On The Look

Every so often, when you’re lucky, you’ll come across a look. It’s not a “come hither” look, or even a “I caught your glance from across the room” type of look. To encounter it in the honeymoon phase of a relationship is like stumbling on a diamond in the middle of a forest.

Such a look, when encountered, is perhaps the epitome of intimacy. Not a sexual intimacy, but more sitting on the sofa wrapped up in each other’s company type of intimacy. And it’s silent. Not awkwardly silent, but a content, happy, life couldn’t get better, I’m exactly where I should be kind of silent.

It’s on occasions like these when one might come across such a look. Or even after a silly tousle on the bed or around the house. After the laughter dies down and you look at each other and you look into each other’s eyes. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across that look right about then. That Look. THE Look.

It’s the look that says, “No matter how I say it, no matter when I say it, or even how often I say it, the line’s the same: I love you.” It’s the look that says, “I’m falling back in love with you.” It’s the look that doesn’t just say “I love you,” but it says, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I SEE the rest of my life with you.”

Compared to the look that caused Paris to kidnap Helen, or the look that Romeo had on his face when he first saw Juliet, this look is softer, more polite. This look, this Look, isn’t one that would set hundreds of ships to sail to bring back one woman. On the contrary, this look is one of symphonies, of sweet passion, of true love. This look is the look that Westley gave Princess Buttercup when he calmly pursued her over the years. Whether he was fighting Spaniards or Prince Humperdink or mostly dead, Westley had that look of love and the serenity that it brings.

I’ll admit that sometimes it’s a frightening look. Sometimes you’re not ready to encounter such a look, such a realization.

But sometimes, when the timing’s right and the two of you are in the same place, you’ll realize just how amazing that look is. You’ll realize that he is indeed completely and utterly in love with you and that there is absolutely nobody else for him. And in that instance there is no other place he would rather be than in your arms.

And in that moment, you too will realize that there is absolutely nobody else for you and nowhere else you would rather be as well.

And you’ll be beyond happy. Completely serene. Because then, you, too, will have that look on your face.

I’m in love. And it’s exactly where I want to be.