Sweet Treats and City Streets
A Short Story About Love in New York City.
The mid-morning sun casts a soft glow, warming the slight breeze as we walk hand in hand. Lina’s fingers fit perfectly between mine. Her thumb brushing against my skin every so often, it’s one of those small, unconscious gestures that makes me fall even harder for her. I wonder if she knows just how much I love her. I lift our interlaced fingers to my lips and press a kiss gently against the back of her hand. She blushes, and it’s the cutest thing ever.
We stroll through Central Park. Buzzing with life at every corner, the steady hum of New York City in motion wraps around us like a familiar melody. Couples stroll, their arms linked, while joggers weave through the crowd, earbuds in and focused on their pace. A golden retriever pulls eagerly on its leash, tail wagging furiously as it sniffs every tree trunk in its path. Groups of friends sit on stoops or lean against brick façades, clutching iced coffees despite the cooling weather, their laughter floating into the air like music.
It’s one of those perfect summer days, it’s not overly hot but breezy and sunny. The air smells like flowers, sunscreen, and food.
We’re quiet at first, simply taking it all in. I can’t believe New York City can be like this, but also the epitome of an anxiety attack all at once. It truly is fascinating, my favorite city in the world. It will always be New York or Nowhere.
No one talks about this, but New York is a city of love. Sure, we were ranked the worst city for dating in some survey, but if you stop and look around, there is love everywhere in this city. Especially right now in this park, there is a lot of love in the air.
I pause in my steps realizing that I have been ignoring Lina. She stops with me, a puzzled look on her face. We pull to the side of the walking path to not stand in the way of others. I look down at our hands, still locked together. I gently remove mine away from hers and pull her tightly into my chest, my head resting on her head. I breathe her in. She smells like summer and coconut mixed with vanilla.
“I love you,” I whisper in her ear.
“I love you,” Lina whispers back.
Moments like this make the whole world feel quieter, like somehow it’s just us, and nothing else matters.