His Departure

Part Eight

The sun is now starting to become visible from the east, slowly inclining towards the west. Its beautiful rays sending a feeling of warmth and tenderness into my heart. I close my eyes and take in all this peace. The sky is now clear-blue , with a hint of yellow, from the sun. I can hear the birds welcoming the new year . Even though it is winter, there is no snow just yet. This part of town was known for its delayed winter. I sit in silence until the sun is in the heart of the sky, shining down on me . I am sitting on the green couch on our balcony. We live on the fourth floor in the family building, so the view is actually fantastic, making you feel superior to all.

I can sense a movement inside the house, and I take it that one of my cousins, or sister, has awoken. " What time is it ? how long have I been asleep?" I could tell by the voice, and the chain of questions, that Tina has finally woken up. " Top of the morning to you too, Tina." I incline my head towards her, displaying sarcasm. Even though she just woke her, I must admit she looks gorgeous. Her eyes a bit puffy from sleep, but cleverly masked by her pink eye-glasses. Her bony cheeks a light shade of red, and a faint smile playing across her small lips. Her chocolate brown locks are rested, in curls, all the way down, reaching her mid-back. She yawns and stretches, before taking a seat next to me . " Tell me what time it is, please," she asks politely, her morning voice sounds tired. " It is now 7:00  a.m." I reply cheerfully. She slouches in her seat, and lets out a sigh of angst. " I need some coffee, want me to make you anything?" she stands up suddenly, and crosses her arms. " Just make me some hot chocolate. I don't feel like having the bitter taste of coffee in my mouth today, thanks." I smile.

Tina leaves, without making a sound. I decide to plug in my earphones and listen to some music before she comes back. I set my phone on shuffle-mode, which means the songs are gonna be randomly chosen. I secretly wish for something calm, for it is clearly too early for something pop or rock. Neon River comes up, making my heart flutter. It has this beat that makes you feel like flying. Although the lyrics are kind of sad , and depressing, but I adore this song altogether, especially that it is sung by Keane - Vinnie's favorite band- .

The sound of the music reminds me of him. He still hasn't replied to my text. I can't blame him though. The last text I'd sent was at 5:30, and he was driving. He needs to rest too. The thought of him ignoring me crossed my mind, but  I shaked it off immediately. Vinie was different. He would never do that. Besides, why would he be ignoring me , if he was the one to call me yesterday. He clearly wants something to happen between us, but I figure it is too early.

I am awoken from my reverie by a sudden jolt. Tina is poking me with her long index finger, ordering me to wake up. As I slowly open my eyes, she is sitting beside me , handing me a red mug of hot chocolate. " Thank you, extra marshmallows?" I raise my eyebrows teasingly. Tina is known to have a short temper when someone tells her what to do, or criticizes her work. " Shut up, Lindsay." she giggles.

We sit on the couch quietly,  for almost 30 minutes, before she breaks the silence . " What is going on Lin? I've never seen you this quiet, and the last time you were even silent for 20 minutes, you were mourning over your previous ex. Who is he, tell me , now." I am caught off-guard by her sudden inquiry. " Fine, I'll tell you. It's Vinie..." I break off into a sudden silence, not wanting to get into further discussions about this subject, but knowing Tina, this was kind of impossible. She lets out a dramatic gasp, and holds her hands to her mouth. " Vinie?! tell me all about it ! Are you two dating?! Oh my God..." she is talking in such a speed, that I found myself taken aback. I dither for a while, before even knowing what to reply. I still don't know where Vinie and I stand , but for all I know, this was a one-sided crush, so far. My hands turn clammy as I contemplate telling her the entire story, but then I take a deep breath, and start, " Well, Vinie and I have been talking a lot, and he called me on new year's eve. He gave me extra attention at that party on saturday, and I think we have a thing going on. But , rumors of him leaving in 5 months are circulating, and I am kind of lost. I mean what is the point of being with him - or trying to, that is - if he will be leaving 5 months from now." I say the last sentence slowly, emphasizing on the word "leaving".

Tina does nothing but smile, for she knows her sister is very confused. She tries her best  not to hurt me by saying anything too harsh or wrong. She simply nods and says " you need to talk to him about it, just not yet. Give this whole  thing just a little time, maybe two weeks. I am positive that he will come around, telling you how he really feels, and everything will be fine. Okay?" her eyes are fixed on mine, her voice sympathetic. I nod in acknowledgement , and grab her hand, squeezing it tightly.

From then, we sit in total silence, staring into empty space. Until my phone startles me . I grab it from my pocket, and jump up when viewing the name. I glance at Tina, who is now grinning from ear to ear. "VINIE!" I yell out, and smile, and run into my bedroom to talk to him quietly.

" Hello?" I whisper, trying to sound casual. " Hey, did I wake you up?" his sweet voice sounds restless, but adorable. " Yeah right, as if my cousins would let me sleep," I reply sarcastically. " Sounds like you had fun yesterday, huh ? tell me all about it." I take a seat on my bed , and start recalling the events of last night. It took me 10 minutes to finally finish , and then I asked him " How was your night , Vinie?" I could hear him breathing steadily. " Well, after we finished partying, I had to drive back home, while texting you, my friends were all wasted so I kind of had to take care of them, having their hangovers and all of that. You know I don't drink, so I was the designated driver, of course. It took us about 30 minutes to reach home. Don't get mad at me for driving too fast, there was hardly any traffic. We parked up a hill,  and I napped for about 2 hours, which is why I left you hanging. Wanted to apologize about that, by the way." I smile at the fact that he still remembers how much I hate it when he drives fast. "Aw, it sounds like you had tons of fun, and I'm glad, and no need to apologize , Vinie. What are you doing now?" his tone changes into a monotonous one, " I am now in bed, my head is pounding, you?" I knew there was something wrong with him , and now I know what it is . " I am just sitting outside watching the sunrise, you should go rest, I will talk to you later," I reply. " Do you promise?" I laugh at his question, he almost sounds baby-like . " Yes, I promise. Get well soon," I try my best to display my sincerity, and I hang up.

I walk into the living room to find out that all my cousins are now wide awake, and deciding on what to do today. Will proposed breakfast over at his place, for his mom was known for her delicious pancakes. We all agree,  grab our purses or backpacks, head into seperate rooms, and get dressed for breakfast at Will's.