Make It Count | ✓

epilogue

—epilogue—

THREE MONTHS LATER.

I studied the lock Belle and I clutched around the barrier just behind the cottage where we first met. It had our names written on it and I had already thrown the key into the river when she was still alive.

When it began to rain, I quickly looked up at the sky, somewhat pleased at the sight of it. A smile flitted across my face. Long before, I hated days like these when I wanted to go to practice. But now, not only the sun reminded me of Belle; the rain reminded me of her, too.

This was the first time I had gone out of my house, not for school, after weeks of mourning. The moment I stepped out of my house and decided to visit here, I expected that things wouldn't hurt like the first time.

But that was when I realized that I was extremely wrong; because after someone's death comes denial, lost the next, third angst, fourth pain, and the last was longing. I had tried to numb the pain all this while, as though to switch my emotions off in that Salvatore fashion, but then once you finally feel it, things are much, much worse than how it was before.

It felt like I owned all the darkest emotions and lived in that world, not able to find my way back home. And today, I was nowhere near better because when wounds are trying to mend, that's when the process gets unbearable. You have to go through the most painful phase of it all before things could get better somehow.

And damn, it hurt like a motherfucker.

Not like scraped knees or bruised jaws kind of ache, not even close. It was more of like soul-ripping, tearing-your-heart-out kind of yelping pain.

Even then, I tried to be happy for her 'cause I knew she wanted me to. Though things weren't a bed of roses because they had thorns that shreds you at the seams, mostly because everywhere I went kind of exemplified her.

"Chabe. Come here, buddy!" He jumped up, and I scooped him. As promised, I took it my life mission to take care of him just as his mother wished. Belle left me with good memories, and that included Chabe. It was actually pretty funny how Belle named the dog after us.

A girl ran towards the cottage, covering her head with her jacket, and it was hard not to raise my eyebrow. This part of the neighborhood rarely had a passer-by, not to mention that this girl looked new in town. Not that I was complaining. It was how I met Belle.

I shrugged. It was raining anyway.

She unveiled her guard and I stood still. The girl had the same brown, mid-length hair like Belle's. Her stance. Her figure. Everything.

I gulped just as she turned around. She was definitely new and she was pretty, too. But my girl was a cut above the rest without sounding bias.

I blinked for the nth time, thinking Belle's ghost was attempting to manifest its presence.

"What?" The new girl cocked her eyebrow. I'd give her pretty green eyes some credit, but not when she had the audacity to look at me like that.

To conceal my embarrassment, I thought of a sarcastic reply and said, "You what. This is my turf."

Had she not been scoffing, I would totally forget that I was once a guy who was worthy of derogatory remarks. Where's the fucking badge when you need it? "Look, asshole, it's raining, so put a sock in it."

My jaw twitched, stupefied at how brazen this girl was. Spoiled brat - check. Icy glares - check. Mount Everest brow - check. Bitchy attitude - exceptionally check. Nike would be proud. She was beyond me, and so I merely sedated, well, trying was a challenge, and took a seat, with Chabe on my lap. I could only imagine myself turning this girl's face up at the clouds and demand to drown her throat with rain.