on your own.

four

10 pm.

twenty minutes slipped away, carried by the evening breeze, hitting both Victoria and I as we small talked. She had kept me company while Ariana had left to get drinks.

Settling into the quiet, I felt as though I was growing impatient to Ariana's arrival. Selfish I know, but I've always enjoyed her company, but I shouldn't let my impatience get the best of me. There are other people here, also wanting to talk to her as well.

The sliding door, opening and closing caught both Vic and I's attention, bringing us out of conversation, as we both look at the small Italian with drinks.

The both of us quietly thank her, Vic once again leaving us to ourselves.

My eyes meet Ariana's, an apologetic expression visible as her warm hues glistened, "Sorry for taking so long." she spoke softly, "Liz was speaking to me, and the twins wanted me to dance with them to Dynamite."

I flashed a reassuring smile, "No worries, I don't expect you to be with me the whole time here. Victoria kept me company, and we were just enjoying the view."

"That's what made me want to live here, specifically. This view is to die for."

I hum, nodding in agreement with her, bringing the beer bottle up to my lips. "I now understand why you admired this place for so long."

Ariana's gaze lingered at the stars above us, a comforting silence filling the gap between us. I couldn't help but recall all we've talked about with the short amount of time we have shared so far. It made me wonder what else we would talk about.

Her eyes reach mine, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You mentioned you became a writer earlier tonight..It just made me wonder, have you published anything yet? I'd love to see it sometime."

A swirl of emotion fueled my stomach at her curiosity. It was odd to speak to her, again about my writing. There had been a time where I imagined she'd be the first to read what I write.

I liked to think that's a dynamic of ours, the reader and the writer. Though, I guess that's maybe where I went wrong. I shouldn't have expected her to reread our story, forever. We both needed something more.

The question lingered in my mind, momentarily, debating to revealing the truth or not. "I haven't published anything just yet. Just some stuff on my notes is all. Those I can show you, but..I am working on something, currently in the works."

Her brows lifted, a genuine interest being visible with her expressions, "Yeah? I'd love to see what you have so far. Are you able to tell me about what you're working on now?"

I pull my phone out, going into my notes app, scrolling through the many drafts I kept over the years. I allow her to look through them as I begin to explain of my new project.

"Well, what I can say is that it's a story.." I hesitate, allowing myself to choose my words carefully. "It's about us, the story."

Her fixated hues, looked at the phone screen, now reaching mine, layers of emotions beneath her gaze. "That's..really? Why now?"

I sigh, starting to regret telling her. I take another sip of my drink, downing the awkwardness before I can answer. "I'm not sure, really. I felt that our story is something that others can relate to. I wanted to write about the beauty of teenage love, the pain and the aftermath of it all. While it involved us, it had so much more involved than just us. The love and growth we both endured, and the paths we shared until we couldn't; I wanted to share it because, in a way, I believe that it can connect with others who might feel the same way."