By: Marvin Thiele

“Steven, you really need to stop calling me,” came her warm voice.

            “But, it’s been a year. I haven’t called in a year,” Steve said. A sigh, on her end.

            “Okay. Yeah, I guess that’s pretty good. But, I’m still not ready to talk to you and I don’t want to be rude but I think you should wait another couple years. Really, cause I was just starting to move on.”

            Steve smiled as he heard that last part.

            “I understand,” he said.

            “Do you?” she asked.

            “I do. But, I just have one idea. It came to me this morning, from a dream, from a really vivid dream, Sara.” Another sigh on her end.

            “Okkkayy…” she said, hesitantly. “What is it?” Steve had to think for a moment, on how to phrase it.

            “Let me just say, I don’t want to get back together. I really don’t. And that’s not why I’m calling at all, ok? But, do you remember how we used to sit in bed and read together, shoulder to shoulder?”

            “Steve, I think I’m going to have to hang up now,” she said, not really meaning it.

            “No, wait. Just let me finish. It’s just that I want to do that again, not as lovers or anything, just friends, sitting shoulder to shoulder on a warm bed with the blankets on, reading to each other. Just for an hour. And then we can never see each other again,” he said, desperately with a great underlying sadness.

            There was a long pause.

            “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, struggling.

            “But, I miss your shoulder, I miss the smell of your hair, hell, I miss sitting close to you. Your warmth! God, I don’t want you back, I know where you stand on that. But, it’s like aspirin or something. You know? You don’t take it everyday, but why not once in a while? We have all these silly rules. We say never meet, we say keep distance, we say move on, but I don’t buy it, Sara. Think of my dream!”

            Sara was crying now, and when Steven heard her racking sobs, his face went sour and red. “Why do you have to be so close-minded?” he asked, softly. “I really think this could work. I really think, I mean if you just give it a try. You’ll like it. You really wi—”