yellow roses, silver stilettos, glow sticks, lightning and an ice sculpture
Mark lifted his head off the sodden pillows and propped himself up with his elbows. Bleary and weak, he let his eyes slowly survey the room. Tina's present of friendship, the yellow roses, were still in the florist's clear dainty packaging on top of the nearly empty bureau. Her silver stilettos were lying as they were last night, in the opposite corner from the bed. Boxes of books and clothes were stacked up against the far wall. His dressing gown was missing from the chair, closest to the bed on his right side. Satisfied with what he saw, but not in comprehension, Mark flopped back down to the pillows and curled up in the warmth of the duvet, turning his face away from the chair and the frosted windows. It was still cold outside for March. He was in no shape to be moving anywhere anytime soon. He dreamed again of the night he met Tina, New Year's Eve 2000. Has it really been 8 years?
"Why do fireworks have to be so noisy?" Mousy, sparkly blue flipper dress-wearing Tina whispered in Mark's ear. They were standing outside the Prudential building, waiting for cabs. A small group of Northeastern University revelers came by them wearing identical sweatshirts and carrying red, white and green glow sticks about their person -- some as necklaces, some as hats, and the usual wavy batons. Tina shivered in the oversize coat Mark offered her, earlier in the night. The alcohol would wear off sooner than later if she kept moving, Mark thought. He suggested they try the taxi stand on the near side of the Mall, where there were also the big name hotels. Tina agreed and started walking towards the crosswalk without waiting for Mark.
After some marching across the street and the cold concrete byway, Mark and Tina halted in front of the Square's centerpiece. An angel ice sculpture towered above the snow covered benches, circling the figure in reverence. The sculpture, raised on a two foot block of black marble, looked at the couple and seemed to be shaking her head at them, its broad wings to and fro. After a few minutes, Mark realized it was Tina who was swaying, with him in a sideways bear hug.
Tina turned to face Mark. "It's beautiful here, oh Mark, it's beautiful" Tina swooned and put her tiny gloved hands on his face. Her cold kiss sent icicles to his heart, like tiny bolts of lightning, the shocking pain of Tina, his dead best friend's girl. Mark felt like a helpless flower thief, unable to stop collecting his deepest most darkest desires. He returned the kiss, this time warming Tina from outside in. Tina was the devil with the blue dress on tonight, and Mark fell in love.
