He watches the stringed markings seem to tangle between her eyes as she processes what he’s said. It does seem strange that he would thank her for drawing attention to the joy behind his antics, but it makes perfect sense to him. After spending a lifetime in complacency and another interred by sheer accident, happiness is a new feeling for him and he is quietly pleased that it is apparent to others.
As her eyes move along the landscape, he allows his own to do the same, letting the silence swell in the space between them. He does not mind the quiet, for he never has at any point in his life, and he takes the opportunity to appreciate the simple beauty of the meadow.
His old life had revolved around very few things, none of them included stopping to notice the subtle pops of color that the flowers painted against the lush green backdrop, the gentle aromas stirred by the slightest movements, the mindless drone of insects dashing to and fro, the mostly pleasant calls of the birds swooping to the next branch.
There are a lot of things that he has missed out on, and though resistant at first, he is now grateful for the events that have begun to reshape his way of thinking.
And here, perhaps, is the most logical answer to her question.
“Well, maybe I should rephrase. Not in love in the typical sense, but rather, falling in love with life itself.”
“It’s hard to describe, but I’ve spent a long time just scraping by.. never really paying attention to things that should matter. Now I am, and I’m surprised to find that I rather enjoy it.”
He turns slightly and gestures subtly toward a partially obscured path in the grass. “Walk with me, Neuna? Tell me what makes you happy..”
assailant
"The comfort zone is always the most desirable place to be. But in settling for comfort, there is a price to pay and it comes in the death of ambition, of hope, of youth, and the death of self."
-Simon Barnes
@neuna