Heartbeat

"Sit down. Why are you standing?" Celeste asked, now, you could hear the joy in her voice. Adelard didn't care that he was sitting in a small and old chair that was ready to break at any second, thus exposing him to embarrassment. He also didn't care that there was mold on the walls in some places. Also, he didn't notice that there was no normal lighting in this small room. All he saw in front of him was Celeste. A girl in an old, brown dress, with the most ordinary hairstyle. But nevertheless, he saw only beauty in her. He saw the beauty of the soul, of the heart, and was sure that his soul mate was near him. But as soon as he took a few sips of warm water, he came to his senses immediately. Now, he could talk and make plans.

Watching Celeste walk around the room, stomping her little feet on the stone floor, all these details of the living creature made him smile.

Noticing that beaming smile, she asked, "Monsieur, are you all right? Perhaps you have a sunstroke?"

"Probably. I'm not feeling well these days. Maybe from the heat and maybe from you too," he said, and he said the last words as quietly as possible.

Celeste continued pacing the room, her movements quick and confident. And when she had put all the things in their places, she just collapsed on the little couch and covered her face with her hand. Some might say she was being too rude or even ugly. After all, there was nothing feminine about her. Only beauty, but the rest, was more like the qualities of a knight. And Adelard noticed that, though it didn't bother him very much.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Yes. I am very tired."

"What can I do to make you no longer tired?"

She opened her eyes and just stared at him for a while. There was something strange in her gaze, something unlike the other girls. After all, every time girls looked at him, they didn't hide their weaknesses. They wanted to be weak, defenseless. But not Celeste. Frowning her thin eyebrows, she was able to put on the mask of a brave warrior and say, "It takes a lot for a human to stop getting tired."

Adelard could not breathe, think, be himself. It was all left behind. Love left him no choice.

"I felt sorry for you today. You stood there looking like you were being tortured. I felt sorry for you. But don't think that I will always let you into my home. This is the first and last time," she said.

"You left me no choice. Celeste, you know I love you, don't you? Does my love not stand a chance?" Adelard managed to ask. He stood up and stepped closer to her.

Slightly changing her expression to a more wary one, she said, "I have heard many false words."

"You think my words are lies?" Here Adelard laughed nervously. Something told him he had to get out of this house. He even took a few steps toward the door, but something stopped him again.

"Look. I can't go on like this. I've lost myself because of this love. Maybe even my life. I can't stop thinking about you. Every second, you're on my mind. And it's scary sometimes. I know that you've become the whole point of my life. That's why I would like to know something about you, I would like you to trust me and my words. I'm not a bad person. Isn't that enough for you to take my love seriously?"

"Of course you are a good man. I know that. After all, not everyone will just buy a whole farm. After all, not everyone is going to throw their money around. I know you're a very good man," Celeste said, continuing to sit on the couch and with that, her face radiated a kind of amusement.

"Are you judging me?"

"What do you think?"

Can love change a person? Perhaps it can, but only temporarily. At that moment, Adelard knew nothing about love. Nor did he know that he was being humiliated in front of a complete stranger. But that humiliation may have lifted him up to the sky. In the uncomfortable apartment, where it was cold despite the summer, Adelard saw before him a human who had seen a lot. Behind those eyes lurked pain, and he knew it. But what could he do to remove that pain from her face? But perhaps at that moment, Adelard looked too miserable, and so Celeste smiled a little, and it was clear that she, too, had some feelings for him. It's just that, like it happens with women, they always want to be a mystery. But in fact, all this love is a very easy thing. All it takes is a hug and a kiss and that's it.

"I love you," Adelard whispered it one last time, and before he left, he walked over to her and lightly touched her cheek. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear. But now, she didn't want to let him go at all. Abruptly grabbing his hand, she said, "There are still a lot of people out there."

"You want me to stay?"

"Yes."

"Do you accept my love?"

"Before you give your love to someone, wouldn't it be better to get to know that person?"

"I feel as if I've known you for years."

"That's just an illusion. That's what you want to think."

