Smiles do an incredible job of hiding the tears and buried heartache. It is nearly impossible to see through them. And very few actually look for it. Jessie thought about this as he put on a smile, looked in the reflection of the window and prepared to walk into the room of laughing people. They had come to expect him to be the life of the party, and the life of the party he was. His trademark was his laughter that filled up any room after he or another finished a story. Everyone wanted his attention and to be with him. Yet, he still felt locked away from them all. He still felt that he could never open up and share to them as they did to him. He was always there for them and helping them with whatever was bothering them, but no matter how hard he tried he could not bring himself to be as vulnerable as they. "Why is it," He thought "that I can not trust, no matter how trustworthy the person?" The frustration crept through his people pleasing face and he fixed it instantly. Well, here it goes. “Hey guys!”
Right away he was surrounded by dozens of people, crowding in, talking and yelling at him for being so late. "Hey, I'm sorry!" He said, as soon as he was able to get a word in.
"Oh! Jessie!" This speaker was Sam, he was a buddy of Jessie, they where almost always together. Yet not even he knew of the secrets that held Jessie so far."Emma brought a friend" He began to lead him in her direction. Some how he had become the official welcomer of the clan. Emma had just gotten up to get a drink. Behind her was a young woman with her eyes to the floor and black hair covering half her face. As Jessie turned toward her, he froze. Suddenly everyone and all the noise was gone it him. There was no one in the room but him and her. She was not even looking at him but he could not look away. Now, it was not because of her beauty, in fact he could not even place a finger on it, But there was something about her that he could not shake. Some sort of aroma that floated off her and stunned him into a stone filled with awe and wonder. His friend Toby snapped him out of it by giving him a friendly push in her direction.
“Umm, Hello” He greeted. She looked up shyly, her eyes where a perfect blue.
“Hi” She whispered softly
“I’m Jessie, Not sure what these blokes told you about me, but I am glad to meet you and hopefully I won’t scare you off” She smiled and said “My name is Kesia, and I don’t think you will” She met his gaze, he felt like her eyes were pealing back every layer of hiding and covering his true thoughts and fears, to the deepest, darkest part of him where he desperately shielded his secrets. He wanted to run in that moment, to stop her from knowing the real him. But in the same moment he pleaded for her never to stop, as if the child still locked inside him wanted to be found and healed.