Chapter Fifteen:
“Skylerk? What are you doing here?” I asked him as a cold streak of wind from the drenching rain blew, making the scene all the more dramatic. It was around 4am at the time and he was all wet. Drops of water were dripping continuously on my doorstep.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” He said, not answering my question.
“Right, yeah.” I quickly replied, though it still took me a moment to respond. I held the door open and watched him as he entered my apartment. My eyes followed him while he got his hat off, removed his coat and patted his arms to ward off the bits of rain that had fallen all over his shirt. I looked at him, still a little confused, trying to figure out what was going on. One, of all the time to show up unannounced, he chose that dreadful night. Two, why? And three, why was it only him who came?
Skylerk, I recon, has the very rare ability to sense any kind of emotion that may come his way. He turned to me and I sort of fidgeted in discomfort for a while before glancing back at him. The thing was, you see, his presence that night overwhelmed me so much that I couldn’t process myself to think. Though I was married to his best friend, I did not know Skylerk that much. Sure, we’ve had a few conversations here and there, but that was it. All I know was that his wife, Lindsey, recently passed away—Clay would always tell me about how they were so madly in love, and that he has never seen such a couple—and that he got into an accident, and was very depressed for a while. But to be very honest, I don’t think he looks depressed now.
I pondered with the idea of whether or not I should ask him about it. Because the silence was starting to get a little awkward and I did not know what topic I should bring up.
“So… Do you want anything to drink?” I asked instead. It was the only thing I could come up with during that time.
Skylerk then looked at me as if searching for something like a lost treasure before he finally grinned,
“Coffee’s good.” –I think he found it.
I was a little alarmed because he seemed very happy and content at the same time when he visited me that night. Which was really not the kind of emotions that I was expecting from a guy who just lost the love of his life. Still baffled, I just decided to slowly slip into the kitchen to make his drink while he sat himself down the sofa.
Through the kitchen window, I could see him fixing himself up, while his attention slowly drifted away to my walls—that pictureless walls. I felt something inside of me stiffen. Like guilt was flowing through my veins. I sighed.
When I saw Skylerk that night, I also noticed that he was still wearing his wedding ring. I stared into mine, too, and paused, then I thought of Clay and how amazing we were during our wedding day. But then, I just reminded myself that it was already a thing in the past. A heartbreak, a mistake, and what I have done can never be forgiven. So with that, I went back to stirring his drink.
“Uh.. Here…” I sat down beside him, nervous, when I handed him his coffee. He looked at me, as if to study what I was feeling—or thinking—and then took a deep breath before finally taking the cup.
“So,” he said after a long sip, “How are you, Sam?” His eyes never left mine when he said it.
“I’m good.” I carefully thought of my answer and gently tugged my hair that was placed on the side of my shoulder. Skylerk, from what I know, was not only a smart guy, but he was a wise man as well. Ever since he was a little boy, I believe. Clay actually even considered him as a mentor. He can discern things most people can’t and identify them one by one. So I shook in slight terror the moment I remembered it.
