Without You

19

 The memory floods back like a soft wave, the kind that carries both warmth and a hint of sadness. I can see the backyard of our old house, sunlight filtering through the leaves.Ella and I are sprawled out on a blanket, surrounded by art supplies markers, glitter, and scraps of colorful paper.

"Okay, Amore, what's our masterpiece going to be today?" Ella asks, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 

I squint up at her. "How about a mural? A giant rainbow!"

"Perfect! But we need a unicorn to go with it," she declares, already reaching for the markers. "You can draw the unicorn; I'll do the rainbow."

I giggle, "But I can't draw unicorns like you!"

Ella leans in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Then we'll just say it's abstract! Art can be whatever you want it to be."

I nod as we dive into our project, laughter ringing out as we compete to see who can make the silliest unicorn. I watch as she effortlessly fills the page with vibrant colors.

"See? You're a natural!" she encourages, brushing a stray hair from my forehead. "We're going to be famous artists one day. Just you wait."

As we finish up, we lie back on the blanket, our artwork drying in the sun. I watch the clouds drift by, feeling completely content. "Promise me you'll always be there for me, Ella?"

"Always," she says without hesitation, her gaze serious for a moment. Then she smiles, the warmth returning. "No matter what. Sisters forever, right?"

"Right!" I grin back, feeling the weight of her promise wrap around me like a hug.

In that moment, everything felt perfect. The world was bright, and the future was wide open, filled with endless possibilities. But now, the memory is tinged with bittersweetness. I can still hear her laughter, see the sparkle in her eyes, and I wish I could go back to that carefree day, if only for a moment.

"Delilah?" 

I look up to see Adam standing by my car with a bag in his hand. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion before rolling my window down.

"Adam? what are you doing here?" he shrugs, "Just getting some lunch. what are you doing here?"

"Taking a breather." I respond. 

He nods. 

"Where are you headed?"

"Why?" he looks at me and smiles nervously.

"Would it be weird if I asked for a ride?" 

I nod. "Yes very weird."

He frowns but then shakes his head putting a smile back on. "Yeah I thought so."

"If I were to consider it where would you wanna go?"

His eyes light up. "My brothers house. I'm supposed to be going to a party with him or something." 

I sigh and then nod. "Sure, hop in." 

I unlock the door and he goes to the passenger side and slides in. He pulls up some directions on his phone and shows them to me and I start driving. 

He opens a pack of beef jerky his leg bobbing up and down as he chews on a piece. "Want some?" he asks.

"No."

He looks out the window his leg continuing to shake. 

"I like your car, it's nice." 

"Thanks, what happened to your car?"