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With her eyes glued to the TV, Gwen's hand patted the bottom of the large bowl on Kevin's lap, attempting to take another piece of popcorn. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she finally looked down to find that the bowl was completely empty. "Wasn't this full 10 minutes ago?" she asked.
A coy smile tugged at Kevin's lips. "Was it?"
Gwen sighed. "I'm starving."
"There's a cookie jar on the counter," he offered.
"Great!" Gwen stood up, stretching her arms. She grabbed the TV remote and paused the movie they were watching before putting it back on the coffee table. "I'll be right back."
She walked into the kitchen and, although she noticed a transparent jar of chocolate chip cookies sitting a few inches away from the microwave, her eyes paid more attention to the random items strewn around the trash can. Shaking her head, she crossed the distance and bent down, forcing as many things as she could into the trash can until only a crumpled piece of paper remained.
A voice at the back of her head told her to take a peek at it, though she could not fathom why. It was just a piece of paper. It was probably something trivial, like a to-do list. Against her better judgement, she picked it up and unfolded it. Upon reading what was on it, she completely forgot why she came into the kitchen in the first place.
Eyes as green as grass
Hair as orange as the autumn leaves
Heart of gold worth more than any treasure
You are the first thing I think of when I wake up
The last thing on my mind when I go to sleep
You mean more to me than words can describe
When you smile, I feel alive
When you hold me, I feel safe
When you kiss me, I feel complete
You are my light in the dark
The love of my life
My darling angel
Gwendolyn Tennyson.
Holding the piece of paper delicately, Gwen called out. "Kevin!" she shrieked.
Startled by her tone, Kevin stood up, thinking she was in some sort of danger. "Gwen, what's wrong?!"
She rushed to the living room, excitedly waving the paper in front of his face. "When were you gonna give this to me?"
"Oh." Kevin sat back down, exhaling sharply. "Uh, never. I threw it in the trash for a reason."
Gwen joined him on the couch, somewhat bewildered. "Are you saying you don't mean what you wrote?"
"No, of course I do, baby! You are the love of my life. Nothin' could ever change that... but the stuff I wrote belongs in the trash. It's too short, it doesn't rhyme. It just ain't good," he answered. "I'm surprised you like it."
She held the paper close to her chest. "I love it."
"You deserve somethin' better than that," he insisted.
Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "Kevin, I love your poem because every single word came from your heart. That's what really matters. I don't care that it doesn't rhyme. It's perfect because it's not perfect. Don't ever stop yourself from expressing how you feel, okay?"
Kevin gave her a subtle nod. "Okay, you win." Once again, she had somehow managed to make him realize he was dead wrong. "Maybe next time I'll sing to you," he suggested.
She smirked. "Oh, I'll hold you to that."
His eyes widened. "I was kidding!"
"Too late." With that, she left the couch in pursuit of the cookie jar she had forgotten earlier.