I Wish We Met Sooner (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 35

DANIEL

TRULY NO ONE DESERVES you, Ollie. Unfortunately, not even me.

The funeral ended with a toast to Ollie, where everyone promises to keep him treasured in their hearts for as long as they shall live. Even after my conversation with Hannah, she still joined in. However, her guilt couldn't be any more obvious. She offered to help with the clean-up after the funeral was complete and comfort Emily, who was still crying.

It was close to four in the evening, and Hannah was the last to leave. She hugged his family one last time, and before making her way towards the door, our eyes met, and I could tell she wanted to say something by how she just stopped in front of me.

Instead, she faked a smile and kept her head down, exiting the house.

Now that the funeral's over, it's time to distribute his ashes.

Before Ollie took his last breath, he entrusted me with finding the perfect location to distribute him. It took me days to think about this. I even asked for opinions from his friends and family, and every one of them had different ideas. His mother wanted to distribute his ashes in their backyard. Adriana suggested the rainforest. Emily simply wanted to keep the urn in the living room under the family portrait.

If I didn't know Ollie, I'd say that idea is just plain creepy.

Everyone's suggestion was reasonable, but in the end, it was up to me, and the only place I could think of was the ocean by Sunset Beach.

Part of the reason is that Ollie was the first person I know to have ever stepped foot in my secret hideout, and in a way, that makes him unique. And perhaps, Ollie and I will have another chance to meet in the next life if we're buried together.

Perhaps.

And god knows when my time will be. It was supposed to be the day after the Reaper clan had been vanquished, but instead, the wrong life was taken.

When his family was ready, we drove to the coastal line by the Sunset Beach, where his dad rented a speedboat for me. I expected them to follow, but his parents had some traumatic events with the ocean in their past. They were learning how to swim by the Caribbean beach during their honeymoon, only for a large wave to pull them deeper in and nearly drown them.

Imagine getting married and dying after that.

Since then, they prefer admiring the sea from afar and not even going for a toe dip.

Emily wanted to follow me, but her parents forbade it due to her age and inability to swim shall she accidentally fall in.

Whoever named this beach the Sunset Beach is a genius as this is practically the only beach where the setting sun could be seen so clearly. It's past five, and the skies are now in the tone of orange, yellow, red, and blue. The waters reflected the blazing orange sun slowly setting by the horizon.

For once in my life, I began to see the beauty in nature and how peaceful it can be to simply focus on the waves crashing and the wind in my hair.

"You would've loved this view, dude," I spoke to Ollie as if he was still here.

"Here," his dad hands me a life jacket to which I strapped it on.

"We'll be waiting right here for you, sweetie," his mom wipes her runny nose.

I could only nod as a response because everyone was grieving, and so was I.

I leaped on the speedboat, ensuring Ollie's urn was safe in my arms, and cranked the engine as it carried me further away from the beach. The water temperature dropped when I turned around and noticed the mainland was out of sight. I'm surrounded by the ocean, and I'm floating above deeper water by the looks of the untamed surface.

When I believe we're far enough, I flip around and soak my legs in the chilly waters. I picked up the urn and lightly opened the top. My eyes perceived ashes, but somehow, I could still see his face and hear his voice.

My eyes welled up as I held the urn over the sea and slowly flipped it over, watching the wind carry his ashes onto the surface like a bottle of glitter, sinking deeper and disappearing forever.

I shook the urn to ensure all of it was out and closed the lid. I lay on my back, holding the empty urn in my arms, facing the ombre-painted skies with my blurry visions.

"Hey, Ollie," my voice cracked. "I hope you don't mind I distributed your ashes here. It's the only place I could think of."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Nonexistent as I sat back up.

"No time like the present," I was already sobbing. "I'll see you again, Ollie and grandpa."

If only the world could witness this moment. The Red Demon takes his own life. It'll be a show they'll never forget. Of course, they'll forget the person who took his own life, thanks to the Nonexistent.

After looking at the sunset behind me for the final time, my lips stretched into a smile as I stuck the needle just below my wrist, injecting every last drop of the Nonexistent into me.

"It's done," I pulled the empty syringe out and let it fall into the ocean.

Instantly I noticed the immense pain traveling through my veins and reaching my brain. My body felt heavy that I couldn't move. My head spun, and visions perceived my flesh deteriorating every second as my strength abandoned me where I joined the waters.

My body began to sink as darkness took over.

"Daniel?" I hear him.

I force my eyes open. Ollie's body was glowing within the darkness, but nothing was around us. He swam effortlessly, cupping my cheeks the moment he got me. From his neck and above were noticeable while the rest of his body was hazy. However, everything about him, from his blue eyes to his charming smile, remained, only... he looked even more beautiful in white.

He held his hand out as I reached for it, intertwined. I felt my lungs burn, my ears pop, and finally, my heart gave up. He drew closer and pressed his forehead on mine. And for the first time, I felt free. And happy.

               "Let's go."