The Ghost of You

Chapter 22 - Saahar's POV

I was a good driver. The best I would even say. Everyone that sat in my car always complimented my driving skills. They always felt safe.

Cai's driving was different to mine. For instance, if the speed limit on a road was twenty, I would go drive at twenty. Cai, on the other hand, didn't follow speed limits - twenty to him meant thirty. If someone was driving too slow, he would overtake them. It wasn't that he was a bad driver, he was insanely smooth with every turn and stop he did. One may even say a smooth reckless driver. Dangerous was too much.

While it would usually take me twenty minutes to get to Maypole from school, it took Cai exactly half the time. When we got there, he opened the door for me and smiled as I jumped excited to be there.

Maypole was a public park so anyone could go into it. However, it wasn't the whole park that had been claimed by us teenagers - only the soutside. To get to the area us teens had taken for ourself, we had to climb over a wooden fence polluted with graffiti.

While the front side of the fence looked out onto dark brittle trees and damp mud, the back - the road to our area- was decorated with emerald green trees, some that would even born fruits in the summer. The grass matched the ethereal shade of the trees and remained cut all year long.

The southside was once owned by a rich businessman in the Victorian Era. However, when he died, his land was not left abandoned. His family - which no one knew about- constantly hired maintenance for the area hence why it was closed off the the public. Even though us teen polluted it evidence of lustful acts and remains of underaged drinking, the area was always maintained.

My favourite part, the lake, sat the furthest from the fence and looked out onto the centre of the Southside. With a small bench sitting in the middle view of the glittery blue lake, I always felt peaceful while sitting there. And, despite the cold air, the comfort of happy bird chirping and the trees singing comforted me. And, for that day in particular, having Cai there made the experience even better.

Instead of sitting on the bench like usual, we sat on the ground looking down at the running lake in front of us. With my legs crossed, I rested my elbow on my left thigh and leaned my head on my palm.

This angle provided a perfect view of both the rushing water and Cai. Not that I specifically wanted to look at Cai, it just made it easier to face him when he spoke. However, most of our time wasn't spent talking. While I sat up looking at the lake, he was laid back looking up at the grey clouds. With one hand resting on his stomach and another on his forehead, he kept his eyes up.

Any time I focused on him, I noticed his green eyes glistening in the sunlight - a kind of brightness I had never noticed before. My intention was never to stare at him for as long a I did, but I found myself focusing more on him than I did the lake. The lake - the whole reason I brought him to Maypole.

When he caught me staring, I quickly looked away. However, as my attempt to hide my focus failed, he sat up, before out shoulders brushed closely together.

"Maybe you were right" he said, "This place isn't bad at all".

"When am I ever wrong?" I boasted.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he teased. I shot him a deadly glare before looking back at the lake.

I leaned back as I put my arms behind my back. Taking a deep breath allowed me to furth appreciate the senary. This was the most calm I had been in a long time. For the first time in ages, I felt peaceful. I felt hopeful.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I said. I looked at him, noticing the anxious look on his face. He tightened his lips before nodding slowly. I hadn't even said my question yet he looked scared.