Free Christian Romance: Heaven on Earth... [4 Beautiful Christian Romance Stories] by Joanne Sawyer

people his age did, which was immerse
himself in television shows, movies, books, or video
games.
    His friends used to tease
him about this—that was not what most people his age did, they said. Most of
them thought about the opposite sex and how they could get the
opposite sex to like them, usually one in particular of whatever gender
fit their bill. They spend their time on their phones or on the
Internet, or hung around places with lots of people, all for that
end.
    “Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed
how some of the girls look at you?” one of his friends had
said.
    He hadn’t known how to answer. Yes, he
did notice, but he thought that that was normal too, that it
happened to everyone. It came as a surprise to him to learn that
some of the smart girls he hung around with used to have a crush on
him but had long since given up because of his general obtuseness
in such matters. It came as an even greater surprise that some of
the girls who liked him yet didn’t eventually become his friend
thought he was gay.
    He himself had begun to
wonder about this peculiarity of his—why hadn’t he ever liked a girl before?
It wasn’t because he was gay, he knew, because he’d never liked a
boy either, but that didn’t make him feel better at all.
There must be a
good reason for this.
    Finally, Charles approached his father
for advice.
    Noah had smiled—indeed, he
seemed like he wanted to laugh at his son—and said that he
understood what he was trying to say. He’d been the same when he was
Charles’ age. He was nearly thirty, Noah revealed, before he knew
what it was to like, and eventually to love, someone. It took his
meeting Charles’ mother for this to happen.
    “I think it’s because deep in our
souls, we are albatrosses,” Noah mused, to the confusion and
embarrassment of his son. “We may roam the skies with so many
others of our kind, but in the end there is only one mate out there
for us.” He patted Charles genially on the shoulder. “Don’t worry
too much, my boy. I’m sure you’ll find her. In time.”
    And he did.
    The very next summer, Charles met
Lucy.
    But he’d been young, and awkward, and
stupid. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing most of the
time. The feeling in his chest whenever he thought of her—never
mind when she was nearby—always rushed to his brain and reduced his
intelligence to zero.
    He didn’t know enough then to consider
the prospect of regret. He only knew that he can’t let her know him
if he was going to be like that. In the end, when he’d finally
straightened himself up enough not to be too much of an
embarrassment to himself, Lucy was no longer interested, if she
ever was.
    She was so bright and pretty, poised
all the time even when she would laugh without reservations, which
happened a lot. She always had a kind word for everyone, and anyone
she meets doesn’t go without an acknowledgment of some
kind.
    Charles of the leaded tongue had been
no exception. Though he could only nod in return, she always had a
smile for him when they saw each other. He looked forward to those
moments, minute after minute, day after day.
    At the restaurant, after their food
had arrived, most of the party had relaxed enough to resume their
lighthearted banter. Lucy and Charles joined in, and in taking care
not to pay each other any more attention than they would the rest,
they made it even more obvious how much aware they were of each
other, how much they occupied one another’s thoughts.
    When Lucy’s cake arrived and it was
time for everyone to sing her a happy birthday, almost everyone
could guess what she might be wishing about as she closed her eyes
and blew out her candles. As she released her hold on her blonde
hair, drew her head up and opened her eyes, the first sight she
sought out was Charles’ face.
    It wasn’t even done on purpose, it was
only the only act that made sense to her at that moment, and the
only one her body could’ve done. Charles’