A Moth To His Flame

I'm like a barren tree that no one ever hugged, a rose bush that no one ever touched. One can say, I'm touch deprived. More precisely, love deprived. Never been showered with those tiny displays of affection, not even by those close to me. I did not mind, though. I had come in terms with it. I accepted, I was unlovable, an island meant to be alone. I embraced it as my truth, my identity. So much so that whenever someone genuinely tried coming close to me, I'd tell them that I liked my solitude better, like an old nomad rejecting civilization. But suddenly, one day someone swept in like a summer breeze. It took me by surprise how our hearts drew so close in such a short time. He would pull me in his arms, saying I'm so squishy and warm. He would call me silly names just to make me scrunch my nose then laugh about how funny I look with no glasses on. Somehow, I found comfort in him. His tender embrace like a soothing balm on my wounds, his words a soft caress on my weary soul. 

Loving me is no big deal for him, this is simply how he is. He gives his world to everyone he loves, yet I feel like the special one in the midst of them all. His love is never something to be questioned, ever-giving and unconditional. I am aware that it is platonic, that I have always known. Yet each time he casts his gaze my way, there is a flame inside my heart that cannot be tamed. His beaming gaze as he looks at me, unravels the petals of my heart like a gentle spring breeze, setting the rhythm of a beautiful love song, for only he can hear. His presence alone is enough to make me feel like I'm standing on the shore of a starry sky.  It's like a captivating dream, although I know it's never going to be. His love is like a raging river, one I can never cross. A mirage, glimmering in the desert, the one I can never reach. If he is the sun, then I am a mere passing cloud in his sky of warmth and grace. If he is the moon, then I'm a falling star, unseen and unnoticed, in his sky of wondrous dreams. But still, I find myself drawn in like a moth to his flame. 

Her, Sarai Mia (A Novel By Manasi & Noor *Coming Soon*)