Broken Promises

Chapter 11

"Are your friends spending Christmas with their families?" Marissa asked as she was cooking dinner.

I sat down, grabbing an apple. "I actually don't know. They didn't say anything."

She answered without turning to look at me. "Well, they could spend it with us. You should invite them over for Christmas dinner."

"Really?" I asked. "Who do you normally spend Christmas with?"

"I usually just call a few friends over," she smiled. "I already invited one."

"Oh okay. I'll ask them as soon as I see them." I smiled. It was exciting to be able to have friends over for Christmas. At home, we usually just spend Christmas as a family- my parents and I. "I'm going for a walk." I got up from the chair. "I'll be back in an hour or so," I smiled putting my sweater on even though I knew it was warm outside.

She just nodded and said, "see you then."

Outside, I got a taxi to take me to the centre of the city. It was already starting to get dark when I got there. The Christmas lights were lighting up the streets, making it very beautiful. I walked alone, among the cheery people. They were all laughing with friends, some were holding shopping bags from their last minute Christmas shopping. I stopped in the middle of the street looking around myself. The stars were starting to slowly appear in the dark sky. I took a deep breath trying to indulge myself in the holiday atmosphere.

Suddenly, a few steps in front of me, I see a couple. The couple stands out from the crowds of people around it. They're both wearing thick, winter coats and gloves. They're wandering slowly down the street, laughing. All of a sudden their voices start to be much clearer. And soon they're the only voices I hear and the other people around begin to dissolve into the air.

"So what did you get me for Christmas?" the girl asks smiling at the tall brown haired boy.

He just laughs. "I can't tell you that. You'll have to wait a few more days."

"Come on..." she pleads. "just give me a hint."

"Cassie." he laughs.

I feel my heart stop in my chest as I hear my name. The boy glances towards me as if he sees me but it's as if he looks right through me. It didn't take long for me to realise that the young boy in front of me was Blake.

The girl (me) looks down on the ground, in thought. "Is it a necklace?" she asks looking into his eyes. "Any kind of jewellery? Makeup? Clothes? Shoes?..."

"Violin." I thought to myself, smiling a sad smile.

He watches her with intensity and before she can say anything else he kisses her.

I remember this. I think to myself. It was last Christmas. We went to the cinema and afterwards, we just spent hours walking around town, enjoying the Christmassy atmosphere around. It was the best winter of my life. His presence made Christmas even more magical than it already seemed.

As they stood there, kissing, they seemed almost perfect. Slowly, tiny snowflakes started falling down from the sky. I could feel them on my skin too but I refused to look away from the couple. They both glanced up from the kiss and started giggling. I watched as he picked her up and spun her around. As he set her down on the ground again she reached out, opening her hand trying to catch the snowflakes.

I feel someone gently hugging me from behind. "You have no idea how beautiful you looked with the snowflakes in your hair."

"Blake," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loud it would break the magic and they - we - would disappear.

"I love you, Blake." she lightly put her hand on his slightly flushed cheek.

"I love you too." I could see his eyes sparkling, just like the Christmas lights that surrounded them.

I grabbed onto Blake's hand just to check that he was still there. "Look at us. We were so perfect." I sighed.

"I know." he breathed.

I turned to face him, tracing the outline of his neck with my fingers. He observed my face and slowly he kissed my forehead. I pulled him closer to me so that his lips were directly opposite mine. I could feel his warm breath against mine and the snowflakes falling so gently onto my cheeks. I locked my arms around his neck, as his soft lips pressed gently against mine. The snowflakes were falling in slow motion and it seemed as if the world was spinning around us. We stood, locked in each other's embrace barely stopping for breath.

As much as I wanted it to last forever I knew it couldn't. Gradually, the feeling of his lips on mine faded and for a second I thought he was gone again. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes but he was still there. I smiled and as he smiled back, he disappeared from the embrace of my arms. And along with him, the snowflakes disappeared too. The chatter of the people around me grew louder and the crowds were back, ignoring me as I stood there in the middle of the street, breathless and motionless. I was back in reality but it felt like I wasn't even there... as if I was only a ghost watching them all.

The sky was pitch black with stars that sparkled like diamonds. The Christmas lights flickered on as the crowds walked on, ignoring the beauty around them. As I started strolling through the crowds I felt a weak wind blowing through my hair. Gradually, my pace quickened and I felt the need to run from the happy crowds. Quickly, walking turned to jogging, and jogging turned to running, and suddenly I was sprinting. I felt the wind in my hair getting stronger. The chatter of the crowds grew more distant with every step I took until it was completely gone. But even though the sound of the crowds was gone I didn't want to stop running. I ran by the buildings and ran past the cars and soon I was on an empty road surrounded only by tall trees. My lungs started to burn, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and my legs felt like they were going to give out at any moment but I refused to stop. It felt as if I've been running for hours. I didn't want to think about anything and so I just kept my head up, staring at the road ahead of me. The silence made me feel as if I was the only person in the world which made me feel quite lonely but also free in a way.

In my head, there was a song. It wasn't one of those modern pop songs. This song was slow and peaceful. It was a classical song played on a piano and a violin. I always found these two instruments to be very soothing and their sounds put together, created a beautiful harmony.

All of a sudden, I noticed a gate ahead of me. I realised that I ran all the way to my auntie's house. I ran until I reached the gate and when I did, I grabbed onto it with my hands and placed my forehead against one of the bars trying to catch my breath. As I stopped running my thoughts caught up with me and started flooding my mind again. When my breathing returned to normal I sat down on the ground leaning against the gate. I didn't want to go into the house yet, I just wanted to have some space for a while. It was so peaceful out there. Only an occasional car driving by broke the silence every few minutes.

I felt my phone starting to vibrate in my pocket. I reached for it to see who was calling me. It was my auntie. It suddenly hit me that I lost track of time and I quickly glanced at the clock which read 00:02. "Oops," I said to myself as I answered the phone.

"Cassie," she said calmly. I expected her to freak out like my parents would but she didn't seem to mind. "Just checking to see if you're okay. When are you coming back?"

"I'm actually outside the gate now. Be right there." I sighed.