Ted.

Plopping down and immediately sinking into the chair Ted rolled helplessly towards Marissa unable to keep himself from sliding into her.
“Ha… Sorry. Not a lot of room.” Ted said nervously laying back.
“That’s the idea; you got to keep me warm it’s freaking freezing out here Ted.” Marissa handed Ted his coffee as the two sat back looking at the night sky.

Ted felt so strange, he just met this woman, but he already felt more comfortable with her after 20 minutes than he had felt in 3 months with his last girlfriend.

“So, you been striking out a lot, huh? Marissa asked still looking up.
Clearing his throat, Ted answered, “ugh-huh, Yeah. It hasn’t been the best year for me when it comes to romance. Everything else in my life seems to be moving right along, the way its supposed to but finding Love is the one place where it just isn’t happening. I mean I feel like I am doing everything I am supposed to do, you know? Maybe I’m just not cut out for love.” Ted looked at Marissa expectantly
She didn’t respond. Instead, she sat there one arm behind her head smiling. After a few minutes, she said, “Or maybe you’re looking in the wrong places.”

“Well, what about you? You go around from pier to pier picking up strangers and bringing them out to your secret hideaway?
“Ha! Yeah, something like that.” Marissa said, taking another sip of her coffee. “Hey, you hungry?” She asked.
“Uh, yeah I could eat I suppose,” Ted said looking at his watch, he hadn’t thought about it, but his dinner reservation just passed.
“Great you got food at your place?” Marissa said smiling and raising her eyebrows, hypnotizing Ted with her sparkling blue eyes.
“What? My place? Ha, we just met.” Ted was a bit taken back at this woman’s bravado.
“I know, we should really eat something. Nothing better to get to know a person than to break bread with them. It’s biblical man.” She said standing and grabbing Ted’s hand yanking him up.
“I think I might have some stuff at my place,” Ted said standing with a smile.

Their clothes were nearly off before they reached Ted’s door. Marissa was like a wild animal grabbing and pulling on Ted, removing his shirt as he turned the key in the door. Ted turned back picking up Marissa as she threw her legs around his waist, pulling off her shirt as the door closed behind them throwing them into the darkness of the apartment. They went crashing around yanking and tugging off more clothing kicking off shoes, wildly kissing one another before they reached Ted’s room and threw themselves on to the bed. The feeling of elation and electricity passed between them, hair standing on end. Ted saw the streaks of blue electricity arching between their naked bodies.

Ted woke up the next morning feeling satisfied and overjoyed. He couldn’t believe his night. Or his luck, Marissa was different than anyone he had ever met before. He felt strange with her, more fearful, but more courageous at the same time. His head was swimming with the thought of her touch. Reaching over hoping to wrap his arm around Marissa’s delightful body, he was disappointed to find only air and a piece of paper. Opening his eyes and rubbing the sleep from them he sat up grabbing the folded note and opened it.

The How:

So today I asked my self one simple but difficult question to answer. For me anyway.

• What does falling in Love look like?
• I want to say this too, this question and this project scare the crap out of me as I am creating this story as I go.  But, by honestly trying to answer the questions I present. I am given the answer that came to me and the story that came out of it.

Falling in Love looks like, this unexpected friction. It looks like falling into what is happening and accepting a situation a person or a thing for what it is — making a choice, deciding to receive love. We know so far that Ted was looking for love or at least a date before he so woefully threw in the towel. It was in that moment of giving up that Love showed up for him. But not in the way he was expecting it. It was only because his guard was down and he had given up was he able to take the leap and just go with what was in front of him.

What I am learning in this process of doing something that scares me and challenges me.  Is that if I ask my imagination a question and forget about the fear of not knowing the answer and just write.  Stuff comes out.  The amazing thing is, whether anyone likes this story or not, which I do by the way.  Is my imagination is trying to learn to answer my question of what does Love look like?

Today it answered it by telling me that, Love is a leap of faith.  It is an acknowledgment and acceptance of what is right infront of me and I get to choose each moment to accept Love or reject Love.  But that it is always there, if I can open my eyes to it.  And sometimes the only way my eyes can be open to it is through desperation.

This is a profound and incredible thing for me.  It is the whole reason I am doing this series.  I don’t know, what I don’t know.  But as long as I am willing to ask the questions and write through the fear I learn what Love looks like in the process.

We still don’t know Marissa’s story, but I promise it will come out. It has too. What we do know is that she is willing to take a chance with a stranger. Is this just a case of loose morals or something more? What’s up with the Note?

Tomorrow I will continue the Love story of Ted and Marissa.  I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am.  Let me know in the comments.

Have a great day.

If you are just joining, check out the begining of the story by clicking the link.

Yesterday’s Story Here