Stay with me

Chapter I

She was holding a cigarette between her first and middle finger, exhaling huge smokes from her lips trying to reduce pain. Nobody knew what her pain was, but it was clear she had serious personal issues. She usually comes to the deadlights river in the evening to consume her painkillers watching the sunset. One night, she was seen alone there, the place looked like a battlefield as there was a heavy rain and storm tearing trees down. Not a single creature on the ground nor in the air, only her sitting there in chaos. Walking by the river, I saw her laying on the floor, all wet from head to feet, and tears all over her face rolling down to her ears. I approached the girl feeling hesitant about talking to her. I got down on my knees, looked into her eyes and noticed her blue lips shaking as if she was about to pass. She looked at me like about to whimper, her face was puffy and red, because of too much crying. She couldn’t speak at all, the poor girl with these expressions couldn’t let me go, I knew I had to stay.

“Come here”  I murmured to the girl pulling her up from the floor. “I’m sorry you are going through this, is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better”.
She smiled at me then with a short laughter of relief she responded, her eyes were red as a sign of rubbing them too much, and her mouth was still sewed unable to let any word through. I embraced her to me caressing her back with gentle.
In my arms, I felt her body trembling and her heartbeats against my chest racing that her heart almost quit ribs that her body was holding. I took off my coat and put it around her shoulders, walked her to the closest cafe nearby to skip this miserable mood she was in. The streets were dark, we could only see the way through the moonlight, we could hear the water running to the sources, and see homeless people under covered roofs of closed shops. This situation reminded me of the day I got lost as a kid, in a beach walking with a stranger by the sea taking me somewhere to find my family. I felt scared back then, not knowing that person’s intentions nor where he was going to take me: I could not even run due to the empty place as it was evening, and everybody already went home. The girl was afraid checking me from head to feet, doubting if I were a good man.

After about five miles of walking. I began to see the coffee sign, a bunch of boys were standing over there laughing out loud, holding bottles of glass and almost losing balance. I held her close to me and opened the way for her till we entered.
The place was empty, we could barely hear the doors moving by the disastrous wind and radio on the last seat. Feeling a bit relaxed and warmed at the coffee shop, she took off the coat and handed it to me with timidity.

“No, please keep it, you’ll get sick when we go outside.” I informed.

The girl pupils dilated out of impress after hearing my words spelled correctly about her, the way I reacted proved my sincerity towards her that she felt almost comfortable being with me.

“Can I take your order, sir? “ inquired the waiter.

“Two cappuccinos please”. I ordered

“Anything else?”

“No, thank you”  I replied.

The man turned on the coffee machine, spreading the nose-opening smell warming my cold lungs. He picked two cups from the counter behind, then finally served us the drinks in the most formal way.

“here you go, dear sir” he put the cups on the table and left the bill under my cup.

She began to warm up her hands with the hot cup, then drank her coffee at once until it was done. At the exit door the owner ran towards us, taking account of the rain, he handed us an umbrella with a smiley face and returned to get busy. The girl couldn’t believe her eyes, she saw all that weird, she wasn't used to see that level of kindness around. I kept her close to me away from the rain, walking her by her favourite place without having any sunset she can enjoy nor more cigarettes she could smoke, but a moment with a stranger certainly with a hope. “What is your name?” I said looking at the innocent appearances on her face.
“Laura” she stood still for a minute, her eyes focused on my face, looking all over it, the thing that terrified me. Then replied in a glance.
“I'm truly sorry for ruining your evening”
“Ruining? No, I hope I succeed to get you well.” I responded
“I don't even know how to thank you for this exceptional gesture".
The girl felt appreciated, comfortable, having these few minutes together. We went on walking, at the same time I tried to get to know her, without ever mentioning anything about her problems. The lady was interested in art and social sciences, yet she thought that she had to fix herself first to be capable of helping others. Laura was ambitious, she wanted to become a great painter in the future as well and open her own showroom just like the known Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. Another thing she dreamed of doing was travelling around the world she was fond of antiques; her aim was to visit all the museums around the world and discover different cultures.
Along the way I tried to keep her mood that way by telling her some silly things I have done as a kid, and introduced myself properly to welcome her to my unique world just like I sank into hers. The time ran fast that we didn’t feel the distance we walked till we found ourselves on the pavement over-looking the river. I took her hand as cars were driving fast with low front lights and crossed the road so i could get her few things from the grocery store to make her day remembered.

