What Do You See?

The familiar notes filled the space as; “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars began to play on a computer somewhere in the corner. His smile warmed the room. Bright, white sparkle behind soft lips. Tufts of black hair wildly placed on the top of his head. His perpetually squinting eyes glaze down. His loving look embracing her but she was unaware.

Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

            He longs to lean forward, to connect lips to mouth; taste the sweet honey sickle. He wishes she would turn, go on tip of toe, arms around neck clinging to him, and reveal her hidden passion for him, too. He envisions the scene a million times, pressing play in the dark recessions of his mind, alone. If only for a second they could jump the barrier of “just friends” into the unknown cliff of, “more than friends.” The song plays around them singing his story to a tune.

Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see
But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say

            He’s singing along now. Words truly sung and she’s shaking her head as if to brush it off. He sings this song often whenever she is near, always when they are with friends. They all become accustom to the consistent presence of the lyrics.

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are

            She laughs at a joke spoken from across the room. This has happened a hundred times before. They’ve all been here, the group of friends. The joke could have been anything. Someone could have made fun of him, or any number of those in room. It doesn’t stop him from singing along as he watches her with a small smile written on his face.

Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me
Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

            He’s being ignored now, but he doesn’t care. He sings the words as if he wrote them himself and he might as well have. He wants them to change everything for them. He wants her to see just how beautiful he finds her. Everyone sees it and in secret he speaks to his best friends about how much he loves her. He tells them that he will wait for her to realize that she loves him, too.

Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same
So, don't even bother asking if you look ok
You know I'll say

            She doesn’t see. I see and I can’t anymore. Not knowing how much more I can take I turn away from the two before me and close my eyes to fight the hot stinging sensation. I feel the lump that forms in the back of my throat every time he says her name. Swallowing it away does me no good because I know that even once the song ends my situation will remain unchanged.

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are
The way you are, the way you are
Girl you're amazing, just the way you are