A Dream of Something Sublime | Teen Ink

A Dream of Something Sublime

March 17, 2013
By WhenItRains21 GOLD, Magnolia, Texas
WhenItRains21 GOLD, Magnolia, Texas
12 articles 0 photos 54 comments

It was easy not to love, because I hadn't found anything worth loving.
But you- you held me in your gaze from the first moment. Of course, I never could have known what those soft eyes would come to mean to me, but I was caught in them regardless. There was something about you, something different.
Something sublime.
It would take months and countless innocent conversations, but I would fall. It started with your words; the care and love which you bestowed upon them as you wrote, crafting beautiful stories to match the works I took so much pride in. I saw in those wondrous stories something familiar, something lovely.
Stories led to memories, and I fell in love with those, too. Each day and every touch sleeps in my mind, engraved in the deepest part of my favorite memories. I could, for the first time, embrace life with wide open arms, living each moment as it passed. With you, I embraced the future. Our futures, together. Happiness couldn’t describe the airy joy of my heart, and neither could elation.
No, it was love.
I couldn’t admit it, but you could. You told me how busy you were falling for me, and all it took was one look into your eyes and I knew, I was busy falling, too. It took me by surprise. It wasn’t at all like I’d expected. I don’t know why, but I’d thought falling in love happened suddenly, that it would occur to me one day when I woke up that I loved you.
That isn’t how it happened, though. It happened slowly, over those blissful months.
It was the little things. It was your smile when we spoke. It was that lilting laugh when you won a playful argument. It was the spark in your eyes when you were hard at work. It was your bad hair days, your cardigan sweater days, your I-need-a-friend days.
But most of all, it was us. It was our over-enthusiastic conversations about music, our geeky debates about superheroes, it was even our occasional complete disagreement. It was you holding me, or chasing me on the beach. It was all the obstacles we knew we would face.
It was those funny little comments you’d make at the most inappropriate times that would linger in my mind all day and drift into my dreams, where I’d still see your smiling face. It was a dream so sublime I could hardly believe it, until I awoke and you were there with a good-morning text and a long message from the night before. Each night, when I would fall asleep before you, and you would tell me how you missed my voice already.
That’s what love was to me. It was you.
It still is you.
But to you, love is her, not me. Not anymore.
Not six months later, when I still cry over the loss of something so seemingly perfect. Six months later, when I still can’t be angry at you. Six months later, as I sit alone on prom night, on my birthday, watching you dance with her. Watching her melt in your arms to the same song we once sang.
This night should be the pinnacle of high school. It’s prom night. It’s my eighteenth birthday. I should be celebrating, but all I can do is bury my face in my hands, letting the tears drop on my wasted dress.
I don’t want to spend this night with anyone but you, and you’re with her. You’re always with her, and I’m always alone.
From the edge of the dark dance floor, I wipe away my tears and stand slowly. I’ll always love you, I think to myself, wishing there were some way to tell you. But I can’t. I won’t. This isn’t a book or a movie, and I won’t make a daring decision to confess all that I feel, and you won’t leave her there and take me in your arms, and we won’t share one more kiss as you sweep me off my feet and lead me onto the dance floor for the most intimate and beautiful dance of the night.
This isn’t fiction, and that isn’t what will happen. Instead I walk away, your soft smile burned into my broken mind.
I make it all the way outside before the choking tears set it. Graduation is in exactly one week, and it’s the last time I’ll ever see you.
Everything we ever had, and everything we could’ve had, will end.
And like smoke through my trembling fingers, I watch my last chance fade away. So now, all that’s left is a tiny dream.
A dream of something sublime.



