Forever and Always

Forever and Always

It was bleak, this winter. Cold and unforgiving. The young couple strode across the snow, towards the bench on the other side of the park. The boy’s coat billowed out behind as he walked. The girl clutched something white to her chest.

They walked through the playground, ducking under the sloping arch of the slide. She meant to step out from the shadows below it, but the boy’s hand on her arm stopped her. A glance up, into his blue eyes, and she smiled. She reached up and touched his nose with her index finger. “Boop,” she said, and giggled. 

The corners of his mouth twitched and he drew her into a hug. The girl curled her free hand around his neck and nuzzled her nose into his chest. But then he pulled away, reaching up and lifting her hand, only to drop it by her side. “Smile,” she framed his face with the fingers of one hand and pulled the edges of his mouth upwards. 

He sighed and took her hands in his once more. “We can’t keep doing this, Val.”

She pouted like a child—in a way, she was one, after all. “We can. No one’s caught us yet.”

“But they will, one day.” His gaze darted to the sides, avoiding her eyes. “They’re coming, and they’ll tear us apart.”

“They won’t. I love you and you love me. They will understand.”

A long-suffering sigh. “I’ve told you so many times. They can’t understand. They aren’t human.” She opened her mouth, but he grabbed her shoulders. “Look, Val, this will never work out for us. You know that. There’s…” He sucked in a breath. “There’s no hope for us.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice was hesitant, eyes like those of a deer caught in the headlights.

“We’re done.” His breath came in pained wheezes.

She clutched the ice-cream tub to her chest. A shaking hand lifted a spoon of the vanilla into her mouth. He never understood why she brought a tub of ice-cream wherever she went. “Done?” she echoed. The word tasted sour, even with another dollop of ice-cream scooped into her mouth.

“Done.”

“But why?”

“I told you already.”

“That’s not the only reason. It can’t be the only reason!”

“It…” He averted his gaze. He had to crush her. It was the only way. “There’s….There’s this girl. I like her and, and we agreed that we would get together seriously after…after this.” He lifted his hands to encompass the space between them. 

Her ice-cream was melting and her hand moved faster, scooping it into her mouth. “Another girl? But…but, you said always! You told me forever. Forever and always, right?”

The Ben&Jerry’s carton crumpled in her grip, edges blackened. She unclenched her hand and and it dropped onto the snow, smoking slightly. The snow melted around her feet and the ground steamed. He held his hands towards her, palms out, beseeching. “Val, don’t. Calm down. Please.” She was walking towards him and the heat around her cleared melted the snow in her path. She was shaking, convulsing, as she stumbled towards the love of her life—no, the one who had once been her love, for he was leaving her for someone else. Another girl with less problems, less danger in her life. Someone better. 

“We’re supposed to be together. Why can’t we be together? You promised. You promised!” Her hands, balled into fists, hit at his chest. “‘Forever! Forever. Forever. Forever.’ What was that? What did that mean?” 

He grabbed her wrists, pulled her closer. “Val…”

“No!” She ripped her arms from his grasp. Turning away, she hugged herself. Her hands were glowing white-hot, though they did not burn her. “Did you ever care? Did you ever love me?” Her voice was plaintive, pleading, though she got no answer. She looked up. He was staring off into the distance. “What? What’s so much more important that you have to ignore me?”

He turned and reached for her. Panic filled his gaze. “Val! Remember, I—“

A shot was fired. Another, then three, four, five. There was no blood spurting, no dramatic spray of crimson. It wasn’t like in the movies, she reflected distantly. It was simply little pinpricks all over his shirt, and then spreading, enlarging, darkening to cover every stitch. 

“Come with us.” The dark figures appeared.

“No! Let me go! I need to go there. I need to go to him. I need to say sorry!” She struggled. They pulled her back. She tried to summon the flames, but the spark would not come.

His head shifted. He looked up, eyes wide, mouth open. His hand fisted in the snow beside him, but loosening slowly.

She watched the light leave his eyes. 

No, the movies had it all wrong, she thought as she went limp and allowed them to drag her away. It wasn’t cinematic. It should not even be in movies. 

It was simple, somehow normal in the light of reality. It was nothing, nothing at all, just a particle of dust in the vastness of time. He was nothing, just the scarlet that tainted the snow. She was nothing, merely fading screams as she lost consciousness. Their love, most of all, was nothing, only the faint wisps of smoke rising from that crumpled tub upon the snow. Their love was empty, warmth draining away like her melting ice-cream. 

It wouldn’t be forever and always.