the girl stood with her arms folded atop the lip of the stone wall . i had to believe there was n't anything wrong with her anatomy . please , take care of yourself and come back to me whole . she laid her head against my chest , and the faint smell of strawberries drifted up from her hair . it would be another hour before i slid from the mattress , sliding open the window , feeling the breeze . sometimes i forget how kind he can be beneath all the attitude . it was only a matter of timing . 