Before The Past

Ch. 58

I waited outside enjoying the warmth and darkness that surrounded me. It wasn't quite yet seven, but the idea of him not showing up stuck in the back of my mind. I had doubts, and yet no reason to have such uncertainty. The more I thought about it though, I realized I did have a reason to doubt. Last year he talked of doing something with me and yet he stopped talking to me and went cold. He left a pit in me that before him, had never been there. 

The wind picked up slightly causing the bushes to rustle against one another. The noise clouded over my thoughts just enough to distract me for a moment. I admired the colors of summer and the beauty that the winter always failed to show.  Although the blankets of snow were rather calming, so was the sprouting of new life and colors. There was a balance, and each season was the perfect amount of time. The seasons were just enough time to enjoy them while not getting tired of them. 

A small crack erupted and Matteo showed up moments after. He had his all black suit on like usual and his hair was slightly less out of control than usual. He held a bouquet of flowers in one hand and his wand in the other. He pranced over to me and handed me the flowers, grazing my hand as I grabbed them. I smelled them and marveled at their beauty. There were all sorts of different flowers and each one had a unique shape and color. 

"I wasn't sure which ones you liked, so I got a few of them." Matteo shrugged. 

"They're all beautiful, but unfortunately my favorite flower doesn't grow anywhere near here." I sighed. 

"And what flower would that be?" Matteo asked. 

"They're called scarlet paintbrushes, and the only time I ever saw them was when we visited Montana." I explained. 

"And what do they look like?" He questioned. 

"Oh their absolutely beautiful, they are this striking red color and the petals go up the stem, almost making them look like flames." I described. 

Matteo smiled and looked at me with a sort of glimmer in his eye. I held eye contact with him and for a moment neither one of us said anything. 

"Erby." I finally spoke. 

"Yes Miss?" Erby said as he appeared next to me. 

"Put these in a vase and take them to my room please." I requested while handing him the flowers. 

"Right away Miss." Erby obliged. 

He disappeared and looked back up at Matteo. 

"Thank you." I smiled. 

"I'd save the appreciation until the end, otherwise you may grow tired of saying the same thing over and over again." Matteo said smugly. 

"And why is that?" I questioned. 

"You'll see, shall we?" He held out his arm. 

I smiled and as our arms linked we disappeared and then reappeared somewhere I'd never been before. We were in front of a small cabin with very few lights emitting from it. There were no other buildings to be seen and there was lots of overgrown brush surrounding us. The cabin was nice though and looked cozy, but I was confused on as to why we were there. 

Before I could ask, Matteo walked up to the door and opened it, bowing as he did so. I giggled and rolled my eyes at the gesture. I walked into the house,  and was immediately met with the warm smell of bread. 

"Welcome Miss, I am Knobby, at your service Miss." A small, rather frail house elf announced. 

He was holding a basket of fresh bread, walking over to a small table with two chairs and plenty of food for the both of us.