The Years After

Chapter 36

A silver lining of the sun's rays entered from a crack in between the semi closed red curtains covering my bedroom's window. It was 10 in the morning. I opened a drawer to grab a t-shirt and as I unfolded it a small purple bag fell from it. I heard metals clash and I remembered it was the small bag Nicole gave me that contained one locket and a small piece of paper. Where should I put these? I asked myself. I knew where, so quickly I put on some shoes and got out of the palace. It was warm and a gentle breeze flowed through the air today. I walked down West Main Street, then turned left onto South Hillside Avenue into downtown, the quickest way into the worker sector. South Hillside Avenue ended at the forest and from there a small dirt road snaked around into the worker's sector, my old house was a lonely home close to the hills where the greenest trees grew. I walked there and opened the door, everything was as we left it. The house looked neglected from the outside, vines hugging the old bricks, a tree branch dumping leaves onto the grass, but the inside looked as we left it other than the fact that everything was a bit dusty and some spider's had made their homes on the corners of small windows. I walked into my old room, a small room with two bunk beds, one for me and the other for my grandpa. There was a small hole behind the bunk beds and inside was a small box. I took out the box and opened it. A few things from my childhood were there. A small red toy car I found in one of the city streets, a shiny Quartz rock I found on the lake side, a picture of my mother, the picture was fading as time passed by but I could still see my mother's face. I placed the small purple pouch inside and as I was about to close the box, I heard a voice

"Carlos?"

I stood quietly, and I saw the shadow of a person elongate by the passageway, it was Nicole.

"Oh hey." I said

"What are you doing?" She asked

"I came to put the locket here, somewhere safe." I said, then I asked confused, "how did you know I was here?"

"Well I was going to pay you a visit at the palace, and I was about to get there when I saw you leave and I followed you here."

"Creep." I jokingly said and we both laughed

"Here this is for you." She handed me another small pouch except this one was leather and the color was brown.

"What is it?" I asked as I was about to open it, she stopped me.

"No, don't open it yet. Open it after the battle is over. Please."

I agreed and placed it in the small box, then hid the box behind the hole and moved the bunk back into place.

"Shall we go for a walk?" I asked her in a classy voice and I folded my arm for her to hold onto

"My pleasure." She answered in a classy voice too and laughed, I closed the door behind me and we walked towards the Forbids.

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I climbed an apple tree.

"Tell me which one you want." I told Nicole

"That one," she said pointing at a plump and big red apple, I extended my arm to grab that one and the one next to it. I threw both at Nicole to catch and as I was about to climb down, I slipped and fell onto the floor. I made an 'ow' noise and Nicole came over to my aid

"Oh god, are you okay?" She asked. She stood there for about 30 seconds, "Carlos? Hey! Are you okay?" she sounded worried, "oh my god." I wasn't opening my eyes, and I took slow breaths. I fell at such an awkward position onto the floor, she thought I was dead. "Help! He's dying, someone! help!" She screamed and then she put her ear on my chest and lifted up, I grabbed both of her arms and flipped her around.

"Help! She's dead!" I said in the same voice that she did.

She looked at me with fierce green eyes and said "Oh my god! Asshole!" and she started laughing, and I did too. "Stop I thought you had died" she said worried, then laughed some more.

We walked towards the hills in the Forbids, the best seat in the house to see the sunset reflecting on the glass buildings of downtown. We ate our apples as the sun fell into the blue sea, giving it a beautiful blood red tint. There she was the girl, the girl with the golden brown wavy hair, the girl with the emerald green eyes, the most beautiful girl in the world. I remembered what happened about a week ago in the beach, but I never shared the moments I did with her with anyone else. I had the best times of my days with her. I knew the truth. I loved this girl, I was confused but now I am sure, I love her.

"I love you." I said

"What?"

"I love you."

She didn't say anything. She just got closer and leaned her head on my shoulder. I leaned my cheek on her head. She stayed there for about 15 minutes then she lifted her head as the first stars started to appear on the rosy pink sky. She turned around to look at me, and I looked at her. We looked at each other straight in the eyes. It felt like we were sinking in on each other, and we were. She turned kneeling in front of me and we both approached each other her soft warm lips clashing onto mine intensely we both started falling into the green grass, her warm hands wrapped around my face. Her soft hair fell on me, in unison with her body, but it didn't last long. She lifted her body from mine, her hands weren't on my face anymore, her lips diverged from mine. We were both silent, feeling the energy fade away. She got up, I was still on the grass and I lifted myself up too. I reached for her hand once more, but she refused.

"I can't love you." She said, "I am sorry." Her green eyes were teary.

"Why can't you. We can't walk away from each other, we always end up falling back."

"I just can't, okay." Her face was suddenly pale, her eyes dropped. She wrapped her hand onto her arm.

"Are you okay?" I got closer to her.

"Yes I am, thank you. I am sorry." She said.

She slowly walked down, more like weakly walked down, but I didn't go for her. She didn't want me to, so I just sat down on the grassy hillside, watching her figure cross the fence and walk away into the city. There she goes. I said to myself. I laid down watching one rosy sky above. Wispy clouds moving slowly towards the city as if leading Nicole. She had walked away, and didn't look back.