HEALING MIRRORS

8

After a short nap, I opened my eyes to find him on the phone, speaking in a hushed tone. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was 9:20PM.

The car windows were fogged up, obscuring my view of our surroundings in Littleton, which left me a bit uneasy. When he noticed I was awake, he quickly ended the call and said, "Umm, actually, there's a problem with the car. I think it's a puncture or something. The other car is on its way, and then I'll drop you."

I was worried, a minute later I cleared the fog on the window to see where we were. To my surprise, we were parked on my street, right by my house. He looked puzzled by my reaction. "You don't need to drop me," I informed him. "We have reached. I already know this street; that's my home."

He nodded, and as I removed his jacket, which I had unknowingly been wrapped in, I placed it in the backseat of the car. Realizing he was also in trouble, I felt compelled to help him.

"You can stay at my house until your second car arrives," I insisted, but he declined. "You helped me, so let me help you too. Can't I?" I asked.

He chuckled and agreed. As I reached for the door handle, the thought of going outside in the rain crossed my mind. I voiced this concern, and he replied, "Can you run?" Confused about my ability to run, I nodded.

We both stepped out of the car, and he suddenly grabbed my wrist gently. We started running at a fast pace. Although I could run, my ankle still caused some pain, and I stumbled abruptly. He stopped and looked at me with concern.

"I'm so sorry, did it hurt? Why didn't you tell me earlier that you wouldn't be able to run?"

I smiled, "No, no, it's not like that. I'm completely fine." We were both drenched in rain, laughing like kids. The raindrops seemed to wash away all the tension and worry of the evening.

Our laughter echoed through the empty streets like the joyous cries of children. Each droplet seemed to dance around us, a playful orchestra of nature's delight. Our smiles were wide, eyes sparkling with the pure, unadulterated joy of the moment, as if the rain had washed away all our worries, leaving only the blissful present.

Hand in hand, we embraced the downpour, alive in each other's company, cherishing the simple pleasure of being together, lost in our own world of giggles and rain.

Finally, we reached my home - an apartment building, with my room on the 4th floor. We climbed the stairs, and I opened the door,

I was shocked to see my messy room; I had forgotten to clean up. Hurriedly, I gathered all my clothes in my arms and, in one go, kept them inside the wardrobe, attempting to tidy up. It was awful, awkward, and everything. Turning to see him, I smiled sarcastically, but he didn't enter. Instead, he stood outside the room. "It's just messy, you know," I laughed nervously. "Come inside, why are you standing there?"

He entered, and I felt relieved but also shocked at the state of my room, and I gave him a towel to dry himself a little bit at least.I turned the heater on to make my room a little bit cozy.

While I cleaned my room, I was standing near a drawer. He was coming closer to me, and my heart was beating fast.

I wasn't able to move; I don't know what had happened to me. I felt so anxious and nervous right then. He raised his hand closer to me. I stared down at the floor, and he passed by my side and grabbed his phone, then walked outside the room. I exhaled the breath which I held because of our proximity and then realized he wasn't coming closer.

It's just that I was standing between him and his phone. I laughed at my thoughts, slapped my head, then walked outside to see him. He was about to leave. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"My car is here," he replied.

"Okay, and thank you so much for everything," I said, smiling gently. He didn't say anything to me, watching his back slowly disappear.

I changed my clothes and ate my dinner while watching Netflix, reflecting on the unexpected yet delightful evening that had unfolded.

I was watching a movie, but my mind was completely occupied by thoughts of him, replaying all those awful moments between us. I wondered why he had acted so strangely, and continued to dwell on thoughts of him, unable to shake off his presence in my mind.

He had helped me so much, even calling me "Miss Beautiful." Why hadn't I realized this earlier? Did he develop a crush on me? I chuckled sadly, wondering why someone would have a crush on me, someone like me. Turning to the right side,

Tears started rolling down my cheeks. Why am I not perfect so that someone can love me? He was all perfect, with his perfectly built body, his features, his smile, his deep voice; everything about him was perfect.

And here I am, all ugly, with my voice, my skinny body, my ugly features, and dark skin. Everyone would taunt him for choosing someone as ugly as me. I chuckled sadly and fell asleep with these thoughts, ready for the next day, filled with more insecurities and self-doubt weighing heavily on my mind. Well, I wouldn't look good standing by his side.

While butterflies are drawn to pretty flowers, I am the flower they don't even care for. Standing alone in the sunshine, dancing with the breeze, and waiting for my butterfly to choose me above all of them
~Reveriesverse