I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

“Sorry,” he says. Softly.
“Do you have a love story for me?” I ask.
“No.” Neo reads over the last few lines he’s written. Then, he picks
up the small stack of papers filled to the brim with ink, making sure
they’re even. “But I didn’t add any violence.”
Then, the extraordinary happens.
Neo offers me a treasure from the sea.
He frowns at my awe. “What the hell are you smiling for? Take it.”
I do. I take it like the most fragile thing in the world. Because when a
writer gives you a gift as precious as their work, they give you their
trust, their control, their heart put to paper.
Before I leave, Neo calls for me.
“Sam,” he says. I glance at him over my shoulder, and he glances
back.
“What are we watching tonight?”
I don’t make it a habit to converse with patients. My curiosity never
asks for it. When I look at Neo, at the weeks I’ve spent getting to
know him, I
realize between our silences that this is not the start of a
conversation.
It’s the beginning of a friendship.
soliloquies
There’s something worldly about her. She’s not elegant or dainty.
She’s raw, unapologetic, a type of beauty only confidence can wear.