The Moon Hiding at Dawn

Chapter 17: The Sun Sets

"It's about us..."

Rain started pouring, huge droplets of water crashing violently on us. Normally, we'd search for cover. We'd run like the wind towards the nearest roof to avoid the sting of raindrops hastily piercing our bare skins. But right now, neither of us were bothered by it. Not by our wet clothes. Not by the pain seething beneath our skins. Not by the violent brushing of winds nor the monstrous clap of the heavens.

 We stood our ground under the harsh beating of the rain. Nothing other than death can possibly pull our roots out from this moment. About us... I'm not an expert in socials especially relationships but those words are the harbinger of the times. What followed those words always carried an extreme weight. A prelude to serious times. What about us is this about? I can only pray to a non-existent god that it does not dwell on what has been on my mind for ages.

"It's... It's not what I'm thinking am I?" I asked

"I'm sorry..."

"Dude, come on... You won't be going anywhere right?"

Dead silence...

I can't hear anything despite the storm raging around, screeching whatever lungs it has. The world continues with its pace but has remained silent to my ear. All I can hear were her words. But even those words haven't escaped to the open yet.

Kallen was awfully silent. She stayed like that for a while then looks up at me, tears streaming from both eyes.

"Let's call this off..."

I turned tone deaf for a moment as the very words reverberate through my skull. Now I couldn't even hear what else she was saying. All that registered was an endless torment of an echo. An echo that shattered the one thing I ever genuinely held. Everything that I looked forward to in the future crumbled to dust. The weight of the world collapsed upon my shoulders. My vision was blurry from the tears in my eyes.

This is a dream, right?

Come on. It's about time I wake up from this nightmare. After all, Kallen is still snuggling in my chest in reality, right? We'd still be in the same rooftop sharing our warmth with each other against the beating of the cold breeze, right?

But deep down, I know it's useless. It's futile to expect this to be something that exists only within the realm of my mind. The pain is too real for this to be a dream. I felt so weak that I fell on my knees, crashing on the now muddy ground.

She rushed to my side and buried my head on her chest in a hug.

"I'm sorry..." She sobbed. "I have to do this... For your sake..."

She held me for a moment, then kissed my head as she ran past me, leaving me alone in the rain. Which was it? You can't say that you're leaving me when you clung to me in tears! You can't say that it's for my sake when you haven't explained even a word about it! You can't just change how I live my life, lift me up to the heavens, make me experience sights with you that I never expected to like only to leave me hanging like this!

I'm on my knees, frozen, under the rain. Each raindrop painfully crashing towards me, as if beating me back to this abhorrent reality that I live in. My body is back in its physical senses. My mind and heart aren't.

I gave up my previous life for the sake of a life with her. Even at best, I can't turn back time to warn my old-self of this event. Let alone turn back time to save this relationship. Heck, I don't even know where or what went wrong.

All I know is that I'm left on the bitter end of the stick. All alone.

I shouted in frustration and kept slamming the ground, mud and water splashing around at every hit. Every ounce of anguish and grief powering my every strike that my hands just felt numb. At this point, I can't even feel what I'm doing anymore. I don't know what's going on.