Without You

30

The summer sun was dipping low as we finished setting up our little 'fort' in the woods. Ella stood back, hands on her hips, surveying our work with that look of pride she always got when we did something together. We'd dragged old blankets and pillows from the cabin, creating a makeshift shelter under a cluster of trees. Sticks and rocks formed the 'walls,' a haphazard, magical little space that felt like ours alone.

"Look at this masterpiece," she said with a grin, raising an eyebrow at me. "One day, we're gonna look back on this and laugh." She tossed a pillow in my direction, her eyes gleaming."But promise me we'll never forget it."

I caught the pillow, grinning as I threw it back at her. "Like I could ever forget you," I said, rolling my eyes dramatically. She laughed, the sound warm and bright, and for a moment, we just sat there in our fort, hidden from the world. The sun filtered through the branches above, casting a golden glow that made everything feel hazy and perfect.

As we lay side by side on the blankets, staring up at the patch of sky visible between the leaves, the colors were shifting, the blue deepening to purple and pink. The light was soft and warm, settling around us like a blanket.

Ella turned her head, looking at me with a gentle smile. "I'll always be there for you, Amore. Even when I'm far away."

Her words hung in the air, settling deep inside me. I didn't fully understand why she was saying it, but I took her hand and squeezed it tightly, feeling the quiet promise between us. For that moment, it was like we were the only two people in the world, wrapped in the safety of our secret fort, where nothing could touch us.

I wake up the sunlight filtering through the windows, I slowly sit up and see Adam asleep in a chair next to the bed.

Did I not go home last night?

I start to get out of bed trying not to wake him up when he stirs in his sleep. 

"Amore?" he says standing up rushing towards me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say dismissing him. "I'm not crippled." 

"Yeah I know."

"Why did you sleep in the chair?"

He looks at it and then at me and shrugs. "I don't know." I stand up noticing I'm still in my white dress. I start to head downstairs when he follows me. "Listen about last night." I hold a finger up silencing him.

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I know bu-"

"Not now Adam." I turn around and look at him. "I've had a shitty night, I don't feel like having a shitty morning."

He nods lowering his head and putting his hands in his pockets. "Shitty night huh?" he says and I sigh.

"You know what I mean Adam. I just don't wanna think about it. when is Taylor coming to pick us up?"

He sighs and pulls his phone out. "I'll ask her." I nod and walk away from him and towards the kitchen.

I look outside to see the blankets and pillows still there from last night my cheeks warm at the memory. 

I sigh and lean on the counter dropping my head in my hands.

I remember the first time I went camping with my family, Ella had gotten her first boyfriend so she barely was paying attention to me. I was petty so petty I threw her phone in the lake because she wasn't giving me enough attention.

We were camping by the lake that summer, just me, Ella, and our parents, like we did every year. I'd been looking forward to it for weeks, counting down the days until we'd have our own tent, our secret talks, and our little adventures together. But this time, things were different. Ella was glued to her phone, constantly texting her new boyfriend.