"You want to tell me about yourself? But doesn't that mean you accept responsibility for my feelings?" Adelard asked. This was their moment. And the whole world knew it. The two hearts had finally found that very bridge.

Evening came very soon and when people had calmed down and some were looking for Monsieur Adelard, Celeste closed the door of her apartment and also the windows. Several candles began to illuminate the room. In this room, among the two of them, there was something cozy. Perhaps Adelard was right in saying that he had known her for years. Suddenly there was a kind of sincerity and absence of lies between them. They were both young, and yet they didn't need all those words, all those lines of poetry to prove their feelings. And the only proof of their love was the two cups of tea that found a place on the small, round table.

"I am twenty-eight years old. And since I was ten years old I've lived almost always alone. Sometimes, my uncle would come to me. But he was always busy with his family, so, I was alone. But I am not complaining about my loneliness. I just learned to live and be responsible for my life. Yes, I didn't have a childhood. But I had the confidence to live no matter what. I never went to school, but I can read. I read a lot of books. But I didn't like any of them. There's probably always something deceitful in those books. Especially in books about love. Whenever I start reading a romance story, I immediately hate it. Maybe that's why I could never get along with women."

When Celeste fell silent, Adelard took a few sips of hot tea and waited for the sequel. "My life isn't very interesting. I just live and work and that's it. I don't have any talent. I'm just a human who figured things out too early." Now, she expected him to say a lot of things about himself.

"I think you already know about me," he said. Now, there was no chasm between them. Only a desire to know each other. Only the desire to stop time and create eternity.

"I guess so. I learned a lot about you today. While you were standing in the spotlight, a kind woman managed to tell me almost your entire biography. Honestly, I never knew that such a talented person and a real angel lived in this small town. She also had time to tell me about your family."

"You know everything."

"But I don't know what kind of soul you have. I don't know what makes you cry, what makes you laugh." Celeste's voice was gentle, but she was still serious like a knight. But he liked everything about her character. He saw her as his best friend, the love of his life, and just someone whose arms could be a whole house. As he studied the patterns on the mug, Adelard himself, like a girl, smiled and blushed with embarrassment. It was as if they had switched places. For Celeste could keep her equanimity to herself.

"Are you always like this?" she asked. The shadows of the surrounding objects fell over her thin face, showing her slight sneer.

"What do you mean?"

"You're so gentle, so kind. Aren't you afraid to be like that?"

"Should I be afraid of that?"

"As far as I know, kind people are not always happy in this world."

"In that case, create another world for me and there, I will be safe."

"I see that you have read many books."

"Yes. My life consists of books."

"You are the perfect man. And how come you're still single?"

"I guess I've been waiting for you all this time."

"What are we going to do now? I know you won't just forget me. Or am I thinking too highly of myself? Or do you forget all the girls?" Celeste asked, and meanwhile, her right hand moved slowly toward Adelard's arm.

From this we can conclude that a woman can be very mysterious. And we all need to accept that fact.

"What are we going to do now? If you let me continue to love you, then I will do everything."

"But you know you fell in love with me because of the way I look. You didn't know me as a person and you fell in love anyway. And even now, you keep doing that. Love is like a marketplace where you walk around and only see the shell. Do you think that kind of love will turn into sincerity?"

"You're right. I was in love with your beauty. But now, I hear you speak, I recognize you and the fact that you are different. You're special, a little strange. You don't believe in much, you can't easily trust yourself to a man. I'm just learning all this and so, now, at this very moment, my love is getting stronger and more reasonable. My love has finally found its roots and, like a tree, it can withstand all gusts of wind and cold. I was in love, but now I love." Having said this, Adelard stood up and walked to the window. Outside the window you could see an elderly woman with a small child. She was sitting and smiling, looking at the small face of the child. It made Adelard feel warm at heart.

Celeste silently looked at him. Her eyes still glittered and her heart kept saying only one thing.

"I think it's time for you to go home," she said.

When Adelard looked at her, he didn't see the Celeste he knew. He saw someone else entirely. But these games of imagination did not last long. Because then, in front of him was the same beautiful girl.

"I will see you again, won't I?"