“Run, run, run” I rushed holding her hand checking carefully left and right then ran towards the store. I made a general tour around the shop picking few snacks for her to kill hunger and boredom while leaving Laura walking across the merchandises following my steps her eyes looking here and there checking new products that just came to town, she even found a bunch of magazines near the cashier and some room decoration items that seemed to grab her attention.

“Found anything interesting?” I asked.

“No” she put it back quietly.

We left the store with two bags of sweets, chips and few drinks, enough to make a houseparty.

“I can walk you home if you want” I suggested “I fear to let you walk all the way there alone”.
She stayed silent for a while, till I heard what shocked my iced body entirely not expecting such thing.
“You are too human to be real, I’m being insulted wherever I walk in. I’ve never felt this comfort as I felt it today. I never met anybody as gentle as you.” She commented.
I got a warm touch in my chest with that shaking compliment and i couldn’t act upon anything but smile out of joy.

“Do you mind me stay with you tonight?” she inquired in all of a sudden “I feel ashamed for putting you in such an embarrassing case as that.” She continued noticing my ear becoming more red as i got nervous after that fast request from the very beginning. “But to be honest I don’t even know what to do for you in return”.
I saw that angel speaking deeply from her heart, her facial expressions with many emotions hidden that I would feel guilty if I had refused her request. The only thoughts I had were those of her family seeking for her, thinking of me kidnapping their daughter, that was a scenario I overthought the whole night, I imagined myself behind bars already. But I concluded that she was miserable leaving home to go somewhere else, somewhere she would confidently call a better home. And that made me realize that she would go anywhere in the world except returning to her usual pain.

“Please” She begged and her eyes bright with pity.

“Alright,come, you’ll be my roommate” I said looking left and right as if i was censored by the whole town.

She jumped on me with a fulfilled spirit, holding me tight with both arms expressing her strong appreciation. I was worried spending a night alone with a girl at home, I overthought about the police knocking at my door, and saw myself under arrest due to the risk I took for her. I first hesitated to tell her about that, but I eventually decided to get rid of regret after reaching my house, i will then have to walk her home at a very late hour.
"Will your parents be okay with you staying with me tonight?" I asked " because I don't want you nor me to get in trouble with them”.
"They don't even mind my presence how would they care about me when I'm absent" she responded exhaling.
I nodded my head with complete understanding and caressed her back for the first time, i suggested what we could do that saturday night, bringing a fun vibe our way home.
“Make yourself home” I exclaimed leaving my shoes at the door house.

“I’m still wet I can’t sit” she stated.

“follow me, I must have something for you”

I led her to my room, collecting few items that would fit her from the closet and handed them to her.
“Also, here is a towel in case you want to shower. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to tell.” I finally saw her sky-opening smile with no waterfalls on her face. She passed through the door and went straight to the bathroom to shower. I walked to the living room, picked my book on the table to read few pages while hearing the drops of the rain through the windows waiting for her to come out.

Few moments later, I heard the shower turned off. I went on reading until Laura unlocked the door and stepped out. I barely recognized her with that yellow hoodie she was wearing reaching the top of her thighs. She looked different as if it was my first time to see her. She sat right beside me having her hair tied with the towel looking fresh.

“What are you reading?”

She checked the cover of the book and got curious about the content of the story.

“Hmm let me guess heart of an isolated island?” she said
“Darker” i stated.

She kept on thinking about any possible thing that may sound gothic or dark till she gave up.

“ Slavery of black people, inside the heart of black people” I elaborated.

