Paint Over my Scars

Chapter 7

The next day Monika woke with her window being frozen over and the roof being covered in fluffy white snow. The snow shined in the sun's rays, making it look like a silver blanket, covering the town. The snow on the ground was mushy and brown- not nearly as pretty as the blanket on roof that weren't walked in with muddy shoes. The plants in her garden slouched with the heavy snow laying on their green leaves and the snow and soil mixed together grossly, making a slippier mush.

She slipped from her bed, showered, and walked downstairs. She could smell the sweet pastries her step-mother just took from the oven and the faded smell of nicely baked beard that was still rising in the oven. Her father looked at her, confusion with hints of anger were shown on his face.

He looked back at the dough he rolled and asked, "Why'd you get home so late?"

The flustered Monika replied, "Out with friends,"

Her step-mother looked at her, raising one eyebrow, "Who?"

"Friends I've recently made, you don't know them," She tied the apron around her neck, not looking at neither.

Yesterday, Gilbert offered to walk her home after she loudly exclaimed that she was nearly late to get back to work. It was about 10 minutes to noon- the time when she was suppose to be back at work. She knew he was going to slow her down- and himself down too, he should be at work when she was, but he begged her to let him walk her there to be "gentlemanly" was the word he used for it. 

So, there they were, amidst of all the snowy crystal falling from the sky, with them walking against the crowd of shoppers, with their hands cold and in need of warmth, with cheeks red as an apple, with their hearts beating fast. 

They walked. 

Monika cold hands were tempted to grab onto Gilbert's free hand that swung at his side,  but she couldn't work up the confidence to- instead she fisted them up and shoved them in her heated pockets.  

She stopped abruptly on the corner a block away from the Bakery- Confused, Gilbert stopped aside her. She explained her parents would kill her if they saw him, so she bid him a farewell there, with the snow gathering in her short blonde hair, with Gilbert's proud smirk, waiting for a compliment, with the sun peeking from the grey clouds, she told him "I had fun," 

Thinking that he was going to give her a handshake, she stuck her hand out formally, waiting for it to intertwine with his. Gilbert's plans were different, he wrapped his arms around her mid-back, squeezing her into a hug that she wasn't use to. 

He warned her that he was cold, but the hug was quite opposite- it was hot, enough to make her sweat under her clothes. It burned her everywhere- even places where his body didn't touch; acid climbed up her chest where her breasts were pressed against his chest; her feet felt like she just stepped into lava and it burned up to legs; her legs squirmed from the heat, rubbing her knee on his thigh. 

It was short- just a friend hug but it felt like eternity for Monika- like the world aged around them- people died, people were born, wars start, wars ended, lives were destroyed, lives were saved- yet it was all still for them, all silent for them- only the sound of their heart beating and the sound of the snow falling onto the ground- they stayed frozen while the world moved freely. 

Gilbert moved away from her, their bodies losing connect with one and their worlds spun again, returning to its orbit. He told her a goodbye and jogged backward into the crosswalk, waving to her. Monika stared at the people who went against her, walking around her, avoiding her. She didn't say goodbye, she couldn't, her mouth was dry and her lips felt frozen together by the snow.