The Concession

Chapter Forty-Three

"Oh." Silence reigned in their midst again.

The forest was beautiful and Will relaxed as he smelled the fresh forest air. It was soothing.

It was about noon now. He noticed rain clouds gathering in the sky. Rain would soon fall.

It reminded him of a certain someone. He smiled.

"I still miss her," William said quietly.

Seth looked at Will knowing immediately who he meant. He looked away. He thought about her often.

"Me too."

"Seth, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

It was a question that he had wanted to ask for a while and he just had to get it off his chest.

William drew in a breath and exhaled.

"Did you hate me, for being with her?"

Seth raised a questioning brow.

"You made her happy, why would I hate you?"

"But didn't you want to be with her as more than just friends?"

He had but what was he supposed to say to that? That he wished he had told her how he felt?

That he felt like an idiot for waiting so long?

He'd always pushed her away maybe it was because he never felt like he deserved her.

"It doesn't matter."

William looked at Seth and noticed an emotion he rarely saw on his face.

Uncertainty.

William looked away.

Rain fell that day. They had gotten to the edge of camp already. William had some of his tools outside.

They both bid each other goodbye and returned to their tents. William took all his belongings in and settled in.

Seth laid down on his bed and focused on the soft pitter-patter of the rain.

He thought about the last few years and how they'd had fared.

He knew that the countless victories could have only been God and it only strengthened his resolve day by day to see it through to the end.

He thought about the countless sacrifices and the lives lost along the way.

He knew it would be all worth it.

They only had to wait for the complete number to come in.

The rain didn't let up and the smell of rain seemed to trigger an old memory.

He remembered him and Hope being late for class because of the rain one day.

They'd had to hide under a tree, it was pouring so hard that they could hardly see the nearest building to them.

Hope being an aesthete had stared out into the rain in wonder.

For people like her, everything around her in that moment was beauty, a complete work of art.

His heart had sped so fast then that even with the wind and rain his cheeks felt warm. He was mesmerised.

She looked so beautiful, ethereal even.

A second later with only a shy glance his way, she'd run out from under the tree leaving him to stare after her like a lost sheep.

The nostalgia felt so real. It had taken a long while for his heart to calm down.