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It was not quite daybreak when James awoke. The blue-black haze of twilight hung in the air, blanketing all he could see. Everything in the small room was dark, and it was hard for him to make out anything but outlines.
As he swung his leg over the side of the bed, he looked to Jesse, who slept in the bed next to his. He could feel a chill breeze on his arms as he walked over to the small desk in the corner of the room.
He clicked on the small reading lamp, it cast a warm orange glow in a circle that encompassed the desk and the small patch of floor it stood on. Siting at the desk on a mock-mahogany chair, he stuck a pencil behind his ear as he riffled through the desk for his legal pad.
Removing the pencil from behind his ear, he put it thoughtfully to his lips. He was trying to find just the right words, this had to be perfect.
Opening the paper, he searched again for the article that had caught his eye before. Ah, there it was, that most alluring section of text.
It was a personal, one that made his heart pound and his pulse quicken. The womans few words were enough for him to know she would make his life whole.
His gaze again went to his partner's sleeping form. He sighed deeply, though he paused tensly as she stirred, she couldn't find him writing this.
Still, he could not help but feel guilty when he watched her there. They had been through so much...
But he could not argue with the fact that something was missing from his life. Wasn't it everyone's dream to have some one to love, to grow old with? This personal promised a woman with a love of life, who loved to take long walks through the groves of an orchard, and to stay out all night dancing.
He felt that now was the right time for this, life passed by those who stood still. These past years reflected on, made a needed wake-up call. It was like a man who started every day walking down the city blocks to work, crossing the same crosswalk week in, week out. When one day a car just misses him, and suddenly the sky is crisp, the wind is sweet, and he realizes where his life is going.
Finally his life would mean more than a simple rouge desperate for a dollar.
Across the room Jesse awoke, and groaned as she sat up. James quickly tore the paper from the pad and stuck it in his pocket. He would mail it later, when she wasn't looking.
He went through his day in a haze, a spark of hope for where his life may lead lit his eyes. But his stomach twisted with guilt at the present.
Jesse smiled at him throughout the day, even chuckling lightly at his mistakes. How could he hurt her like this? It was cruel, he knew, but something had to give. He didn't even know if she felt the same way he did, or if she'd even bat an eye if he left.
It would be so wonderful to find a soul mate, and tommorow he could read the mysterious woman's responce.
The next morning James again woke first. It was a habit that had recently grown quite fortunate the past few days.
He practicaly leapt out of bed that day and estaticly opened the paper, nearly ripping it as he scanned the colums.
His racing heart nearly stopped beating as his eyes rested on the section.
"I feel like you're my soul mate, though I don't even know you.
On 3rd and main there is a bar called O'Malley's.
We can go dancing and spend forever in each others arms."
James dropped the paper, then picked it up and read it again, to be sure it was true. The bar she had mentioned was only three blocks from here.
For a second he paniced, how would he get there without Jesse knowing? Then he remembered that she said she would be out that day.
He laid in bed, faining sleep until she left. When she did he hastely brushed his teath and ran out the door.
In town he brought a truely stunning outfit. A dark blue velvet suit that nicly complemented his eyes and hair. Under it he wore a white dress shirt with a ruffled collar and long laced cuffs. His hair was tied back, still with a wisp in his eyes. He looked like he stepped out of an Ann Rice novel.
He supposed that some of Jesse's fashion sence had rubbed off on him as he reserved a table and sat down.
Six o' clock came and went, as did seven. When Seven thirty rolled around, he nearly left, head hung and depressed.
Suddenly, the room grew quiet as she came in. He knew it was her in an instant.
The sleek red dress hung to her every curve, the black chocker gently rested on her throat.
He stood, as his eyes welled up with tears. Yes, this was his love, his soul-mate. It was none other then Jesse.
James took her hands and whispered in her ears:
"Would you care to dance?"
Her eyes sparkled with a wordless "Yes." And he knew he didn't have to ask twice. They were the envy of the room as they moved, their strides perfectly in sync.
Their gaze was never brocken, not for an instant. As they circled the room again he knew that his life was complete.
"Jess?"
"Yes James?"
"I suppose I knew this all along, though I was too blind to see. You are the one, the only one for me. I want to spend forever in your arms, in bad times and in good, sickness and health. I want to start every morning with you by my side, and I will never leave you as long as I live. I love you Jesse."
For the moment it was just them, standing in the middle of the ballroom, kissing. The way it would always be.
He looked into her deep, blue eyes and could see them together, with a house full of children and a life full of happiness.
And them, in each others arms,
Forever.