Life Lines

4

I used to be very fond of a Chinese proverb which said that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance; it may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. I used to believe in it wholeheartedly. My blind faith made me take all my relationships for granted. Because the threads could never break.

What I didn't know is that the saying only encompassed the limits of the thread itself. Yes, the thread can never break. But someone can definitely cut it.

You may ask how. And I have an answer for that as well. It is scientifically known that hair is the strongest material found on our planet. When stretched, it is stronger than steel. Despite all that strength from within, it is nothing in front of a pair of scissors.

The invisible thread that connected Aiden and me was like hair. It was strong by itself. And nothing in the world could make it break. But I had scissors for a heart. So I cut that thread myself.

I cut off the thread that tied me with Aiden the day I decided to let fear take over. I feared getting hurt and that is exactly what happened. What hurts even more, now that I know what I did, is that I didn't cut the thread at once. I kept making it weaker and weaker with every shear. Chopping it slowly and brutally.

We practised hard for days, perfecting every note, and on the day of the carnival, we gave our best. On the day of the carnival, I finally cut off the thread.

The day started out like any other. I reached school earlier than expected and hid myself inside the music room. I thought of practising one last time but my anxiety was getting worse with each passing second. All the students were busy preparing for the carnival, and there I was, the same old Skye who didn't have a bone of calmness in her body. I couldn't even help myself let alone everyone else.

That was when Aiden walked into the room. I know that he was startled to see me there. We had discussed the time we would reach school the day before and I was not supposed to be there that early in the morning.

"Wow, what a pleasant surprise. Weren't you going to come here, like, much later than now?"

"From the way you're questioning me it doesn't seem like a pleasant surprise."

"Oh, come on! You know I like what I'm seeing right now."

It was at moments like this that I found myself holding back my urge to make my feelings for him known. All I could do then was look away and smile, hoping that he didn't notice the rosy flush of my cheeks. I wonder if he saw it, nonetheless. Did it make him feel something? Did it make him smile? Did it make him feel the butterflies too?

I remember changing the topic swiftly, "Should we practise a bit more, just in case?"

"Do you want to lose your voice right before our performance?"

"It's not like that, I just don't want to mess up."

"You've got be kidding me, Skye," he walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. And then he shook me ever so slightly, "You're going to be amazing just like you always have been. Believe in yourself. Just as much as I believe in you."

I think that made me fall for him harder.

"Alright Aiden, what do you suggest we do then?"

"We'll talk," he pulled a chair towards himself and sat in front of me.

I knew I lost sense of time when I was with him, but it never failed to shock me. How could I talk to him like that? How could he make me forget about everything? It felt as if we spoke for just minutes, but in reality, we had wasted almost three hours.