If he was asked about his life, young Marcus Anderson would probably see it as an "exciting rollercoaster ride," full of fun while it lasts, but it came to a complete stop when Ellie Miller, his childhood friend, had to leave him.
Everything was s...
Marcus quietly excused himself from the loud gathering in the dining room to find Ellie. He'd been working on something for the past five minutes, something he hoped would bring a smile to Ellie's face despite the fact she'll be leaving in less than a day. As he inspected every room of their house, he came across the backyard, which was just at the back of their kitchen.
As he twisted the knob and opened the door, there, he saw Ellie, and among the flowers planted in the dew-dappled grass, she was the prettiest one. She let her brunette curls down without seeing Marcus, but seeing him made her startle a little.
"Why are you here?" She curiously asks, beckoning him with her hands to come sit with her
"Felt like I had to escape from my relatives. I mean they were smothering me with questions I don't even know the answer to!" He replied, making both of them laugh. He knows this was a lie, well kind of. Even if he did not actually want to be interrogated by his aunties and uncles, the real reason was supposed to be a surprise, obviously.
You see, since Ellie and her family are already leaving tomorrow, still being a shocker to Marcus, he decided he would use this tiny bit of spare time on his birthday to write Ellie a final letter, confessing his feelings. Letters and handwritten notes were kind of like a specialty to them. Because these weren't just given out casually, but more of a gift. Whether it'd be a birthday, a baptism, or any special occasion that one would deserve a letter, one would be given a letter.
His eyes were focused somewhere else though, only adjusting it when he saw Ellie, who is now laying in the grass.
"What're you doin' there, silly?" Marcus pointed at the girl, giggling, as she pretends to make snow angels in the greenery
"I'm laying down, dummy. C'mere. I wanna look at the stars" She signals at the boy
"Okay." He answers as he does so, now staring at her with full awe.
He even notices the smallest of details. How her eyes shine and reflect the stars that dot the firmament with sparkling glitter as she gazes skyward, how even the simplest words that come out of her mouth can make him melt even more, how he can tell right away if she's uncomfortable or sad, how he knows all of her favourite constellations and colors, how I could go on forever and ever, but I won't. Because it's all in the little things. Love, is all in the little things.
"Were you listening to what I was saying?" Ellie taps Marcus on the shoulder, she swore she just saw clouds in his eyes. Oh well, might just be her imagination
"Oh, y-yeah. Yes I was." The boy laying beside her responds, making sure he actually listens now and doesn't daydream about her again. (Kid is already so whipped 😭😭)
"Ooh! And there's Cassiopeia. That's one of my favourites including Orion. It's pretty, right?" She giggles, staring more into the night sky, hoping to find new sightings
"Yeah...Really pretty." He says in a soft tone, staring at her and smiling.
She turned to face him, and quickly enough, he subtly shifted his body, pretending to adjust his position, and turned his head just enough to avoid meeting her eyes.
"Marcus?" She softly spoke enough to get the boy's attention, making him turn to look at her.
"Hm?"
"Did my mom already tell you about us moving to California?"
"Yeah, no big deal for me."
"I'm so sorry if you had to find out this way. I also just found out today and-"
Marcus cuts her off, but not in a disrespectful way, of course. "No need to explain, Ellie. I completely understand."
"Look, Mars, I know you're sad, and I am too. But I promise you, we will come back to you as soon as possible. I will come back to you. It's just that me and my family need to go for a lil bit. I'll miss you a lot though." The sweet girl continues
"I'll miss you too. I hope both of us never forget about each other" He sadly says as he sighs, Ellie was about to say something but Marcus decided to collect his thoughts, and breaks the silence between them
"I have something to say." Marcus says
"Me too. You go first." Ellie pointed at him with a big grin
"I know how we've been friends for a longgggg time but it's just that- every time I see you, I just feel something...different." He stops as Ellie looks at him with a confused demeanor.
"Uhh, how different? Do I get you sad?" She genuinely questions him
"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, that is not what I meant!" He laughs and she was relieved to hear that
"You actually make me feel the opposite. I feel happy with I'm with you. But it's like a 'more' happy with you, y'know?" Marcus continues to speak, Ellie only returning head tilts to him
"I don't know how to really explain it. But I'll try." He chuckles out of slight embarrassment, only Ellie nodding at him
"My mind can't properly think when I'm with you- I don't mean that in a bad way but-" He cuts himself off and shakes his head, repeating monologues in his head telling him: 'just go straight to the point, Marcus. Tell her you like her. It's that easy!'
