The Flower Theory

You're Always So Pale but Something has Changed, You're Almost a Man

A satisfied smile escaped from his lips when he saw shocked look on my face.

            The buried memories I kept on my brain began to pushing out and the longer I look at his face, the image gets clearer. I know. I know that face very well, those baby blue eyes, those rabbit-like teeth.

            He leans closer and from a short distance I can catch a smell of cigarette and musk perfume wafted from him.

            "Hey, how are you?"

            I pursed my lips that had been open in surprise and swallowed, staring at the guy in front of me. My mind instantly thought of my first friend in this town, a boy with a sweet-looking face, thick blonde hair, blue eyes as bright as the summer sky, and a smile that could make me feel safe.

            And now, a guy with side-shaved jet black hair with piercings embedded on the left side of his face and ears, and tattoos covering his left arm.

            They can't be the same person. That's impossible.

            "Vesper?" The name I thought I'd never say again finally slid out of my mouth.

            "It's been a long time, right?" He streches his arms.

            "Vesper?" I still can't believe it.

            "Yeah?" He said. "That's me."

            Ten years. Ten fucking years since the last time I saw him and he has changed this much. I feel the warmth that I always felt when I was with him out of nowhere, just like when he came to me at the lunch table at school, talked to me about his favorite comic book or TV shows. When I wasn't lonely.

            And I realized how much I missed him.

            A huge smile broke across my face as I realized that I know those eyes. A bright blue eyes that's almost transparent. The eyes that always came across my mind when I looked at the summer sky.

            "Its you!" I explore his face, trying hard to find the remains of the little Vesper I remembered.

            He smiled, his eyes narrowed.

            Instictively, I streched out my arms to hug him, although for a split second I feel awkward, but once he hugs me, I feel very happy. I can feel the cutted part of his jacket sleeve on my arm and his long black hair tickling my nose.

            He gives the best hugs I've ever feel in my entire life as if by hugging him, I've completed the missing part of me that I never knew exist. That was the craziest feeling I've ever felt.

            "How... how did you recognize me?" I asked as I remove my arms from him.

            He raised his eyebrow as if the answer of that question was obvious. "How can you didn't recognize me?"

            I shook my head, still amazed by him. "I don't know. Oh God, Vesper. How can you change this much?"

            Vesper shrugged his shoulders. "Life took me to this path," he answered casually.

            I smile. "You look great," I said. "All of this—black hair, piercings, and tattoos—suits you somehow."

            "Thank you."

            "So what did you do? Back to Summerlin? What about Cali?" I feel like I need to know everything that I missed in the past ten years.