The Seemingly Supernal Nature of Otherwise Conventional Laughter

"The Seemingly Supernal Nature of Otherwise Conventional Laughter"

She laughs quietly and brushes the hair from her eyes

when he suddenly freezes,

catches her gaze and says
“What does that laugh mean?
I've never heard you laugh that way before.”

Her cheeks instantly burn

and flush a bright pink as she desperately

tries to distract him or change the subject.

And it works.

It's too foolish and risky to try to explain

that every once in a while

when her shoes are off and her guard is down,

if you place your and on her leg in just the right way

while telling her that she's beautiful,

her soul begins to fray a little at the seams.

Not much, but just enough to reveal that she isn't

anything he dreams her to be.

He sees this enchanting duchess of great stature and beauty

when in reality,

she couldn't find matching socks

again,

her life is just as much a mess as her house,

she's late on the electric bill

again,

and she has absolutely no idea what she's doing

in any aspect of living.

But the thing is, if she could be doing anything,

she'd want it to be something meaningful and beautiful.

And that's where things get complicated.

He seems to think the simple act of breathing

is a an exquisitely graceful process,

whether expressed through tiny gasps,

excited lengthy stories about butterflies,

or as now, a quiet laugh.

She has never been graceful a day in her life.

But he touches her as if she were a Lily,

so delicate to the touch, that even fingertips

could bruise.

He looks at her as a child stares at a rainbow,

taking in all the colours before it suddenly disappears.

And he speaks to her as if she might one day wake up

and decide to never speak to him again.

But she is no duchess.
She is no champion of intangible beauty.

She is anything but put together.
At best, she is held together with glitter,

rubber cement,

and a thousand wishes on stars.

She laughs

not because what he says is funny,

but because she fears in a moment of

unexpected vulnerability

she has bared more than just her feet

and he can see all the secrets

she's spent a lifetime trying not to reveal.

In truth,

she'd love to be a duchess...

but they don't take her kind

and he has only ever loved her

through rose-coloured glasses.

That laugh

was the most real he's ever seen.

And in that moment,

he had no idea who she was.