Freckles

Sandra had freckles. Lots and lots of freckles. They were brown and tan and everywhere. Sometimes she covered them with powder, sometimes she drew lines between them and tried to tell the future from the pictures that formed, sometimes she was right.

Sandra liked her freckles sometimes and hated them others, because that is what teenagers feel for their bodies. But there were some freckles she liked all the time, they were on Gian Brianavic's left check, and on his right check, and on his nose, and on his neck, and (as Sandra often imagined) under his t-shirt.

Sandra sat in Statistics class and tried to imagine lines between his freckles; she made the lines shift and jump around but could never see a picture because all she could think of was what it would be like to draw those lines on him. Feel his freckles under her freckles and be freckly together.

That night, while Sandra lay in bed, she thought about Gian and she made a decision. As she turned over one might have been able to see the freckles on her back slowly twist about, though likely they would have dismissed it as a trick of the non-existent light. Whatever they decided, to see or not see, they would have later remarked on what a striking resemblance the shape of her freckles bore to a certain freckly boys smile.

Time went by and Sandra asked Gian out, he smiled and they kissed and then a while later they fell in love, because that is what young people do.

Weeks passed and it came to be that Sandra was able to confirm her belief that there were freckles on Gian's chest, she traced her fingers over them and left little pink lines. She drew a messy bed and she smiled, Gian tried to hide his freckles. He thought they made him look goofy, because that is what young men think.

Sandra told Gian he was beautiful and he believed her as much as he could. Gian told Sandra she was beautiful as well, and she too believed him as much as she could. But both of them had spent time hating their freckles and there are some things words can't change.

That night they made love, and every freckle on their bodies glowed and glowed and glowed. Like stars in the night they danced across the two lovers bodies, shaping happy children and memories yet to be.

But Sandra and Gian didn't see it; they had their eyes closed, because some things are meant to be enjoyed for themselves.