Love In Reality

There’s something about black and white movies. The undeniable class, the maturity, the romance. The women, so beautiful, so elegant. The men so slick and charming. The passion virtually seeping through the screen as he holds her petit frame desperately close in a fevered kiss. The need for oxygen superfluous as they take in every inch of each others essence instead. A dip into fantasies past.

“What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

Natalie sighed, jamming another handful of popcorn in her mouth, a few bits escaping and falling to her lap as she chewed. What she wouldn’t give for a James Stewart to step into her life.
She was an absolute hopeless romantic, and she didn’t care.
Reluctantly she grabbed her phone that had lit up just a couple of seconds before. The text message illuminated on the screen read:

She sighed once more, regretting having given him her number. Unfortunately those texts came often. So frequently she wondered if he ever felt any shame or embarrassment that the request was never actually reciprocated. Why doesn’t he just get the hint? Why can’t they just talk, like normal human beings? Or is this now the norm? You meet someone. You exchange numbers… and then naked pictures of yourself? What kind of reality have we gotten ourselves into…
Where has the tradition gone? Of wooing a lady. Of candles and stolen kissing in the dark. That warm sensation that blooms in your chest. The accelerated heart rate. The talking for hours. Actually getting to know someone. Genuinely.
Nowadays, our phones are the most imminent relationships we have. Something we keep close and turn to everyday. Something we can’t be without. Words aren’t spoken anymore. Words are typed and texted. No one calls… that’s so 2009. We use emojis to depict our emotion. The little smiley reveals an outburst of laughter when in reality you are numb, not a smile cracked. Nobody looks like their profile picture. Angles are everything. Apps that magically plasters makeup on your face if you’re not wearing any. Everyone leading a more prestigious existence than their own actuality.
Natalie chucked her phone to the other side of the couch, choosing once again to ignore the message and turns her attention back to James Stewart. A man of etiquette. The true vision of a gentleman. It’s interesting how things change with each generation. And it’s even more interesting how some of us stay put in some aspects as the world moves on. She wasn’t ashamed, she just had an old soul. She still believed that love was the most important thing above all. While her friends bed hopped and drank themselves silly to appeal to the average man, she stayed home and read… or watched old movies… or wrote. Often she daydreamed of a world in which she wouldn’t be judged or called a ‘prude’ for not “hooking up” with any random stranger. For not being an immature “fuckgirl” to an aimless “fuckboy”.

She smiled watching the screen, knowing she was okay. She will be fine. There was another old soul out there who will want to give her the moon.

-written by ActressInReality