“Interesting”

She got a bit closer to me to read a line, then she sat on the table looking at the house’s furniture.

“ Movie night?” I suggested anxiously still not used to her being around.

She nodded her head with joy following me to my room where I kept a huge screen on the wall. I handed her the remote and went to the kitchen to bring the snacks we bought. The moment I returned to my room, I found the lights off, only the screen was on while she was laid on bed still looking for something to watch. I laid next to her putting the groceries in between getting ready to enjoy the scary scenes and those of suspense.

“Have you watched the second chapter of IT?” I inquired.

“I haven’t. Is it good as the first” she demanded.

“yeah”
She stared at me for a while then she played the movie and hid under the blanket like a snail.

The movie seemed to be fun just like its previous chapter, therefore even more emotional when the characters began to recall their memories as kids. Their moments together, their friendship and promises made to one another showing a symbol of trust and loyalty.

Almost the end of the movie Laura fell asleep, she was looking calm and peaceful, I could only hear her breathing softly. I covered her well with the blanket, turned off the TV and went to the living room to sleep on the couch.

In the morning I checked on her and found her in the same pose wandering in her dreams. I snuck to the kitchen having an idea of an ideal breakfast before the mermaid quits her waters.
I heard steps coming, slowly they were, with calm sound they arrived to the kitchen.

“Good morning you slept well?” I adrresed to Laura.

“Good morning” she said cracking her bones and her eyes still half closed “very well”.
“I got insomnia by the way that’s the first time I sleep this good” she added.

She placed plates on the table, glasses and a bag of bread. I put the orange juice on the table, milk and few flavours of jam then invited her to sit down.

“Do you have any obligations for today?” she questioned.

I reacted with a soft voice then I listed the necessary things I had to do that day. I had to finish my university project home, go to the tennis court, have lunch, and finally go check the new arrivals at the library. The girl seemed interested in helping me get things done, she found enjoyment in doing so.

My desk was in chaos due to the plenty research I prepared last week; however, it was an opportunity to classify the papers all over again to make the work organized. I put the printer aside and distributed the copies one next to another on the desk and grabbed a second chair for Laura to sit beside me. We worked for about forty minutes on the details of the World War II discussing the failures of the Triple alliance and the collapse of the great powers such Germany, Italy and Japan as a result, we also collected different ideologies not only of the alliance but also those of the entente. We worked effectively together as Laura and I had different opinions on the topic the thing that made me get deeper into the analysis developing doubts and questions that my classmates might ask. The girl was helpful not only by highlighting and spotting key words but also by reaching the deepest point of the subject. I was lucky to have her beside me getting the best out of myself. I saved the project on my laptop and turned the latter off. We changed our clothes, took the racquets bag, grabbed water bottles from the fridge and went straight to the tennis club.
The courts were all taken that we had nowhere to play, we kept on hanging for a couple of minutes until one of them got empty. We placed our bags on the bench, brought out the racquets, and we stood on opposite sides. Catching the ball from here and there that it didn't stop bouncing till one of us scores. I was surprised by the way she was playing; it was unexpected. Laura's hits were as fast as mine that we couldn't stop playing consequently of the much fun we had.
Nearly an hour of playing hard, the girl did not seem to give up though her face was red, and her clothes wet of sweat, she was persistent to go on. We had an audience following the game, looking at the difficult balls caught incredibly, noticing our skills in playing with our maximum effort we also had a twin team who threw us a challenge to play double against them the upcoming days, welcoming us to be part of the organized competitions.
We left the court with so much excitement for the next match, thinking of a good working plan to succeed the game with a legendary impression to the next level.
We returned home feeling exhausted, our feet were dead, all we did once we got home was a quick nap to recover our energy. A couple of minutes later, we went to the kitchen to make something for lunch, we were starving as we only had water after the match. The kitchen was clean the way it was left in the morning giving us an extreme passion for cooking together.
"Turn that thing on, Bella" I pointed to the speaker "I can't cook without music”.
"Makes sense" she said procuring a smile lighted with teeth.
As I was preparing rice, my partner was taking care of shellfish to decorate the surface of the plates. Rice half cooked, I put the seafood in and cut red and green pepper adding to it well-chosen spices to make the meal taste better.

