We breathed summer like sweet air; we found each other like a mirror.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius spends the entire morning trying to figure out how to dress himself. He keeps changing shirts and trousers both, unable to satisfy himself with the colors or the cuts of the fabric. He does not want to appear too formal for ice cream, yet, he wants to make himself look nice for Kathy. He puts on a record, something from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, and tries not to think too much. He fails on this last count, but, after about three hours of agony, manages to settle upon a loose, white dress shirt and a pair of dark olive chinos. He wears a nice pair of leather boots to complete the outfit and attempts to tame his hair, which doesn't quite work, but he made the attempt, he tells himself.

At one, Marius makes his way out of the apartment, trying to keep his keys from slipping from his sweaty palms as he balances the flowers he found at a local flower shop, a bunch of hydrangeas, in his other hand. His nerves feel on edge, and his stomach keeps rolling about. He inhales deeply, trying to calm himself. He hopes the flowers aren't too much.

He focuses his thoughts on the imminent promises of ice cream and the boardwalk, looking out at the sea with the loveliest, sweetest woman in Darrow. His lips quirk into a smile then, just as he reaches Kathy's door. He knocks, steps back, and waits.