'Some fruits should be left forbidden.'
Celestina Quinn is nothing like those other people. Her beauty hides her soul, masking her to be a normal person. Her sharp words are her quiver of arrows. Her too good to be true personality which everybody b...
The world seemed to slow down on this day. The winter breeze chilled everyone to the bones. The trees seemed lonely without its leaves. The snow came down at a slow pace, taking its sweet time. All the people seemed to cover up more and more. They disappeared into their clothes and their own lives. It all seemed irrelevant. Change was inevitable.
I wasn't one to relive the past but everything rushed back on this day. It's hard to forget especially if your life has been sculpted on the very past you try to forget. I wasn't religious, yet here I was. In an alluring and elegant church. I clutched the bouquet of dark purple calla lily flowers. It seemed to dull in the presence of the cemetery. I could hear a ringing in my ear.
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Before entering the cemetery, I entered the church for a prayer. My footsteps echoed through the vast hall. Closing my eyes, I kneeled over an thought of the things in my mind. My family and friends and her. The church seemed lonely. Like you.
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I stepped out and took a deep breath. It seemed like there was no escaping this. My feet moved on their accord. I had to walk quite far away to reach our family mausoleum. It was isolated and quite creepy. When in Rome. I didn't have the heart to enter the ancient building. I placed the bouquet outside and sat outside.
The frigid air brought on the brewing headache. I wasn't bothered. I could feel my mind slipping back 10 years in the past. This very day, December 1st.
The loud noises never stopped and the darkness engulfed me. Loud gunshots and somebody screaming were the constant noises. I wanted to help stop the noises but I was stuck in this tight closet. I was instructed not to make a noise.
"Do not make a sound, not a word. You need to be safe. You will hurt yourself and others if you come out. Stay here and be silent." He closed the door, leaving me in the closet. I will stay here, no matter what.
More noises and there was a deafening bang. The place heated up and smoke filled the closet. Was there a fire? I have to stay here. The smoke wasn't clearing up and the closet was really heating up. Each breath I took felt painful, like I was breathing in fire nails. It irritated my throat and my mouth dried up. I have to stay quiet. I started coughing uncontrollably.
"Where are the little ones?" An unfamiliar voice taunted and it resonated through the halls. I have to stay here and be. quiet. I couldn't stop coughing. I held my breath as long as I could, till they leave.
A sudden scream chilled me. Her innocent voice trembled in fear. "Let ME go, NO. NO, STOP!" She shrieked, trying to get away from whoever held her. I couldn't stay here and quiet, I had to safe her. They were hurting her. "NO, let her GO. She is just a child." A woman spoke up. No, she will get hurt. Stop.
I pushed against the closet doors. I stumbled out into rubbles of our house. "LUCA, NO. GET AWAY!" I should have listened but I didn't. I leaped forward and there was a loud bang.
"LUCA!" Someone raised their voice. It was very familiar. I open my eyes to see....
Celestina's POV
"LUCA!" I called on the familiar hunched figure. What if it isn't him? You are just dreaming of him. He looked startled and stood up from the stairs of the mausoleum. How about that? It is him. Okay. Dumbass.
"Hey, I didn't know that you would be here. Sorry for disturbing—" I paused after seeing him. He was dressed formally and had layers of winter clothes yet he looked cold. I have seen this look on myself many times. It didn't look like he was listening. He seemed deeply in thought. His eyes were glazed and he seemed crestfallen. Usually, he would have tucked away any emotion around people. Why does he look broken?
Without a second thought, I slowly held his hand. I shook him a little. He didn't budge or notice anything. He seemed to delve deeper into his past. He looked he was having an anxiety episode. Do something! My mind screeched. Like what? I'm already holding his hand. Help him, you have been in his position before. Feeling far to gone. It's hard to come back on your own. My mind reminded.
"Luca." I whispered his name against the cold winter zephyr. "Luca." I raised my voice a bit. Do something else! My mind yelled. What? What? Since you know everything, why don't you tell me what to do? Huh? Great, now, I'm talking to myself and nobody is replying.
Against all my protective instinct qnd possibly better judgment, I wrap my around him and pull him closer. He jerked abruptly and returned my hug. We just stayed like for while. Till he feels better. I could feel the heat radiating from him. His face was buried in my shoulders. His soft breath tickled my neck. I felt a bit awkward. Weirdo. Shut up.
Luca finally pulled away and took a deep breath in. He stumbled upon words and couldn't bring himself to look at me. "We are having beautiful weather today, don't you think?" He inspected me for a while. "Really?" His voice trembled a bit. He cleared his throat. "I was gonna talk a walk, care to join me?" I proposed an idea to calm him down.
He smiled gratefully and nodded. It was one of the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen on him. I shrugged and walked along the stone path. He joined me. It was a comfortable silence. It always was with him.
I was thinking of ways to distract him when I realized something. The look.
"Sequoia green." I interrupted his thought process and the confusion showed on his face. Cute. "Everybody thinks your favorite color is black or blue or grey. But..." He does nothing but smile like before. The crinkled eyes and and shy smile is very new. But beautiful.
"You are a car fanatic. You love reading fiction and non-fiction. You love chocolate but prefer sour candy. You have a high tolerance for alcohol and stupidity." I got a chuckle for that. "You crack your hands constantly just because. Black actually suits you better. You love seafood over others. I know your coffee order. Italian and your middle name is Vincenzo. Your ring is your father's. You are a silent observer. You are smart and decisive. You are an amazing memory. You are multilingual. You don't like to dance."
Luca clapped slowly. I mockingly bowed. "You deserve the moon and more for that." He derisively spoke up. "Oh, I forgot the most important part." He looked over with a smile.
"You are bit of an asshole."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, that took a turn. It was unexpected for me as well. But it was time to bring a change in their half and half relationship. Vulnerability ✅ Danke for reading. Love, me. Peace out.🖤🤍🖤
