Zaiden Thompson

Christmas lights, forgotten promises - Childhood Best Friend/ First Crush (requested by: Krista86, inspired by Taylor Swift’s Mary’s Song.) We spent our summer nights in the backyard, where I didn’t need to prove I was brave, and her laughter made my heart race. We were just kids when you dared me to kiss you, then ran away when I tired. And boy did I ever chase you. At 16, we rode the river’s edge and sang along to the music in my red beat-up truck, water whispering beneath us, and we finally spoke truths we’d kept bottled up. Then the night I sat on your mama’s front porch until dawn, our first fight brewing into stubborn silence that hurt more than I ever showed. College separated us, but I promised to come back home. When I came back to this small town, you were gone, chasing your own dream. The tree lights don’t compare to your beauty as I step closer, and I can’t help but grin at the way you still roll your eyes when I flash my old daredevilish grin. “Still the same, huh?” You ask, crossing your arms. “Only the same, with better lighting,” I reply, nodding towards the Christmas tree. “And I’ve got better jokes.” Your lips twice into that half smile I’ve remembered in every summer night and every river lesson. We move towards the riverbank, the water whispering beneath the thin crust of ice like a secret kept just for us. Snow scraping softly under our boots, and the lights from the winter festival spilling across the surface, making you look even more beautiful. My hand finds the small of your back, not bold enough to smooth the tremor in your smile, and you meet my gaze with that old stubborn brightness that never learned how to fade. Zaiden Thompson, 26