The world seemed to fade in an instant, blur out of consciousness. Suddenly, there were no worries, no depression, the world peaceful: quiet. It was me and him. He stood there, gazing at me. I saw his tears, too distracted by them to notice my own.
"Isla," he breathed. The universe shattered. How long I've waited to hear him say my name, for us to make eye contact.
I ran to close the distance between us, hugging him. He embraced me with open arms, our crying loud and ugly. He smelled like chestnuts and lemons. And for the second time in my life it felt strange to hug him. The first time we ever touched was the strangest, it was the first time I had hugged my newborn brother. And like then, it felt like he had been non existent before we made contact. Now, for the second time, he was alive again. "Don't you dare ever leave me again," I muttered, "do you understan-" my voice broke, returning to pure crying.
"Yes. I promise," Grayson said, breaking the hug to look at me.
"You're too damn important," I looked at him.
As looked him deeply in the eyes, I felt pressure lift off my shoulders. Weight I never knew I held. I realized that the now gone weight was a burden; my anxiety. Ever since Grayson left I've had anxiety on my heels, and mild depression one step ahead of me. But that didn't mean I had to go to therapy, especially not three times a week.
But I was finally free.
And I felt like a bird.
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Since He Left ✓
Short Story(COMPLETED STORY) Uncorrected draft, under revising. While everyone believes he's dead, Isla is still determined that her younger brother is alive and in need of help somewhere. Isla's brother, Grayson, had a mental obsession with clues and patter...
