Walking into the darkness, I met him again. Watching him right now, he was playing with something. I can't exactly say what it is or what I can say it should be, but he was looking very happy with it. I walked up to him and sat beside.
"Meeting you again really feels good."
He didn't say a word and kept on playing. Pouring his hands into the darkness, he took out something and stacked them up over other blocks. I can't tell what it is or what he is trying to make, but I can say he is really enjoying making it.
"Hey, don't ignore me. At least cuss at me with your natural thoughts."
I called him out in a funny tone. He stopped what he was doing and let out a sigh. Holding his hands right beside each other, he looked in front of him for something and then started building again. But this time, he replied, saying something so enormous that I was already predicting it.
"You have already tried to get up to me. But what's that good for? You know, he is still there, right?"
"But at least I am much closer to you now."
"Was that really worth it?"
"For me, yes."
He didn't say anything and kept on sliding his hands over the blocks. I looked at him and smiled. He was trying to push me away, but this time I am not going to let him. I looked up into the darkness as if trying to look for stars, but there was nothing.
"And don't you worry, I will even find a way to his heart."
He asked me in a doubtful manner, "And what if he doesn't accept you?"
"Then, I will go back again and again until he accepts me. Because after all, he is also a part of me."
He left the place where he was placing the blocks and turned around. After a long time, I was finally able to see him. The face I had buried under my rigorous thoughts of emotions. The face whose existence I had always criticized, the one whom I promised I never wanted to meet, is now clear to me.
But this time, I was ready to face it. I had always said all of that to save myself from all the fear. I had always thought that I didn't want to meet him so that everything could be alright, always thinking that if I ignored him, everything could be normal for me. But now I understand, he was never the problem. I always thought of him as a nuisance.
Looking at him, he was a little boy who always asked for help that he never got. When he needed me, I always ran away, but now I don't. I saw him with tender eyes. There was a big scar on his face going from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. I saw it healing in front of me as he smiled. After a moment, our distance widened. He was standing far away from me, but I knew that this might be our last meetup. He called out to me in a fresh, laughing tone.
"That's why I like you."
He came running up to me and jumped, hugging me tightly with all his might. He started disappearing, all his fragments turning into glowing dust. It whirled around me like a tornado and then disappeared in a blink.
"Now only one thing left."
I turned and looked into the distance, narrowing my vision to see what lay ahead. There was an image of a person standing, emitting purple waves from his body. He looked devious, like a shadow emerging from the darkness, just standing there. I looked at him with keen eyes, clenching my fist and gritting my teeth in agony. I repeated the words to myself.
Wait there, I will come to you.
This might be the last thing for me, or so it has to be.
[Samayra]
Everything was quiet in the room. The silence filled everything in that moment. Being in this position with Dylan didn't feel awkward at all. My breathing became quieter as I heard his breathing, his heartbeat matching mine as I listened to it. It was quite amusing to me. I didn't want to move away from this. I locked my arms around him more tightly as I felt his arms around me.
His arms came up to my back and grabbed me, his fingers moving around in a rhythm like he was playing a piano. His hand moved around my back softly, and I felt a reassuring sensation wash over me. I didn't want him to pull away from me. I didn't want to stop it. I didn't want to let him go. I felt a warmth building inside me, and I…
His hands stopped. I came back to my senses as we both felt a little awkward in that moment. Before I could say anything or even get off him, he pulled me a little back from him. Looking up with a smile, he said.
"Can you get up now? You are heavy for me."
After all of that, he still chose to act like the dumbfounded one and pretend nothing happened. I smiled at him before replying.
"Can't you even carry me? Don't you have strength?"
"I do. But to hold up a human, not a cow."
"What did you call me?"
We both had a friendly argument after that. At least we both were able to overcome it—or I can say I was able to overcome myself regarding him. That night, we both laughed in contentment.
Taking out the trash in the morning, cleaning the tables with joy—I smiled with every stroke of the cloth.
*Whoop* *Whoop*
Everyone around me even talked about it. They were not asking me directly, but I could still hear them.
"Hey, what do you think happened?"
"I don't know, maybe she cracked her head."
I finished all the cleaning and went up to take a shower. It had been a long time since I had actually enjoyed a shower.
"Yeah, don't you dare go anywhere! Don't you dare leave me!"
I sang with all my might. My voice was so loud that people outside could hear it. A person yelled at me from near the chimney area:
"Hey, keep your volume down! I can't take a dump like this!"
"Ah, sorry!"