“By the way, I was amazed by how well you play tennis, unbelievable!” I commented keeping my eyes fixed on the cooker.

“Thank you! She looked at me and her smile still never quits her face “Actually I was going to say that about you, I like your backhand!”

The food was prepared, I filled a plate then another and took two cans soda from the fridge and put it on the table. Whilst eating, we were happy about how good the day was going, we couldn’t be less excited for the next activities.
The library was already closed, it killed that joy we held in our hearts since we left home, we felt that our plan was ruined not only cancelled. Fortunately, Laura suggested that we go check a bookshop instead of returning home. We stopped by a bookstore nearby having several choices on different bookshelves. We found it amusing to pick from each side a novel and enjoy reading few pages.

“This book has an interesting look” she flipped the book checking it from back and front.

“The great Gatsby” I said, “good choice”.

She read the first few pages then returned it to its spot. I sat on the floor holding a book and commenced to feel like getting in another world, literally in someone else’s journey. The girl was wandering around the bookshelves looking for something that would please her, until when she got lost. For a moment, she saw me entering seriously in the story that I almost quit our world looking concentrated as if I was watching the events live inside my head. She took a seat beside me, then got through my arm resting on my chest trying to pick up few words from the novel I was reading. I kept my arm rolled around her caressing her hair that she nearly fell asleep. The funny thing was, every time I stopped touching her hair to turn the page, she started to look for my hand to put it back again.
When only twenty minutes were left for sunset, we decided to leave, the owner himself had to close the shop, and we were the only clients left. We shut the door after us and danced crazily on the street running with a piggyback till we reached the river.
The beautiful view of the sunset was holding every couple’s attention all with red roses and well dressed. The sky was looking splendid, by the reflexion of the sun clouds were changing colours as it goes down.

Suddenly, a kid holding a bouquet of roses in his hands, walking around trying to sell.

“Roses for your girlfriend, sir?”

The question was awkward, it kept us silent, our eyes could,’t see straight to each other, our faces turned into yellow, blue, red, not knowing what to reply to the little boy.

“We are fine sweetie, thank you” she dared.

“Actually, I want to get her one of these” I added.

The boy left with a happy face, maybe it was his first profit for today. The young lady was holding the bouquet, looking at me with her cheeks becoming pink thinking about how sweet that gesture was making her beautiful day even brighter.
To make that night more special, I took Laura to a cafe that just opened these days looking good with its classy structure and its orchestra air that we could hear from miles. Laura was wearing a red dress we bought for that special day, having everybody looking at her with amazement that she took people’s attention from the hardworking orchestra to her. We sat on the balcony where there was a plenty kind of flowers and only few people as it was a little cold. She pulled out her phone and took pictures of us with different poses. That night was joyful, we wandered around the huge garden, picked a couple of flowers and then to conclude our day, we went home to the rooftop to watch the stars above. Her and I kept talking the whole night sharing secrets, dreams, childhood memories, etc.

