A whisper of wind blew through the streets of New York and tousled his black hair, sending a chunk of it down in front of his eyes.
Sweetness twirled into his nose from the freshly cut grass and bees buzzing nearby caused him to walk more carefully on the sidewalk; he was deathly afraid of being stung.
A fear he carried with him since childhood.
Childhood. His chest tightened and then his heart beat faster. He felt as if he was reliving it. Mum and Dad. A house that was warm and full of love, even if it took some time to get used to it. The war hadn't ruined them after all.
He could breathe.
They were a family. Again. Maybe they couldn't forget what the war had done to them, couldn't forget the years away from each other, but they had a lot of time ahead of them to make up for it.
Plenty of days to laugh around the dinner table- like they'd done so long ago. Those memories felt nearly unreal.
Ahead, a red and white striped roof caught his eye, couples and children were either sitting around on tables outside, stepping out from the door, or going inside. He envied the couples. Wished he could be like them.
Knew he never could be.
His stomach grumbled, and feeling his pocket to make sure he had some change, he ambled his way inside the small, radiant ice cream shop, a bell ringing through the building as he pushed open the door.
Instantly he hated the charming little bell. Everyone looked up from their tables and stared his way, undoubtedly scrutinizing him.
A woman set down her spoon with a clattering chime and her son blinked with wide eyes.
This was why he hated people, they were so nosy that they couldn't leave anyone alone. He sniffed, tried to make his eyes and expression darker and more unwelcoming, and began walking to the front counter to order his ice cream.
"Ed? What are you doing here?" Someone called out from behind him, the sound somehow reaching him through the low and high murmurs and laughs contaminating the tiny shop.
His voice seized in his throat, what he'd been about to ask the awaiting clerk slipped away into nothingness. Before he turned, he knew who stood there.
That bubbly, yet calm tone. Rita.
Even though he was certain, when he turned, the voice connected to the face, and the way she grinned, her mouth crooked, made his heart melt.
"Oh, I was hungry, that's all."
As happy as he was to see her, he did wonder what she was doing here... albeit, all alone. When he peeked behind her, to see if she'd come with someone, he didn't see anyone.
Not a single person he knew was lingering there, not even someone he didn't know.
Not even Peter.
She'd been here before he'd come, he didn't hear her come in, and she was apparently all by herself. Unusual. Unless Lucy had told her he was coming here, but his sister couldn't have known he was coming, and even if she did and told Rita, why would Rita care if he was here? And then why would she come for that matter?
No, it had to have been by chance. Lucky. For him, at least.
Rita's cheeks looked to get pinker when he walked nearer, but that was just the lighting and the color of the paint on the walls reflecting onto her face; he knew better than to hope like that.
Her smile widened, "Do you want to sit with me?"
Time stopped. Breath stopped. Everything stopped.
His hands quivered. His blood turned to ice, then fire.
YOU ARE READING
Could Have, Should Have, Didn't - A Narnia Fanfiction
Fanfiction"She was exactly like every girl he'd ever met, yet, somehow, different..." Change is hard. It nibbles away at your heart, piece by piece. It destroys, even as it creates. Silently, change controls almost everything. Edmund Pevensie is known to be t...
