Thinking Out Loud » Ed Sheeran

❝ People fall in love in mysterious ways ❞

It was just a typical Saturday night; after the sun being swallowed by the louring horizon and with the street lamps illuminated, people were everywhere socializing in a courteous manner. The only thing out of the ordinary for the night was wherever one's eyes landed, they were met with a soldier in his full army uniform.

It was the night all the soldiers were jollifying their one last night, the last toast in their homeland before being shipped off to risk their lives for their country. 

Fred had brought her to the bar near the town square, even though she don't drink liquor. Susan gave in only as he assured she could definitely order water and because she couldn't say no to his smiling face. 

The air was thick and hot with the jangle of voices and music, and smelled of a mix of stale cigarettes smokes and alcohols. Susan watched Fred at the bar area getting drinks for them, or to be exact a drink for him and a glass of water for her. It didn't take long for the damsels to notice a lonely good-looking man standing by himself. 

Two beautiful women with auburn curls and captivating blue eyes, who's possibly in their early twenties, waltzed towards him. They were tapping their red heels to the bar music, even as speaking to him. 

They were just talking, but yet that pang Susan experienced in her chest every time she caught a glimpse of warm smile he sent to the damsels termed jealousy couldn't help but sneak into her mind. Her blood began to boil with anger and annoyance as one woman giggled at completely humorless things Fred had said, flicking her reddish-brown hair to one side, evidently a conscious act. 

Fred's eyes caught Susan's and he excused himself, walking over to her, placing the drinks on the table. She almost snatched her drink from his hand, gulping half of it down, feeling the cold liquid flow down her throat into her stomach, cooling her rage a bit as well. 

Fred tried to hide an amused smirk behind his glass of whiskey, but he wasn't fooling anyone. 

"What?" Susan snapped, her eyebrows furrowed at him. Fred's amused smirk transformed into a light laughter as he drowned a big gulp from the glass. 

"You were jealous!" He beamed, leaning back in his chair and leaving a smirk behind. 

She rolled her brown orbs at him, though she really couldn't argue with him as she was slightly jealous. "Two beautiful dames swooning over my man is definitely not worth being jealous." Fred just shook his head, laughing airily. 

"You think it's funny, Frederick Simmons?" She narrowed her eyes at him, playfully. 

"No doll, I think it's adorable," He takes her small slender hand in his big strong ones, and kissing her knuckles. "Heard there's a gig at the town square. I was hoping you could make this poor soldier happy and spent the last hours he has left, dancing with him?" He pleaded, giving his best puppy face. 

"I don't know, Sergeant, why don't you ask one of those dames back there?" She teased, gesturing to the women watching them intently. 

"Because they're not my love and I know you'll miss me when I'm gone." He simply said, standing up and tucking his hands into his pant pockets, angling his elbow out for Susan to take. She wrapped her hand around his bicep, a smile spreading across her red-painted lips as he leaned down pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

They leisurely strolled down to the town square, sharing a comfortable silence, while the world around them bustled with noise. As they neared the town square, the tranquilizing jazz music filled the air, giving them a feeling of warmth whilst the chilling night breeze danced around them. 

The town square was transformed into a dance floor, and a tall raven-haired man in a zoot suit was singing smooth jazz into a microphone with a young raven-haired man playing piano behind him. There was quiet murmur of wonder all through the crowd of men and women that looked on, and a few couples were slow dancing, lost in their own little worlds. 

"Care for a dance?" Fred asked, mirroring the wide smile on Susan's face, taking hold of her hand and guiding her across the floor. He had his left hand firmly, yet gently on the small of her back. While Susan had securely wrapped her arms around him with her right hand locked in his.

With the music being their guide, the two slowly swayed back and forth, eyes transfixed on each others'. The light wind swayed along with them, caressing their hair and cheeks, and causing Susan's polka-dot skirt to ruffle around her bare knees. 

"I love you." He said softly, pulling her a little closer into his arms and brushing the wind swept hair from her face. Susan rested her head on his chest, placing a hand on the soft material of his army suit, feeling the drumming of his heart beneath her touch. An unspoken promise that it is beating for her.

"I love you too." She hummed in content, taking pleasure in the closeness and the warmth that seems to surround her, while he holds her. 

He smiled into her hair, taking in her scent for a moment, that faint sweet smell of red roses he admired on her. 

"Susan," Fred whispered, right next to her ear. She tilted her head enough to look up at him and saw him staring at something ahead, his lips wearing a warm smile that barely hung around the corners of his mouth. 

With her curiosity piqued, Susan followed his gaze to where an old couple with thinning grey-white hair and wizened face was dancing. Their movements were weak and feeble but their smiles were joyous, still showing the most sincere and pure emotion towards each other.

Susan's face broke into a gentle smile as she watched them sway happily, still lost in love with each other. 

"We could be like them," Fred said, continuing to sway her lightly. "Grow old together." 

"Will we?" She asked, her face lighting up at the blissful thought. She could almost form a picture of them with frilly white hair in place of their dark brown locks. Their face, once porcelain, withered by time leaving behind nothing but a flimsy layer of skin. 

"Yes. Still loving when we're seventy," He murmured, looking down at her, his blue eyes soft and caressing. "Acting like we're twenty-three even after our hair is all gone and memory fades." 

"I'm sure you'd still be a charmer then." 

"Do you remember when we first met?" He asked after a moment and she giggled whilst nodding her head. "I never stopped loving you that moment I laid my eyes on you. And honestly I never will."

Susan wasn't beautiful in the classical way. She had no flowing curls nor fair skin. Her ordinariness is what he loved. He loved the way her eyes sparkled a little more brighter when she smiled or laughed, radiating her bliss to everyone within the five meters radius. 

"Where's all this coming from?" She laughed lightly, resting her head on his chest. "Is this the whiskey talking, Fred?" She could feel the vibration of his throaty chuckle, resonating within her. 

"No doll, well maybe a little," He admitted and heard the brunette chuckle softly. "I'm just thinking out loud." 

Time appears to slow down as the melody fades. They were hardly moving any more, just enjoying each other's presence, as he drops his hand and takes a step back from her. 

"I meant every word, Susan. I'll never stop loving you," Fred said. Susan smiles at him, her face slightly confused as he takes out a small box from his pant pocket, opened it to reveal a sleek silver ring with a stunning diamond solitaire. "Let me love you forever."

"Is it what I think it is?" She gasped, her heart leaping with joy as tears of happiness threatened to spill. "I hope you're not jesting, Fred!" 

"Of course not," His hands were shaking while he got the ring out, fumbling a little as his nerves kicked in. "I swear it's not a hurried thought. I've wanted to ask you for a long time, before the enlisting and all. " 

Fred got down on one knee, holding out the ring to her with the kind of smile that shows all of his teeth, for he said, "Susan Claire Jones, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Susan declared, allowing Fred to slip the ring on her finger. She took his face in her hands and pressed her lips firmly on his, closing her eyes and savouring the moment under the midnight blue canvas with thousands of stars winking at them, happily. 

Leaning their forehead together, Fred ran his thumbs over her cheeks, the shape of their lips reflecting the crescent moon that was smiling down at them. 

Some people search the world for love. But, Fred and Susan, they found love right where they are.  

"I love you." Both whispered at the same time.

▪ ▪ ▪

Author's note :

Hey everyone!

This short story is based of Ed Sheeran's song Thinking Out Loud, one of my absolute favorites.

By the way, this story is set in the 1930s-40s. If you couldn't figure it out while reading, then that is a failure from my side. But I hope I did justice to the era, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this short story.

If you did like it, please do vote and don't forget to comment your thoughts.

All the love,

Maddy.