A Twist Of Time

twenty one

I didn't even waste time.

I couldn't and I didn't want to.

I still had a smile playing on my face when I walked the closest I could possibly could in front of him. Sergio's breathing was heavy, hands were cold. How could I tell? Because I was carried away and had my hand intertwined in his.

"You sure?" I asked. My heart wanted this. I wasn't sure if he wanted it, too.

"More than sure."

Shrugging, I looked down. I was too shy to do this. "I don't know, Ser. Maybe you'll back off and say that I wasn't worth it, or Margaux won't agree, or Jane will get mad, or I'll distrct you and bring havoc to the country. I'm just scared of the millions of possibilities and adversities I could cause when I do—"

"Either you do it or I do it myself."

My head shot up. I was still registering his words and dissecting them, as if they were some sort of gross frog in anatomy. Or like they were a math problem I couldn't understand. I was about to respond when—

He suddenly leaned in and the next feeling I felt was his lips touching mine.

A spark. Like how 14-year-old juniors in prom would describe it in my generation. I felt a spark, an understanding, and the love I felt for him come into one disgusting mixture I didn't want anywhere near me. I couldn't help it.

How cliché this moment was in words. But I preferred for it to stay in its majesty, my first kiss to my only love, under a full moon, and nothing interrupting us. Wind was calm, grass was swaying, the melodic chirping of the birds passing by were a balance to the silence. He discreetly moved his hands to my waist.

And right then and there, I felt how it was to be in love. My arms found their way back to his shoulders and they pulled him in closer, making the both of us laugh and split apart. Sergio happily stared at my eyes before looking down, still laughing.

"I can't believe it," he whispered.

"You better. I still hate you, though. Don't forget that." I playfully punched his shoulder.

He shook his head. "I won't."

"That was–I don't know. I still can't explain it, I'm just too nervous and thrilled to even experience that. I sound stupid but—"

"I love you."

I couldn't say what my heart felt; a mixture of love, dopamine overwhelming me, my feet still shaking, and barely any words came out of my mouth that you could make out. I couldn't say anything.

At least I tried to. "Awe, that's cute. I hate you too."

"Ouch," he jokingly said. "But that's not going to stop me from loving you."

"You sound so cheesy. It's weird hearing that from you. You're usually saying stuff that you're tired, concerned, or just really busy. Are you even the Sergio I know?"

He smirked. "No. I'm the Sergio you love."

"Shut up. You're not cute."

We spent the night either dissing each other or staying in silent; there was no inbetween, except maybe for the occasional deep talks we had. There was no specific topic, but they were interesting.

Learning anything from somebody, quite possibly their past life, that they found the courage to give that information to you, was something you needed to treasure. He was open to me, and I to him. Some sort of Shakespeare love story shit. Some story I would sleep on during English class.

After a long sigh, he smiled, his head up. "You know, the moon never lets me down."

"And why is that?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"Because," he said, "because they hear me. They hear my thoughts every night and they remove my worries."

"The moon never let you down, didn't they?" I asked. His fingers were nervously tapping on his pants, but his body language said otherwise.

"Never did, never will. I've known them all my life, and since I was a kid, we were friends, best friends, and they were the only person who proved that you can be the light against the darkness."

To be honest, this was the only time I ever examined the moon in my whole life.  Last time I did, I was watching the Dreamworks guy sitting on it and waiting for that damned fish he still can't catch.

"The moon's my friend, too. Hello, moon!"

I looked at the moon, as if I was waiting for a reply. They might haven't been replying, but they seemed like they were listening.

"Hello Moon! You're now officially my friend, even though you never replied to me!" I reiterated, waving at the object with a smile. He laughed.

"Make a wish. When the moon shines bright and you become friends with it during that night, they will give you your most valuable wishes," he whispered like a little kid. "Wishes can make life easier because you get what you want without working for it, but you have to use it wisely; your wish might disappear as fast as you got it."

"Have you ever done that? Make a wish?"

"Yes," Sergio nodded. "And they were all granted, but there was one that I was very grateful for."

"What was it?"

"Your love."

I raised my eyebrow. "How are you so sure about that?"

"Your attention then. The time that you gave to spend time with me here. And your trust." After a few seconds of me melting internally and him thinking, he started, "Can I ask you something; and no more lies?"

His pinky was outstretched, and I guessed he wanted me to intertwine mine with his, like a promise. So I did.

"No lies." I bit my lip and turned my head down, but his free hand put it back up, and we were eye-to-eye.

"Tell me, young lady, who are you, and why am I desperately falling in love with you?"