A combination of poetry and short story. Inspired by a conversation with a friend which led me to think about my own experiences with romance. And this was the result of my thoughts so enjoy.

The Romantic

He hands you a beautiful bouquet.
Each time it is more beautiful than the last.
No matter the season, he always can find the perfect flowers just for you.
His day is brightened just by your smile.
Even when the weather is at it's foulest.
The sight of you makes the day seem sunny and pure.
No matter where you are he always can find you.
He says the right things at the right time.
He wants you to know every second and minute of the day that he loves you.
He wants your embrace and your warmth.
To feel your heartbeat melding with his.
To him your heartbeat is like a symphony.
Playing a love song just for the two of you.
He loves to just be around you.
His happiest moments are the ones he shares with you.
He is always there for you whenever you want him to be.
He is there when you don't want him to be.

He leaned back in his chair as he looked at the computer screen and read over what he wrote. A short little poem about romance how nice he thought to himself. He stood up from his chair and walked away from his desk picking up his phone as he walked away. He checked the phone no messages he missed. But it was time for him to go to class. He pulled on some clothes jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed his bag. He walked down the road and thought to himself about what he had written. Romance was such an interesting topic. He knew he could write about it all day, but had he ever really felt it? This thought was on his mind as he boarded the bus and rode to school. He pushed the thought of had he felt romance to the back of his mind. He tried to concentrate through the whole day but the thought of romance was not letting him.

A break in class soon came to him. Good a time to get his thoughts in order. He talked to some of the other people in his class about romance. They all had different takes on it some had the more cliche` ideas other had more abstract slightly original ideas. All of them were good and had their own merits to them. But they didn't help to quell his own thoughts. Had he ever felt romance? He has had dates with others. He thought back to his last date.

It was with a guy he thought would last forever how naïve he was to think that. He remembered it so well they were arguing before it. He admitted to himself he could have been a bit less argumentative that day. They argued because one was in a bit of a bad mood. Which of course put the other in a bad mood. The argument soon ended after the decision being made that neither of them wanting to go while the other was in a bad mood. But of course hunger won out over everything so they both went. A nice little Chinese buffet restaurant it was quite empty a slow day as it seemed they took a booth and got some food. talking a bit and enjoying the atmosphere they sat on opposite ends. It was nice but not really romantic. Yes one of them did move over to sit next to the other and put his arm around them. But that was about it. It wasn't a bad date but it wasn't really memorable it was more memorable of what happened later. It wasn't what most would expect. He and the guy went to hang out with the guy's friends and he just sat there while they played a video game he read a book. He could of said something but he didn't want to be like the guy's friend's girlfriend who always wanted his time to be devoted to her. He thought when we go home I’ll have time with him. Anyone wanna guess what happened? Well to put it simply back at the guy's house only one of the couple was there.

He snapped back to reality instead of thinking about the past “romance yeah right” he scoffed. As he walked out of the computer lab and back up the stairs to his class. He sat through that and soon it was time to go he boarded his bus and sat down his music playing in his ears. He walked from the bus stop and past a florist shop. He saw a man running from it. He thought to himself “probably robbed it he is carrying some flowers stealing for the girl he loves that would be romantic.” it slightly brought a smile to his face but he quickly turned around and continued to walk. He soon got home he changed from his jeans and t-shirt to a pair of scrubs. He grabbed a white coat and slung it over his shoulders. He stepped back out of his house and got on another bus. He rode downtown and climbed onto the sky-way. It rode over the water and he looked at the view. He had seen it so many times and had wanted so badly to be taken on a date their to walk along the water. His imagination began to wander for a bit.

He and a nameless figure walked along the water banks. They held hands as they walked he looked into his eyes he couldn't make them out the figure was so clouded for some reason. It was slightly cold so they walked close to each other. It was nice and quiet the type of picturesque romance that all dream of. But normally they can see the face. But this damnable fog it seemed determined to obscure the face of this person. Eh even without knowing who it was he was with it was still romantic enough. the walk continued until it got interrupted by the sound of the automated voice on the sky-way “San Marco Station next stop Riverplace Station.”

