CROXXED

Act: 1 †

 In the far back of my mind I could always feel her. I would reach for her and there she was in my dreams. Somehow I had a feeling this time would be my last time seeing her for a while, so I wanted to make it special. I looked down at the ring hanging from the chain in my hand, a platinum band with a heartbeat etched along the metal. Whether she knew it or not, I wanted her to know that she would always be in my heart. I looked out on the setting sun and I could feel her. She was here. Soon panting reached my ears, as she neared our tree in my backyard I usually climbed. Her soft voice rang like bells to my ears, as she said she was sorry for being late and proceeded to climb the tree. I reached down and pulled her up on to the branch beside me and I told her, "It’s okay. I just got here too." 

You were afraid you might miss me and I smiled, glad to know you would. Turning it over in my hand, I pulled the chain up in my hand, so that the ring fell dangling in front of your face. Your face brightened at its beauty. 

  "Like the heartbeat that keeps me alive, so do you," I said, repeating the line I rehearsed over and over in my head.

 Her eyes met mines, astonished and I pulled the necklace over my head so that it fell just over my heart for her to see. Her eyes followed it's swinging, then looked back in to mine and I could see it. All that she felt for me in that stare. She leaned in to my chest in silent confirmation and I held her. I could feel the low afternoon sun against my skin and I knew the dream would be over soon. I pulled Felise closer to me, as the water colored setting sun waved in the heat, ducking down behind the distant trees. Yellow, red, and orange buttercups blew in the rolling green grass hills off my parent's property line spilling over in to Roma. I looked out on the wrapping strokes of our water colored dreamscape. This wasn't my dream anymore. This was Felise's. Her dreams were usually like this, whimsical and artsy. I didn't want this time to end and I think she knew that, as she tightened her hold around me. Darkness soon descended upon us, slow, tortuously slow, that I hated the coming seconds, then Felise was gone.