step into the sun || c.m

chapter twenty six

The two weeks went by in literally a flash. He felt as if that short period of time sped by like Grant Gustin on The Flash. 

They did what the usually did, spending time together, driving to town, driving as far away from town as they possibly could. The last two weeks of summer were meant to be dreading the starting of the new school year, but Cierra and Connor were dreading losing their one and only friend. 

That day came way too fast. That day felt as if it only took seconds to reach. That day came sooner than he had ever expected. He felt like he hadn't done enough with her, hadn't spent enough time being the friend and man that he needed to be. The words in the back of his throat were about to claw their way out of his throat. Those three words he had said many times, but she never understood what he was trying to say. He needed to say it. And he needed to say it today, the day before she left him, and drove out of his life forever in a U-HAUL truck. 

"Wow it's really... It's really packed up." Was all that he could force out of his mouth as he looked into Cierra's room that was completely bare. Absolutely nothing was in here that would even imply that she had ever inhabited this room. The boxes filled with her things she would leave behind and never get back had been taken to the Goodwill a few days ago. She had started crying giving away some of it, but she had told Connor that she needed to give these things away, and that if he stopped her from doing that it would make the transition that much more difficult. They had, and it was hard. Today, Cierra had asked Connor to come over and support her as they took her bed and her desk and her bedside table. She didn't start crying or even lean on Connor for a moment. She just stood on her porch, her hands folded over her chest, Connor only a couple feet away, not even speaking. Not until now. Not until he was standing in her completely bare room. The room he could smell if he just thought about it. The room he had seen in many of his daydreams and even some of his nightmares. It wasn't here anymore. The only thing that even hinted at Cierra living in this room for years, was that painting on the ceiling. That painting Connor had given her. When he had given her the galaxy. 

"Thank you." She whispered. He trained his eyes on her. Her small body pressed against the walls of her bedroom, tainted over the years with dirt and smoke from the countless cigarettes Connor had smoked and the few she had. She had a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks, she wasn't wearing any makeup, so the usual stream of eyeliner and mascara that followed after she cried wasn't present. She was wearing one of the many hoodies that Connor had lent her, almost all of them she had given back when they gutted her room. Few she kept, including the deep purple, almost black, one that was on her body now. It fell almost at her knees, and hung on her body like a loose dead body. It looked as if she was only wearing that hoodie, though they both knew she was wearing athletic shorts as well. She had knee high socks on, black. She absolutely took his breath away. He let a soft smirk creep onto his thin lips as he himself crossed his arms. 

"Not really sure that was a compliment, but you're welcome." He shifted his weight, keeping that smile on his face, hoping to pull one onto hers. He didn't want today to be so incredibly sad, like they had anticipated it to be. 

"No, not for... Not for that." She let a small smile creep onto her cheeks. "Thank you for being you and thank you for... For just making my life better when I felt like it would never go up again." She started to take small steps towards him, her socked feet hitting the carpet silently. "You were a rope thrown down to me while it felt like I was falling down a pit. I can't thank you enough for being that for me." She continued to take those small, almost painful steps towards him. "I love you." She whispered, swiftly wrapping her arms around his tall, lean torso and pulling herself into him. He just as quickly snaked his arms around her, pressing her head to his chest, expecting to feel tears going to his black t-shirt. The tears never came.