Right next door to Hell

28

     Next morning I woke up refreshed. My stomach was screaming. A hand stroked my hair. It was such a pleasant sensation. His touch was gentle, was everything I wanted now. Well, maybe not everything... I turned to face him and his smile said: "Good morning!". I kissed him.

       "Did you sleep well?" "Aham. I feel better now ..." "I am glad to hear it. Come on, you have to eat. Someone still comments." He said touching my belly.

        We both ran in the kitchen and had breakfast. I felt incredibly well. I felt... human. I noticed that after the book was destroyed I have not had to go through those phases. The runes appeared by themselves without pain, blood or spells. I do not remember which was the 11th stage. I'll find out one day ...

      Someone knocked at the door. Me and Thomas had at the expression that said: "Who could be?". I got up and opened the door. There were Oliver and Lexy. They were holding their hands.

      "Good morning, dear friends! Do you want to share a coffee?" Olly asked. "Sure, come on in!"

      They came into the kitchen where Thomas was washing the dishes. He looked at them with the same huge question mark as me. Were they a couple?

        "What happened? You look at us strangely." Lexy noticed. "Are you a couple? I thought you two can't stand each other." "Yes. We are a couple. What's so weird?"

      Thomas and I stood in silence. He took my hand, probably not to be outdone by the other two. Going to our living room, we passed in front of a mirror. Thomas turned to look in to its reflection. He seemed happy. Instead I was watching how much weight I wasted because of stress and lack of food and sleep.

       "Do you know what I'm thinking now?" He questioned. "What?" "How we will be over ten years: married, with one child or two... If this would happen, I would be the happiest man in the world."

       I began to imagine it. I wanted to laugh. It would be the best thing that future could give us. I kissed him once, twice, I felt as time turns into ashes, sand and earth. All I had was the stars' dust on my clothes.

     I have a bright guitar, an unwritten sheet and stardust on my clothes and try not to look, not to see, to get off of them...

      "I'm so sorry!" "For what?" "For everything. Because I left home, because I made you suffer, because I didn't kept my promise to Cliff..." "What promise? Perhaps, however, the time is not wasted."

    "Promise me you will not ever quit believing. Promise me whatever happens, even if death do us part one day, you will not cry."

      "Unfortunately it's too late for that ... But please, let's not talk about Cliff ..."

      He hugged me stronger, then we joined our friends. We talked for hours. We were trying to forget about the pain that has come over us. Olly was laughing. Lexy made him happy, despite the death of his twin brother. We laughed, we cried, we remembered the past and the days when we met.

      "Erin, I have to give you something." "Me? What?" He went through the backpack. He pulled out a notebook. "What is it?" "Cliff's journal. He said that he wanted to give it to you. He said that nobody have to read it but you."

     I took the diary and I tightly to my chest. I did not know he had one. He never told me about it. But maybe it was his way of communicating with me, to make me his, so that will not happen again ...