Brand New Eyes

15. Forever And Almost Always

15. FOREVER AND ALMOST ALWAYS

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I just froze, standing a couple feet away from him. From Michael. The person I had spent the past several weeks thinking and accepting that I’d never see again.

“Michael” I whispered again, not fully believing what stood before me.

His lips twisted to the corner of his mouth, revealing the sweetest smile. The smile I’d grown up with. The smile I’d longed to see.

“Oh my god,” I gasped, smashing my entire body into him as I enveloped my hands tightly around him, afraid I’d lose him if I didn’t capture the moment in it’s entirety.

He laughed as I choked the air out of him, his hands wrapping around me.

“Oh my god! I thought I’d lost you, I thought I’d never see you again.” I mumbled through my sobs. The tears started streaming from my eyes as I pulled him back to take a closer look at him.

He brought his hand up to brush away the tears, his warm touch tingled my senses.

“I’m sorry” he whispered, a sincere apologetic look soaring from his angelic eyes.

“Where the hell have you been?” I scorned, snapping out of my mood momentarily, I didn’t want him to see me like this, to see me cry and become a mess especially when I hadn’t seen him for what felt like a lifetime.

“I’ve been going out of my mind worrying about you, worrying about what happened to you that night – the night of-” I could hear my voice raising and he shushed me, pulling me further to the back of the room, glancing around nervously as though he was being cautious.

“Sssh, Scar, I’ll explain everything,”

“Don’t shush me Michael! I thought you were dead!” I half cried; the tears stinging in my eyes.

I was a mess. A total wreck. He pulled me into another tight hug.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry. I’m here now,” he whispered gently into my ear, rubbing my back. I didn’t want to let him go, I missed him so much. I missed the hugs, his scent, his very presence.

“You didn’t answer my question” I said through my sniffles and I felt him stiffen. I pulled back again, taking in his hesitant reaction. I widened my eyes.

“What happened that night Michael? And where the hell have you been all this time?” I demanded, wary. I saw his eyes glance around as he shoved his hands in his pockets. I’d seen this reaction before. He was stalling. But I was going to get it out of him.

“Don’t even think about lying to me Michael. You left. You left without an explanation, without a reason, you left me in the middle of nowhere, in the wreckage of a freak accident. You left me Michael!” I was literally yelling by the time I finished, and he tried to hush me…and failed.

“No” I said, sniffling and brushing away the tears, “Where were you?” I asked, pushing back his caring hands that tried to calm me down. I don’t care how much I missed him, right now; I didn’t need calming down, I needed answers.

He sighed, dropping his eyes when he accepted that I wasn’t going to let it go.

It took him a long moment before he met my eyes again, his face as hard as stone, his once-beautifully golden eyes icing over.

“I can’t tell you.” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

I let out a quiet gasp; it was more of a laugh actually as I took a step back. He couldn’t tell me?