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This article has 11 comments.


on May. 31 2013 at 8:14 pm
RoyalCorona SILVER, Grand Rapids, Michigan
7 articles 0 photos 290 comments

Favorite Quote:
All of us fave failed to match our dream of perfection. I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible. -William Faulkner

I agree with BookNerd35, really nice!! Great job!!

on May. 31 2013 at 4:40 pm
BookNerd35 GOLD, Herod, Illinois
10 articles 1 photo 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can't. What you've got to do is turn around and say, 'watch me.' -unknown

Beautiful! Good job!!

on May. 17 2013 at 4:53 pm
GuardianoftheStars GOLD, Shongaloo, Louisiana
17 articles 0 photos 495 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Let&#039;s tell young people the best books are yet to be written; the best painting, the best government, the best of everything is yet to be done by them.&quot;<br /> -John Erslcine

This was beautiful!! I loved everything about it! It was so good!!! 5 stars :D

on Apr. 17 2013 at 7:17 pm
livebeautifulx3, Whitestone, New York
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.&quot; Eleanor Roosevelt

The emotions were beautifully described and felt. If you write a background to it, or include specific memories, it may distinguish your piece even more. It's fantastic :)

on Apr. 17 2013 at 12:07 pm
IndigoElisabeth SILVER, Woodbury, New Jersey
5 articles 1 photo 171 comments

Favorite Quote:
John 1:1

Okay...wow. This is really good. The only thing is,it IS a bit cliche, but the emotions, the descriptions, everything override that. And you inspired me to write something...:D :D

on Apr. 17 2013 at 11:05 am
E.J.Mathews GOLD, International Falls, Minnesota
19 articles 2 photos 145 comments
This is a really amazing article. You dived into emotion quickly, yet gracefully. You really made me feel, as a reader, wanting to read on and on. Really beautiful piece, outstanding work.

on Apr. 16 2013 at 12:14 pm
DanielleNichole BRONZE, Pendleton, Oregon
2 articles 12 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot &amp; hang on.<br /> -Thomas Jefferson.

This is a really great piece, also. I love how descriptive you were with it! Definately keep up to good work :)

on Mar. 29 2013 at 9:15 pm
carolinestarr PLATINUM, Ellicott City, Maryland
28 articles 2 photos 30 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;It&#039;s not about who we are, but who we choose to be.&quot;

So, I totally take back my comment on your previous article challenging you to delve more into the thoughts and feelings of your characters. Yeah, you totally did it perfectly here. I love this so much. It's truly fantastic. Great job! :)

on Mar. 21 2013 at 6:56 pm
KenyaLove41 GOLD, Dallas, Texas
16 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.&quot; ~Ambrose Bierce<br /> &quot;Nothing is Impossible, the word itself says &#039;I&#039;m Possible!&#039;&quot; ~ Audrey Hepburn<br /> &quot;Good writing is only bad writing revised&quot;~ Unknown

I really enjoyed the piece but I do have to agree with readaholic a little bit because it did seem a little cliche. But what stood out to me about it and what I enjoyed about it was the way you used the word "sublime" to decribe the feeling of love. It really stood out to me because "sublime" usually isn't a word found in everyone's everyday vocabulary. I liked it keep writing.(:

holly1999 GOLD said...
on Mar. 21 2013 at 5:33 pm
holly1999 GOLD, Middlesbrough, Other
12 articles 8 photos 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;There was no need to clarify my finger snap, the implication was clear in the snap itself&#039; - Magnus Bane

I love this. Really well written and enjoyable to read. It had a lot of emotion and was really fluent. Great story. 

on Mar. 21 2013 at 4:29 pm
readaholic PLATINUM, Tomahawk, Wisconsin
27 articles 0 photos 425 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;d rather fail because I fell on my own face than fall because someone tripped me up<br /> ~Jhonen Vasquez

Honestly, when I started reading this, I couldn't help but think "Aw, not THIS again", you know, with all the love-and-heartbreak stories out there...but I thought this really stood out.  You didn't focus on how broken you were, you focused on what could've been (obviously, the title of the piece).  Everything was very well written and enjoyable to read (because saying "fun" sounded mean).  I think you did a really good job with this piece, it had a lot of emotion.