"Associative Looseness"

"Where were you last night, Yolly?" Damien gently asked Yolanda while they were having their lunch together at the cafeteria.

"You always disappear like that. You worry me sometimes," he added.

"Why?", Yolanda asked back.

Damien took a mouthful and took his time in chewing his food. Yolanda waited for Damien's reply.

Then a weak answer emanated from his lips, "I'm worried that you might disappear and would never come back."

Yolanda started biting into her sandwich. Both were trying to mask the awkwardness and the obvious and diverting it into the food. Damien kept looking up at Yolanda while Yolanda nonchalantly bites and chews her sandwich, mindful of Damien's behavior.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," she asked.

"Doing what?"

"This", and she gestured her hands as if pointing to the invisible connection that they have called a relationship by others; devotion by Damien, and stupidity by Yolanda.

"Coz, I need to. Coz I want to. Coz I love you."

Silence.

Then suddenly Damien found the energy and with high spirits asked Yolanda, "So! Have you chosen the motif yet?"

Yolanda shook her head. Then smiled and answered, "I would like it to be pink.."

"Pink?? Cmon, that's too over-rated. Choose something else."

"Yellow."

"Too bright."

"Orange."

"Difficult to pair with other colors."

"Why don't you just choose it since you're the bride?", Yolanda sneered at a laughing Damien and stood up from her chair and tried to walk out.

Damien grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her arm around his shoulders so it would look like Damien is rubbing his face against her belly.

"Fine, fine. Sorry. We'll have pink then."

"No, I want black coz it's gloomy getting married to a dork like you!", Yolanda was still upset.

"Sure, I like black. Let's go with black."

Yolanda's face turned red with frustration as she stared at Damien who's totally having a good time picking on her. For a moment she stood there, looking at Damien, her arms around his shoulder and his arms around her waist.

Then something inside her melted. She stooped and gave Damien a kiss on the forehead. Then on the cheeks. Then on the lips.

Then she whispered, "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

(to be cont..)