Phase, unfazed

For the oddest of reasons, she always felt like love should feel like home. It should make home change from a place to a person and while that was happening, two people would just become a home, collectively.

No one really understood what she meant when she said these things and you could say that was probably why she hadn't found 'home' yet. In her head it was simple; it was a situation where she could take off her bra and fling it across the room. That's the feeling that she wanted. Kimberly you're crazy, everyone would say to her, you'll grow out of this phase and then you won't have as many high demands.

She always laughed it off but she didn't think she was demanding for anything at all. She just knew that if something needs to last it will have to feel like home. A home that had no boundaries, no judgements, a complete understanding of another person. Time passed, many came, many left but somehow Kimberly was still looking for home.

“This is what it is! You know this is why the perfect formula for every romantic comedy is about the couple hating each other at first and then falling in love. They put their flaws out there, deliberately noticing each other’s flaws too. They do not care about impressing the other person, they just do not care. So when they fall in love, it is real, the flaws are already out there, they have probably seen each other at their worst and now the best that is all that’s left. Are you listening to me?” she said suddenly in between her monologue.

He was, he always is, “yes Kim, I am listening.”

“Yes but, are you understanding?  This is the thing, you need to hate each other before you can fall in love. That is why it works, that is why most eternal love stories begin with hate. Or they should be best friends or childhood friend, so they have been through all of the embarrassing jazz with each other. I am telling you Luke, this is the formula!”

“Great Kim, you cracked it.”

“I do not appreciate the sarcasm Luke. You don’t get it, you need to get over the stuff. In the best movies, the girl or guy is a nerd and then they will suddenly be a bombshell or the guy/girl will be popular and good looking and then they would reveal their sensitive side. There need to be these two phases Luke.”

“Okay, what’s your point?” he said finally putting his laptop away and looking at her, every time she went off on one of her tangents.

“I don’t know, like where are our two phases. We liked each other and then we liked each other some more and that’s about it. Where are our two phases Luke? This doesn’t seem right.”

“Kim…”

“No I am not saying I am not comfortable or something, I am just saying how will this become an eternal story and what if we hit the other phase much later and we don’t like that phase much later. Haven't you ever thought about these things? How do you not think?” she said while she walked towards his desk, moved the laptop and sat in its place and placed her feet on his lap.

“Kim, you have 30 phases in a day. I wake up to your grouchy phase and then run into your ‘yes I’ve had coffee you might speak to me phase’. I’ve seen your let’s fight phase. I have seen you as the nerd who’s sitting with her legs up on the headboard of the bed trying to ‘think’ and I have seen you out at a party being the centre of attention. We see phases all day everyday Kim, we don’t need to do it over the span of a few years when we do it every day. Also the thing about hating first, I’m sure you hate me every morning,” he said calmly.

“Yes I do,” she said as she comfortably slid down on his lap and asked him to wheel her around. She was at home, with her ‘home’.