Into the Darkness

chapter 3

The kitchen seemed to suit a grandma. There was floral wallpaper on the walls, the same kind that was in the hallway. Lin figured that Evan's grandma must have adored flowers. This kitchen seemed as if it had come out of a 30's home magazine. All of the appliances seemed outdated. The kitchen wasn't ugly; it was just not an ordinary kitchen. Lin sat at a wooden table that had four chairs. The table was next to a window, one that had plants on the window sill. The plants seemed alive, as if someone had kept watering them after Evan's grandma passed away. Evan sat across from her and handed her a container and a plastic fork. Lin noticed that there had only been one container.

"Are you not eating?" Lin asked curiously.

"No, I already ate earlier while I was waiting for you to wake up. And anyways, I have to continue the story and it wouldn't be pleasant to do that with a full mouth." Evan said while giving Lin that smile that she loved. "So... where were we? Oh right, I went out the side door of the hospital. Then I made it to my truck and put you in the passenger's side, buckled you up nicely. Then I got into the car. I just looked at you for a moment and wondered where I was even going to go. I had no plan and I had no idea if you even had anyone looking for you. I had a feeling that you didn't. A picture came into my mind of a house; this house. So I set out to come here. It only took two hours. I was still wondering if you would ever wake up. It was worrying me. We got to the house. I was glad that I still had the key with me; pretty much the only thing from my grandma that I still had. I carried you inside. I took you to a room that I loved very much; the "library room". I used to call it that whenever I visited my grandma, because there were so many books. She had read every book in that room, some even twice. That's why she was a very intelligent woman. So I took the sheet off of the couch that was in there and I laid you on it, placing your head on the small pillow. I left for a brief moment to get some food, hence the Chinese food. I came back and checked on you. You were still asleep. While I waited, like I already told you, I ate my container of Chinese food. After I finished I got a feeling that something had changed, so I went to check on you again and too my surprise you were sitting straight up. The rest you know." Evan said, smiling after the last words he said.

"Wow," was all that Lin could say. She had finished her food by the time he had finished the story. She was glad that she knew now what had happened when she was asleep, but she still wondered how she had gotten lost in the snow. Evan took her trash and walked to a skinny door, which must have had a trash can in it. He walked back to the table and pulled his chair closer to hers and sat down. Their knees were almost touching. Evan held her hands and looked straight into her eyes.

"So what are you thinking right now?" Evan asked Lin with a worried look on his face. Lin wondered if he thought that he was about to leave or not want to stay with him. She was so thankful to him though. For some reason she felt that she couldn't ever leave him, as if she was supposed to stay with him.

"I'm thinking that you are the most amazing and caring person that I've ever met. Thank you so much for saving me. I remember when I was lost in the snow I thought about all those stories that had a hero who saved the girl. I asked for a hero to come and I got something much better. I got you." Lin said while looking right back at him. She saw him smiling at her; that smile that she loved so much.

"Lin, would you like to come somewhere with me?" Evan asked while standing up, still holding her hands; prompting her to stand up also.

"I'd love to go anywhere with you." Lin replied. She was surprised at how corny her reply was. Most people would have just said yes, but Lin liked put a little more into her reply. For what reason, she did not know. Maybe she just liked to sound romantic.

Evan, still holding her hand, went toward the back door with Lin trailing behind. They walked hand in hand towards a wooden lawn swing with two purple floral pillows, big enough for two people, which faced away from the house towards where the sun would set. Evan led her to the swing and released her hand and he sat down on it and so did Lin. She sat with her legs crisscrossed close enough to Evan so that they were touching. Lin was looking at Evan and he was looking straight ahead as if he was recalling a distant memory.

"When I used to visit my grandma, I came here to this very spot and watched the sun set. I liked it here, not just on this swing, but at my grandma's. It was nice to get away from everything. My mom wasn't a very good mother, I disliked her when I was younger but when I got older I realized that I didn't blame her or hate her when I was neglected. At a young age I knew how to make food for myself and how to find my way to school, but children still need attention. My mom was a drunk, I think she drank because she hurt and she drank because she needed to get away from her own thoughts. My father had died when I was just a baby and it seemed that she had never gotten over his death. I never felt sad when I thought of him, because I never knew anything about him. All I saw were picture when I'd go into my mother's room to see if she was okay after finding many wine and beer bottles in the kitchen. When she couldn't handle me anymore, she'd send me to my grandma's. Sometimes I even suggested it, because I couldn't handle my mom anymore. I'd usually spend a week with my grandma and then she'd take me back to my mom who was waiting for me on our steps. See, she wasn't always bad. I believe that she did actually love me and I didn't know the reason why she couldn't look at me sometimes until I was older. My grandma told me that I looked a lot like my father and that's why it was hard for my mother to be around me. When she passed away from alcohol poisoning, I felt like a terrible person when I didn't feel sad. There was nothing to be sad about, because my mom and I had never had a good moment together. I could not remember a time in my childhood when I had been happy except for when I was at my grandma's house. I stay with my grandma until I was old enough to be on my own. I just wanted to show you my favorite place on earth. I always felt safe here." Evan said, and when he finished talking he looked at Lin.

"I'm glad that you shared that with me, its nice knowing more about you." Lin said while placing a pillow over his lap and proceeding to lay her head on it. Evan caressed Lin's face. His touch was unlike anyone else's; because she loved Evan and she could feel that he loved her too. She didn't know how she could fall in love with someone in just a day, but she knew that's what she felt. Lin suddenly felt tired and her eyes started to close and she slipped into a sweet slumber.

"I love you." Evan said while looking down at her. "I love everything about you and you've made me the happiest that I've been in months. I didn't think I could love anyone this much, but I do." He had stopped touching her face and was now looking out into the horizon, watching the sunset and cherishing this moment.