I smiled and tried to keep myself calm. I put my hand over my mouth, but I still couldn't control my laughter. Cleaning my messy hair, I reached for my phone. There was a missed call from Dylan. My heart skipped a beat for a second. With a big smile on my face, I picked up the phone and dialed his number.
"Hello."
Hearing his voice gave a calming sensation to my ears. I wondered for a moment: was his voice always this sweet, or was I just hearing things?
"Hello, are you there?"
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm listening."
"Let's go out."
For a second, I thought I was mishearing things. What is even happening to me? I tried to calm myself down and asked him in a joking manner:
"What, are you asking me out on a date?"
"Yes, I am."
I went completely blank at his words. My eyes widened in shock—what did I hear? But before I could react, he added:
"Actually, you remember when we went to the flower garden?"
I came back to my senses as I heard his next words.
"Yeah, I ruined that day for you. So I was thinking maybe I could take you somewhere."
He said it in an embarrassed manner. I understood and replied in a playful tone again:
"Okay, then it's a date for sure. Pick me up; I will send you the location."
"Hey, it's not a date!"
I laughed as I ended the call. Well, now my day is decided. All I have to do is select what to wear.
Walking with him on this bright, sunny morning, our shadows were cast side by side on the road. It felt amazing. I couldn't really say whether I looked nice in these clothes or not, but he was looking so handsome, the moss green shirt and a black jacket paired with blue jeans. I knew it wasn't an extraordinary outfit choice, but for some reason, today he looked gorgeous to me.
"So, where are we going?"
"I ruined your day at the flower garden, so I decided, why not take you somewhere similar?"
He waved his hand in front of him, and my eyes followed. I looked around, and there were flowers all around us, capturing all the colors of the world—looking so dazzling that words couldn't define it.
"This is so beautiful. I never knew our city had a place like this."
"You like it? Well, it isn't a garden, but this was something that came to my mind. This is our city's Flower Street."
[Dylan]
Looking at the flowers, she was amazed. I never thought she loved flowers this much. I waited at a bench while she looked around for flowers.
I looked across the way and found some gerberas growing in the distance. I walked up to them and waved my hand over them slowly. I knew what to do. A caretaker was standing a short distance away from me. I called out to her, and as she walked up to me, I whispered something in her ear.
[Meanwhile, Samayra was picking flowers. She called out to Dylan, and Dylan ran up to her.]
"Yeah, what happened?"
"How about this?"
"No, don't get that bouquet."
"But why?"
He had picked up some red roses with white lisianthus surrounding them. I looked at them and wasn't happy seeing them together; they weren't a symbol of joy or anything. They were something I was not very fond of. Red and white flowers are never supposed to be put together.
"Look, having red and white flowers together always means a bad omen."
"But how?"
"You can say it's an old myth, but I actually believe in it."
"Okay, then what kind do you like?"
"I like colors that give a sense of calm—the pleasure you get just by seeing them from a distance. Flowers that always carry a sense of comfort."
"I don't understand what you are trying to say."
I turned her around and pushed her gently toward the other flowers.
"Just go and find what you like."
She chose some flowers and moved toward the cashier. Meanwhile, I checked my phone, watching to see if any notifications would pop up related to Miraj or my work, but there were none. At that moment, someone passed by me. My hand bumped into her handbag, and it fell.
"Oh, I am sorry."
I knelt to pick it up. As I stood up, my eyes met her face. I looked at her and froze in shock. The person I had forgotten long ago was standing right in front of me. I never thought I would meet her like this in my entire life. The way it had all gone down—all the memories flashed before my eyes. I swallowed hard before saying anything, but before a word could slip out of my mouth, she spoke first.
"Dylan."
"Ma—"
"DYLAN!"
Before I could say another word, Samayra came running up to me, smiling brightly. She came right up to me and wrapped her arms around mine. Watching this whole scenario unfold before her eyes, the woman couldn't believe what she was seeing. She took a step back in disbelief before smirking, giving me a devious look. She said:
"So you finally have a girlfriend. Good for you."
I didn't say a thing, while Samayra looked at both of us in confusion. She didn't understand who this person was or what she was talking about.
"Ma'am, we are not—"
"It's not what you think."
Samayra was about to say something, but I cut her off and spoke first. I couldn't let her think something else. If everything was going to be set right, I had to say something so that things would go my way.
"You have proven it, Dylan. It was all me."
"No, wait, Mary!"
She started walking away. I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen to me. I just stood there in the middle of the path, completely unable to do anything.
The girl I tried so hard to forget had just appeared right in front of me, and in a single second, my life turned completely upside down.