The Moment When

There was this moment.

It was the short bit of quiet in between conversations.

Maybe he says something funny and you laugh together,

and when you both stop laughing there’s a short moment of silence,

before one of you says something else.

Often the smiles still lingering on your faces.

That quiet moment sometimes only last seconds,

but sometimes it drags out to minutes.

The silent moments where you’re lying there,

in each other’s arms,

those are the moments that get taken for granted.

Those are the most beautiful and intimate moments.

I realized this in the morning.

I lay there on your chest.

You were looking up at the ceiling,

with the softest smile in your eyes.

And I was looking at you.

The light from the window behind you shone through the short hairs that made up your beard.

I focused in on the way the light danced off of your face.

How the softest glow illuminated your body,

and lit up your tattoos

just enough for me to be able to admire them.

I could feel your arm tracing my side ever so gently,

and as I lay there,

watching you smile,

I tried to pause that moment.

I memorized every little detail.

To the way that our legs were entangled together,

to the fold in the sheets that were drifted over our lower bodies.

I wanted to memorize that moment,

slow it down,

store it away,

and cherish it.

Because that moment…

That was the moment that I knew,

that I was deeply, hopelessly, and beautifully

in love with you.