𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘆𝗕𝗼𝘅 𝑨𝑫𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵 𝗢𝗻𝗲𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀 [2]

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞. 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

❄︎❄︎❄︎

My lungs ached, contracting, extremely desperate for air. My vision is starting to become a blur, my legs are close to being numb. I know I am going to pass out any moment now, and yet I kept running.

Sounds of stomps and rapid footsteps echoed in the empty streets of Paris. The famous Eiffel Tower glowed so flawlessly. Dazzling golden lights shimmered like little stars in the clear night sky. Soft twinkles being reflected by the random puddles on the road.

I continued sprinting. The rain starting to get a little more heavier. One of the street lights flickered, soon dying out. I stopped by the broken lamp to catch my breath, not worrying too much about being spotted as I seem to be blending in with the slight darkness with my black leather overcoat.

It is the one he has gifted me when I got promoted for my job. According to him, wearing this jacket to work would make me look extra professional. A secret spy, rather. His quite bizarre and confusing imaginations are one of his traits that I had adored the most.

It hurted me to know that I am not allowed to hear his hectic fantasies ever again. His stories never made sense, but if it meant I can spend time with him, I would love to waste the remaining years of my life just listening to him blabber about pure nonsense.

I stifled a sob. The rain is now pouring harshly. Those shimmering golden lights had turned off, and the iconic streets in the City of Love is engulfed in an ominous blackness. Aside from the sound of heavy rainfall, the place is drowning in silence.

Dark and quiet.

Not quite a good combo.

My weakened knees had given up, and I dropped down on the ground. I took this opportunity to rethink about the recent occurrences lately.

Due to an ongoing family feud, or rather, a seem to be never-ending one, we had to keep our blazing love behind the light. Acting as if we hated each other as much as our families do, when in reality, there is no one else I'd love to be with other than him.

Him.

My supposed-to-be enemy.

Not being able to show-off to everyone how in love I am with this guy, felt like the most dreadful pain I could ever comprehend. Although, secret relationships tend to be more peaceful, the fear of our families finding out about us lingered nearby.

All I ever wanted was to make all the people of the world know, that I love him, and that he loves me. We just want to be able to express how much we love one another without any fears of rejection from society, or worse, our own loved ones.

We kept our little secret behind the curtains, and yet someone caught glance of what hid. The person who told our parents about us dating is still unknown, but the anger I feel towards them is and will forever be present.

As expected, their fuses blew. They screamed. They yelled. They took whatever it takes to rub into my face how I am not allowed to have any kind of relationships with the rival family's son.

I let out a pained chuckle. Prior moments when I had realized my blooming feelings for him, that is the exact same thing I was trying to dictate into my foolish heart.

I can't fall; I fell.

His awful figure that has been forced into my mind by my family has changed into something way more beautiful. The way I look at him has flipped significantly. I used to view him as a person I should keep away from, but now I see him as someone very reliable. Someone sweet, very trustable.

And he turned out to be just how I imagined he would be. Hell, he exceeded my expectations.

"You are not that bad of a person, I may say," I said to him, trying to act as if I still am not interested in finding out more about who he is and how amazing he is.

I let my pride go, and I accepted what the destiny has in store for me. Or for us. We went down a rough path together. There are times where we would slip and fall, but the other is always there to pick the fallen one up. And just as the road is starting smooth out, the ground crumbled, swallowing the both of us beneath the cracks.

We are falling; there seemed to be nothing we could grip on to. Nothing to help us get out from this situation.

It's love or family. It's heart or mind. It's us or never.

"Justin?!"

I flinched. Looking up to where the call of my name came from, there, by the coffee shop, he stood with an umbrella in hand. His head turned, his eyes roamed. Calling out for me one more time.

My heart broke when I heard his voice crack slightly when he screamed. Indicating that he is crying, and that was only proven right when he let out a loud, helpless sob.

Him crying is my worst fear. I never wanted to see my love in pain, nor in tears. And it breaks me more to know that I am the reason why he is hurting. I hurt my baby. I made him cry.

"Justin... where are you?" He said in between whimpers. Failing to spot me from my position, he, too, fell on his knees and broke down into tears. This action taking me aback, and almost instantly, I stood up.

I can hear him whispering my name to himself, the sight so horrendous to see. I pulled away from the invisible chain that was holding me back from walking over to him. I quickly ran, the sounds of my wet footsteps made him look up, and our eyes connected.

"Justie!" He exclaimed, getting up hurriedly and running into me, crushing me in his tight embrace that I had always loved. The longing feeling of being inside his arms pushed me to the edge, and I couldn't help but cry myself.

Here we stood, in the middle of the Paris streets, under a rainstorm. Sobbing in each other's hug.

"I was looking for you everywhere..," he mutters. "I was so afraid; I thought I had lost you."

Pulling him closer, I say back, "Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I am deeply sorry."

"The happenings earlier back in the apartment really upsetted me, so I ran away." The flashbacks of my parents barging in to my apartment home and screaming at the both of us, still insisting on how we should not be together. Even threatening on calling the polices on him, just to keep him away from me.

"I just don't want you to go. I don't want to go, either. I don't want us to fall apart just because our parents forbid us to be what we are," I stated. "I just want to stay with you."

He loosened up the hug, taking this moment to look at me. Underneath the dullness in his hurting eyes, I saw a glance of hope. Or perhaps, determination.

"Then we shall stay together," He says. "No one is leaving. No one is walking away. No one is giving up."

He reached over to grab my hand, firmly securing it in his.

"You."

"Me."

"Us."

He stopped for a mere second.

"Nothing can bring down our kingdom. No one can interfere with our love. Not even our parents. For the sake of the both of us, in order to stay together, if we have to cut them off," he took a small pause, leaning towards my face, "we will."

"It is you and me, against the world."

❄︎❄︎❄︎