Her parents were very strict that her freedom ceased to exist; “they used to forbid me from connecting with male friends, punish me when I disobey their decisions like choosing for me a career that would please them, and ignore my opinion when I try to convince them."
I began to listen with complete concentration as not to miss any part in the sake of understanding her past.
"When I come home sad or angry, they keep insulting me for not picking the right people to befriend and that I cry over silly things that for me seemed to be important. Even my parents rejected me so how would the world accept me?" she went on telling, while I kept wondering how no single tear dropped from her eyes as she was speaking from the deep of her heart. I pulled her to me and kissed the top of her head realizing how I would really love to keep her with me to give her a chance to live the life she truly deserves. She got deeper in my arms getting maximum love and closeness possible now that she needed it. I could barely see her hair; her face was covered in my arms tickling my body like a pillow.
"What about love how did it work for you?" murmured I out of curiosity.
She stayed still in there using only her soft voice answering my questions.
"I felt like I gave my poor heart to savage creatures, I got betrayed, abandoned and overused, I felt like an object in the hands of those people. How can someone consider a human's feelings sort of a game"... "I think I'm the issue, I'm not enough, I wish I wasn't born at all, I'm useless."
"No, my dear, no” i interrupted “the problem was never you, these guys were wrong for you, because you deserve someone better who would fulfil your needs, who would consider them a necessity in their lives as they would consider you".
She raised her head looking at me with her broken-hearted eyes that almost screamed out of horrible pain she kept handling. The girl fell in my arms again wishing she could live in there forever.
"Nowhere you are going" I whispered to her.
Laura was displeased for having to return to her place as she was still an adolescent having no way for her to be independent of her family. But luckily for her at the end of that year she will turn 18 to be finally free. The poor girl rested that night with tears in her eyes feeling controlled by the cruel reality she was living. The moment she realized tomorrow was her last with me she fell into silent tears wiping her red eyes showing how hurt she was to quit someone she was about to build a new life with, with whom she could truly feel like living something she would call a dream life unlike the nightmares she was surviving.
"I refuse go" said Laura with a broken voice rolling her arms around me wishing for a miracle to change that fact.
In the morning after she has left, the house felt empty, total calm but still could picture her shadow around the house. On the way to the university, I kept thinking about how her day would go without me. When my turn came to present my presentation in class, every paragraph reminded me of her as she was my only support to complete that task. My daily routine when she left turned to be like this: class, canteen, library, home writing, and a call with her at night till we fall asleep. The most thing I was excited about was the weekend, because that was when Laura could come and make home feel really like home.
One evening sitting in the nearby park admiring effortlessly the sun hiding behind the sea, I pictured Laura and I at the same spot few days ago.
An old man sat next to me offering me some nuts with a smile never leaving his heavy face reminding me of my beloved grandpa who used to care for our silence more than our noise.
“what’s the matter young man?”

“There is a friend of mine that I missed” ... “a very old friend of mine”.

“Do they live around here?”

“Unfortunately, they don’t” “hometown” I gasped.

“that’s alright pal, I’m sure you’ll see them again” he reassured me placing his hand on the top of my knee.

The grandpa caressed my back showing empathy, then I looked at him with a brief smile wishing him a good evening and told him how his kind gesture honestly helped change my mood.

On Friday afternoon, I heard knocks at the door, I jumped immediately out of bed to check, and I had no doubt that it was her, Laura.

“Hi boy! Said Laura after dropping her bags and jumped to me with a happy face”.
“I missed you”.
“I missed you too” I carried the girl in my arms, then I helped her carry her stuff inside.

Laura seemed happier this time and she said she’s got some great news to tell.

“I argued with my parents, and I made a final decision this time”.
_ “but I just need your approval” she added cracking her fingers.
_ “what is it” I demanded.
“I thought about moving in with you, if you don’t mind. You can ask me to leave whenever you want to”.
I got shocked by her answer and considered that a big responsibility that I should treat with care, but it was no obstacle to any of my dreams or future plans or anything that would be a threat in my life. I thought that she might be the right person I was looking for from the very beginning though we haven’t yet confessed to one another how we felt towards each other.

“Laura” I called.

“Yes?” she replied biting her fingernails looking frightened.

“It would be a pleasure to have you here with me, and I’d be very happy to take care of you as long as I’m with you, in good and bad”.
She jumped with intense pleasure and got wrapped in my arms feeling safety and comfort unlike ever before, her pupils lightening with contentment to my face what made me feel like accomplishing a heroic act.
The intimacy began to rise, and we both made our love clear indirectly through simple actions. I never ceased to make her feel loved and protected when in return she never left me without encouragement and empathy pushing my life forward. Love between us already existed it was only unrevealed through simple words.