The gorgeous picture below is from peachysticks on Deviant Art.
Eric closed his eyes and savored the cool, salty breeze and the fine sand between his toes. He liked this place. It brought back fond childhood memories.
“You‘re early.”
Eric opened his eyes. She was here.
“You‘re late,” he replied with a smirk.
The girl giggled. Her laughter reminded Eric of bells, light and tinkling. Careful not to wrinkle her summer dress too much, she sat beside him. “You‘re beginning to look older than me,” she commented.
Eric snorted in amusement and looked at her from the corner of his eyes. “And you haven‘t aged a day since we last met,” he responded. He reached for a lock of her wavy, raven hair and twirled it around his finger. “You looked as if you never even had chemo.”
The girl gave him a bright, cheeky grin. “So, have you snagged any girls lately?”
Eric gave her a pointed look. “You know you‘ll always be my number one.”
The girl gave him a soft, fond smile. “I know.”
Sighing, Eric laid back on the white sand. He idly watched the fluffy, white clouds drift above them. “I think they‘re starting to suspect.”
The girl pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin between her knees. “Really now?” An amused smile flitted on her lips. She stared at the waves lapping nearby.
Eric lazily closed his eyes. The sunlight was starting to hurt his eyes. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “They must have finally noticed that I always come here.”
The girl brushed a few unruly bangs from his face. “You look troubled.”
Eric locked eyes with her. “Mom and dad are starting to think I‘m crazy.”
“Maybe you are.” The girl laughed.
He sat up. “I just graduated Magna cum Laude at the most prestigious state university in the country,” he stated. “It‘s rather unbelievable if I just lost my mind. And besides, we‘ve been seeing each other for two years already. Don‘t tell me I was crazy for that long.”
“I guess not,” the girl agreed, looking thoughtful. “But I don‘t think they would understand.”
A bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. That was true.
“They‘d probably tell me to stop going here,” he told her sullenly. “I might never see you again.”
The girl looked at him with sad eyes. “Don‘t say that.”
There was a pregnant pause. The ocean breeze, once pleasant, suddenly felt cold and biting.
“I missed you so much. Every single day,” Eric choked out, swallowing a painful lump in his throat. “I don‘t want to lose you all over again.”
The girl gently shushed him. “Little Eric‘s still a crybaby at heart, I see.” She engulfed him into a tight hug. “Don’t worry. As long as you need me, I‘ll be here. I promise.”
Eric felt better. She never broke her word.
When he got home, Eric found his father waiting for him at the living room.
“Where have you been?” he demanded quietly.
Eric made a beeline for the stairs. He knew where this conversation was headed. They‘d had it a couple of times before. “You know where I‘ve been. It’s the same place I go to every month.”
“Your mother and I have heard stories that you‘ve been talking to yourself there. Have you stopped taking your meds again?”
Eric froze mid step. He looked over his shoulder. “It‘s not like you could stop me from seeing her anyway,” he retorted coldly. A few seconds later, his father heard his room slam shut.
Mr. Lopez wearily sat down on the armchair. On the coffee table was a picture of a girl and an even smaller boy building a sandcastle. Both Eric and Carol loved the beach.
Just as he was about to reach out for the frame, it toppled off the table. Picking it up, Mr. Lopez saw a crack over Carol‘s side of the picture. He stared at his daughter’s face. He had always compared her to the summer breeze, carefree and gay. Everyone loved her. Eric, in particular, adored his big sister.
But like the passing wind, she was gone too young, too soon. And Eric’s never been the same ever since.
Outside, the wind picked up. It seemed to hum as it made the dry leaves dance in its wake.
1 comment:
Thanks for making me cry lol. Awesome, awesome, awesome story. :-)
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