Below the Sky

Chapter 27: Riana

Me and Lila were laying in the grass, staring at the sky. No one else was around us, and it was very peaceful. I simply felt, happy. There wasn't really any other way to describe it, I was just that, happy.
It was about midday, and we had decided about an hour ago to go and lay in the grass and stare at the sky. Like Lila used to do back home, more before I arrived for the summer.
"What do you see?" I asked her. I held her hand, and we were laying so close together from a distance it may have appeared that we were on top of each other.
"Oh, there's a horse," Lila exclaimed excitedly. I followed her finger and found a cloud that kind of did look like a horse.
"Okay, my turn," I stared hard, searching for something that could pass as a real object. I finally spotted a cloud that resembled a ship, and pointed to it. "Over there's a boat," I said.
Lila tried to find it, but failed. "Where is it?" She asked. I took her hand, moving it up to where I was seeing the image. Laying next to her I could tell her eyes lit up with pride when she finally spotted it. "Oh there, I see it."
I smiled. It had been a day since Lila's mental breakdown, and she was already seeming better. I knew that what she had gone to had taken a big toll on her mind, but also her body. She seemed thinner, more frail.
Suddenly the sun reappeared, shining brightly down on us. I cover my face with my hand, attempting to block out the light.
After fifteen minutes, or another hour it was hard to tell, me and Lila decided to go do something else. "Do you want to go for a run?" She asked me. We were standing, and I gaped at her like she was crazy.
"A run?" I gasped.
"Ya. I haven't gotten out in a while, and you should try it. Running can be really stress relieving," Lila told me. I wasn't sure though.
"I don't know, I don't think I would be very good at running," I said.
Lila took my hands, leaning close to me until we were only inches apart. She smirked at me, her eyes squinted. "Riana, please. It will be fun." She pouted, forcing me to cave.
"Fine," I said.
Suddenly a look passed Lila's face. The happiness from a second ago vanished.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"We won't go in the direction of my...my old house, right?"
My heart sunk with sadness. Lila was worried about going to the home she'd grown up in, and seeing her family. This was all so much for her.
"Of course not, we'll go in the complete opposite direction," I assured her. She beamed with happiness again, the worry and stress that had just a moment clouded her face gone.
"Okay, we'll leave in fifteen minutes," Lila reached up, kissed me quickly on the cheek, and hurried inside. I stayed for a second, speechless. We were doing in this in only fifteen minutes? I had never really ran before, and I could already tell this wouldn't be the most enjoyable experience of my entire life.

Lila stayed true to her word, and in fifteen minutes we were on the road, beginning our run. We started out at an easy pace, heading in the opposite direction of Lila's old home, towards the small town.
I had been living in this place for about two months now, and I had still not been to the infamous small town where Upstate Community College was based. I'd heard of how wonderful it was, with so many little shops, but had still yet to seen it for myself.
We started off at a fairly easy pace, at least it seemed easy for Lila. All the stress and worry from the past week seemed to evaporate from her soul when she ran, and she looked, happy. I was glad that Lila was enjoying herself, but me on the other hand. I began to die within the first few minutes, but persevered.
After maybe ten minutes I couldn't take it though. I told Lila I needed to stop for a second, and we pulled over to the side of the road.
I gasped for breath, taking in as much oxygen as I could. My legs ached, burning with exhilaration. My forehead was covering in sweat, and it dripped down into my eyes, and trailed down my face. Running was very hard.
"Are you okay?" Lila asked me. I nodded my head yes, too tired to form words. Lila hadn't even broken a sweat yet.
"Okay, good, we still have a while let," I looked at her, and how much I just wanted to stop then was painted clearly on my face. I didn't stop though.
We started again, me forcing Lila to go even slower. I figured we'd gone at least a mile at this point, and maybe we would reach the town soon. Thoughts of arriving in a small village kept me moving, forcing my feet to push me forward again and again.
The cycle continued, and after some time I couldn't take it anymore. I forced Lila to stop again. She seemed slightly annoyed, but if my guesses were true she didn't confirm. Instead she stood by me, hands on her hips, glaring. "Are you ready yet?" She asked. I nodded my head yes.
Once again we began. This continued for the better part of an hour, Lila and I running, and me forcing her to stop every ten minutes or so. At last though, we reached the town.
The town lived up to its name, it was very tiny. It had maybe two streets, but the streets were plentiful in excitement. There were at least two coffee shops, and other little stores dotting the road. I loved it at first sight, and the pain of running here didn't seem so bad once we arrived.
"We made it," Lila said. I felt so happy, I swooped her up in my tired arms and lifted her into the air. Lila giggled as I lowered her down until she was wrapped up in my arms. Our lips met, and we kissed, softly, but then more passionately. I was exhausted from the run, but still I kissed Lila.
I loved Lila, there was no doubt of that. If anything the past week of hardship had proved that even more. I didn't know if I would spend the rest of my life with her. I had no idea what our future held. All I knew for certain was that I was in love with this girl.
I broke from the kiss, and I stared deeply into Lila's eyes. "I love you Lila," I told her. My heart sped up, but it felt good to finally admit it.
Lila's face swelled with happiness. She smiled, grinning hugely. "I...I love you too Riana," she said. Then she pulled my face to hers again, and kissed me. When we broke this time, we walked into the town, hand in hand, happier than ever.