Paper Folds | On Hold

Arctic

3.Arctic - RAY

Warm breath fanned over my face.

"Mmh..."

"Wake up, Ray."

Words registered in my ears, and my hand found my face sticky with the residue of tears, as I rubbed my face to get rid of the remains of an exhausted sleep.

Hands held my arms, and I was being shaken. Pretty hard.

I placed my hands across the surface I was sleeping on, slowly recollecting the events before I fell asleep.

Irritated with the shaking, I decided it was time to pop an eye open, at least to stop the person for shaking me so hard.

And then he spoke again, before I could open an eye.

"Ray? Are you going to wake up?"

I stilled. This person, whosoever he was, knew me. Dreading the answer, I sat up with closed eyes, then slowly opened my eyes.

"You!?"

It came out as a strangled whisper, the face so recognisable, imprinted in my mind for so long.

I scanned his face, reaching my hand out to touch his arm, tears collecting in my eyes, every part of me screaming him to be real, not a figment of my imagination.

I wanted to hug him, right then and there, not registering the fact that as relief swept through his face, exhaustion poured in to take its place.

I barely registered that it was the middle of the night, or that street lamps were blinking at me mockingly in the background.

He smiled, then pulled me up and hugged me suddenly.

"Oh God, Ray. Oh God."

The murmuring continued, as I soaked in his presence through his hug.

"Don't ever do that again, Ray, don't ever do that."

I pushed away, then sat on the bench, watching the light in the bus stand playing shadows over his face. He followed my example and sat down beside me, tilting his face up to watch the sky, hands rubbing his knees, covered in a pair of black pants.

"Hey."

I had no clue why I said that, but in that moment, that was the only way I could break the silence that had descended upon us.

He turned towards me, his eyes wide, mouth open in...surprise?

"Hey?"

My left elbow started to itch, but I resisted, and let my shoulders shrug.

He shook his head, and sighed.

"How... how did you find me? It's the middle of the night, I was lying on a bench in a bus stand, I fell asleep, there's no sign of human existence here, except some occasional moans, how the HELL did you find me?"

I breathed in, deep, as I realised that my ever present frustration had probably made the question sound as an accusation, on no basis and for no reason.

He rubbed his chin, then smiling, looked at me.

"Uh, when you put it like that..."

"Yes, Caleb?"

He looked at me, then shook his head.

"It's Cal now. For everybody. Even in my workplace, always at my home, and now my friends. It's Cal."

I squinted my eyebrows, then nodded slowly, testing the foreign word for my familiar friend.

"Cal."