He climbed off the sky-way and stepped onto the escalator. He looked at the green lights that light up the inside of it. Why green he never knew why a color like green maybe if the escalator for some odd reason just feel apart. Anyone on it would only see a flash of green. “A flash of green heh I’ve been reading too much harry potter” he thought to himself chuckling at his own thoughts as he climbed off the escalator and steeped into the night of downtown. He walked into the hospital where he volunteered and walked through the lobby took a staircase down. He stepped into the elevator and rode it to the basement. As he stepped out of the elevator the coldness of the basement greeted him he threw on his white lab coat making it flutter a bit as he threw it on. He tossed it on like in a movie as the main character will do as he leaves on his way to the final fight. He walked into the room pushing open the double doors.

A cold chill washed over him as he signed the log. He attached his locator badge and sat at the desk there were already a stack of papers on his desk for him to file and a list of tasks for him to complete. He looked at the lists he had a couple of bodies to tag and put away. He stood up and walked over to the first body. He looked over its cold figure and began to take the final measurements he took the height and turned on the scale. Saying it into the tape recorder he loved the technology this hospital gave him a tape recorder that cataloged whatever he said was quite helpful. He looked over the bodies and couldn't help but wonder about death. Occasionally he would catch himself talking to the dead bodies. He would ask them questions and wonder what their answers would be. On those days he normally caught himself and knew that he had been working to hard and needed to take a break. He looked at the corpse as he finished up the measurements. He talked to the corpse not really expecting an answer but just for the sake of breaking the silence.

Did you leave the world in pain?
Or did you finally feel peace?
Want kind of romance have you experienced?
Did it work out for you?
Or were your advances brushed off like a mosquito on a person's arm.
Did you enjoy your life?
Were you ready for it to be over?
Did your loved ones come to see you in your final hours?
Where do you think you will end up?
Are you destined for heaven?
Or will you be sent to hell?
Did you follow all your beliefs?
Were you a good person?
Did you help those in need?
Or did you spit on the homeless?

He walked away from the corpse and set down the tape recorder on his desk. He sat at the desk and began to type up the reports that had been left for him. He cataloged all the people that had been brought in the past few days. When he finally looked at the clock again it was about 2 am time for his first break. He stood up and walked out of the morgue signing the log and walking out he climbed back up into the stairs. He walked into one of the on call rooms and locked the door behind him he sat his phone down and set its alarm for an hour and a half. He laid down and fell asleep. Drifting back into a world of dreams.

They were now at a beach him and this foggy figure was still with him. Hand in had just like last time. The comfortable familiarity of this person was overwhelming. And another old friend was there as well. The always inconvenient fog determined to conceal the identity of who he was with. He thought to himself how annoying this fog was but it did add an air of mystery that made the dream more exciting to be in. not knowing who this person was made it all the more exciting. As he looked into the obscured face of his secret person. He could hear the annoying sound of his cell phone signaling the end of his break. It pulled him violently from the hands of his mystery lover and sat him back in the on call room of the hospital where he volunteered. As the room formed around him as his eyes opened he sighed in annoyance. He stood and stretched and went to finish his shift so he could go home.

The rest of the shift went by uneventfully and slowly as did the ride back to his home. He walked into his bed room and stripped off his scrubs. He climbed into bed and lied down, quickly going back to his idyllic dream world.

A beautiful meadow of flowers.
The sweet smell of them taking everything over.
They drained the world of all evil.
Leaving it filled with only purity.
I'm in your arms sharing the sight and smell.
Pure bliss is what I feel the warmth of your touch.
I scoot in closer to cuddle up.
Hearing your heartbeat and feeling the rise and fall of your chest.
I can feel you against me and the touch is electric.
The sensation of calmness washes over me.
I'm swimming in a sea of comfort.
Loneliness is nothing but a vague memory.
This is reality.
There is no way it could be a dream.
It feels too real to be a dream.
But then...
darkness approaches fast and takes me.
But I still feel the warmth so I'm okay.
My eyes open and I'm in my room.
The warmth is still there.
It wasn't a dream it was all real.
I look around and realize the heater in my room.
I see that I am alone.
How cruel is it to feel it so clearly.
To then wake up and feel so cold.
A tear falls one bye one.
Despite the warming glow of the heater.
I still shiver from the cold.