When you smile.

At me. At our children. At the crazy neighbor couple. At a clever bumper sticker. At the full moon. At silly commercials. At my corny jokes.

And I love you for that.

Integrity.

Your deep sense of always doing the right thing even when I want to look at the situation through many viewpoints trying to gain an edge and you gently guide me back to complete integrity.

And I love you for that.

Brushing your hair.

I love to catch glimpses of you brushing your hair, striking different poses in the three-way mirror, pretending to be Marilyn or Hedy or Elizabeth. Sometimes you ask me brush it.

And I love you for that.

Making me wait.

Because you try on lots of outfits. And shoes. And purses.

And you are so god-damned cute!

And I love you for that.

Your legs.

And feet. And toes. And knees. And ankles. And thighs. I steal glances of them whenever possible. They curve. They shimmer. They flex. They tempt. When I’m not able to touch, massage or kiss them I pretend that I am. And I love you for that.

How you let me lead.

You like it when I make suggestions for where to eat, where to go, what to do. “Anything you want, Sweetie!” you say. I mentally edit the list down to two or three choices I know you like, and then you pick one. That it was ever truly my choice is a nice illusion.

And I love you for that.

Your ears.

Is anything more precious than your ears? I can’t decide whether I like the left or right one the best, but I have years to decide. Decades. I love how you let me tease, kiss, and gently bite them, even though you’re ticklish.

And I love you for that.

The way you love animals.

Dogs. Cats. Bunnies. Snails. Coyotes. Fish. Raccoons. Foxes. Animal Planet. And I love you for that.

The way you kiss.

Kissing you may be my favorite thing ever. I love your face, your lips, your teeth, your tongue. How you follow my lead, the pacing, the penetration, the lip biting. How you take the lead at times, gentle or aggressive.

And I love you for that.

Your fingers.

All 10 of them (I don’t count thumbs separately.) How they’re both dainty and strong. Slender yet powerful, smooth but jointed. Grasping mine at expected and unexpected times. But always welcome.

And I love you for that.

The way you love me.

Unconditionally. Heartfully. Longingly. Desirously. Achingly.

And I love you for that.

 

 

 

 

Relephant:

 

Before We Fall in Love.

When I Say I Love You, This is What I Mean.

 

 

Author: J. Brian Young

Editor: Renée Picard

Image: Flickr/Pierre Lognoul