His

He was standing there; tall, handsome, his pale face accentuated by his choppy brown hair. He stood tall with an air of confidence; face tense and focused. He was watching; he was waiting for something. His body was strong. His demeanor was proud. His heart was light. His nerves were high; sweat beads forming at his hairline, a slight quake forming in his crossed hands, all while remaining at ease. His green eyes were graceful. Every few moments they would scan the surroundings. Yet, he wasn't seeing anything that day all except for one thing. He would only see what he was waiting for. He was watching; he was waiting.

All of the sudden a melodious tune filled the air. Instantly his back stiffened, and a tiny smile crept into existence upon his face. He looked down, and then looked back up, brushing the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve simultaneously. Returning to his prior stance, he watched as a few beautiful women walked by. But then, his heart stops. He sees her. She makes her way gracefully toward him. A tear escapes his masculine heart and eye. Her beauty is captivating him; as it has done every day prior to this. Thoughts of love and adoration flood him; thoughts of moments; the beautiful and the not so beautiful, the talks, the tears, the fears, the years. He drifts back to the moment when it all started.

Stella was only 22 at the time, Marcus was 23. The first time he saw her, it was nothing special. Sitting in the local diner, Marcus was bummed over being ditched by his date for the evening. He was spending the remainder of it sulking over some coffee. The diner only had one other customer tonight besides him, and by this time, it was close to closing. Marcus just couldn't stop the feeling that he would never find a solid girl to spend the rest of his life with in this stupid town of nowhere.

"More coffee sir?"

"Yes Please," said Marcus, not looking up, a little more stern than he would have liked to come across.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you okay? You have been here a while and I can't help but notice that you look kind of troubled."

"Yeah, I guess I am okay. Thanks."

"You might want to stop drowning whatever is wrong in coffee though. You will never sleep tonight," she said with a slight laugh behind her voice.

Marcus sat up a little bit. She was refreshing.

"It has just been a rough day," he said while releasing a sigh.

"Yeah I know how that feels," she said while doing the same.

She preceded to glance around the empty diner to make sure no other customers came in. With the coast clear she sat down in front of him in the booth. She laid the coffee down on the table after topping off his cup.

"I'm Stella by the way" she said with grace and confidence.

Her confidence caught him off guard. He liked it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Marcus." He reached his hand across the table to shake her hand. Her touch was soft.

They continued talking; just some easy conversation pertaining to each other, the basic questions. As the night grew older, the conversation deepened. Marcus opened up about why his night was so dreadful, and Stella conveyed her frustrations with the opposite sex too. He liked her. She was different. She was oddly open yet reserved. Her spirit seemed genuine and free. He liked talking with her.

"Well I better get to closing the diner," she said with a sigh.

"No," escaped from his lips to quickly. He tried to correct rapidly.

"I mean, yeah I guess you should. I should get going anyway. It was great talking with you Stella."

"Yeah, thanks, it was nice."

"So, we should do it again sometime," he said praying for a positive response.

"We should! I get off around the same time tomorrow. Want to go see a movie of something?"

"I would love too. I'll pick you up here," he said with satisfaction.

He walked out of the diner with a huge smile on his face. She was magnificent. He couldn't wait to find out more about this girl. What made her tick, what made her get up in the mornign and go to bed at night? What did she live for and breathe for? He was curious about everything. What about him made her comfortable to talk to a complete stranger?

He is shaken from this flashback when she arrives before him. Now he seems complete. His deep eyes peer into hers with a gentle love. His quaking hands reaches for hers; his brides.

-------------

She was a mess. Her insides were mush and she couldn't seem to walk straight. Doubts and fears flood her thoughts. But then they were quickly replaced by high hopes and expectations for the future. She grabs her father's arm as she gently kisses him on the cheek.

"It's gonna be okay daddy. I love you," she said with a lump in her throat.

With that she began her gliding through the sea of people. Could this really be true? She could not be happier. Seeing him stand at the other end of the isle melted her heart. He was perfect. How could she have been so fortunate as to marry the most amazing man in the world? She drifted back to that night.

Fed up with life, Stella was anxiously awaiting closing the diner for the night. Customers had been scarce except for this one troubled fellow. She couldn't figure out why he wouldn't leave. he was ordering coffee after coffee, seeming very put out about something. Deciding she wanted to get out early tonight, Stella decided to go over and investigate.

"More coffee sir?" she said hoping for a no.

"Yes please."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you okay? You have been here for a while and I can't help but notice that you look kind of troubled." She was startled by his handsomeness as he looked up at her with sad eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

"You might want to stop drowning whatever is wrong in coffee though. You will never sleep tonight," she said hoping she would be able to hear him laugh. That thought made her nervous and scared all at the same time.

"It has just been a rough day," he said in a saddened tone.

"Yeah I know how that feels." She preceded to look around the boring empty diner and sat down with confidence. She had no clue what she was doing, but decided that she longed for some conversation. The need to leave early quickly slipped out of her mind. This town didn't offer much of a social life. She sat the coffee down after graciously topping off his half full cup.

"I'm Stella by the way," she offered trying to probe the conversation on so she didn't look like a complete idiot. When it came to men, she knew nothing; especially with ones that were complete strangers. But, this stranger didn't seem to feel like a stranger. He seemed sweet. Looks can be deceiving she decided, so she preceded with caution.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Marcus." He then reached his hand across the table to shake her hand. His hand shake was stern and strong.

They continued the night with small talk as time flew by. She loved listening to him. Loving to listen to a stranger was strange to her, but non-the-less she allowed herself too. He was eays going and unafraid. The world shouldn't be afraid to be open she thought. She knew that she had quickly made a friend.

"Well I should probably get to closing the diner," she said not wanting too.

"No."

She couldn't help but smile as he said out loud what he only wanted to be heard on the inside. She giggled.

"I mean, yeah I guess you should. I should get going anyway. It was great talking with you Stella."

"Yeah, thanks. It was nice," she said hoping for more than an abrupt departing of company.

"So, we should do it again sometime."

Her heart leaped. " We should! I get off at the same time tomorrow. Want to go see a movie or something?" She said this praying that she did not come across too desperate.

"I would love too. I will pick you up here then," he said with a smile.

And then he went. She was walking on air the rest of the night. A dull night at work turned into a day to remember. She couldn't help but think that there was something to this chance meeting. Was it coincidence? She didn't think so.

Stella was then shaken from her memories as she was handed over to the man of her dreams. He was standing there so tall, strong, and handsome. This was their day and all she could see was him. Nothing else seemed to matter. All she could picture was the life she was about to embark on with him, with her husband. A tear ran down her fair cheek. He lifted a finger to her face and wiped it away as he mouthed the words, "I love you." He reached for her hands. She was finally his.