Sweet sixteen

I smiled to myself as I strapped my seatbelt on. From the corner of my eye I could see him trying to find his keys until he realized he had been holding them all along. I had known him for years and since the moment I met him he had always been absent-minded, yet, somehow, I still thought it was the most adorable aspect of him. I laughed and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. The smell of his newly bought cologne impregnated the whole car and his hands quivered as my lips barely touched his unshaved chin. I made my way up to his cheek while his hand brushed my hair gently and I laid the soft kiss on his skin. As he started the car I opened the window and when the cold breeze came in I closed my eyes.

It was a quiet day; a few drops of rain were beginning to fall from the sky, slowly placing themselves on the car's window. It was his sixteenth birthday that day and he had gotten the car as a present from his parents. I knew little about cars but I enjoyed the ride as we drove smoothly around the neighborhood. While he drove I messed up his blond hair and giggled as he accommodated it again. I stared at the empty street glad I could finally be alone with him.

- "Thank you for inviting me today. That was very sweet of you." I said as a long breath escaped my lips.

- "It's always a pleasure to see you." he reassured me.

For a few minutes we remained silent only accompanied by the rustling of the leaves as we drove by at a high speed.

- "She didn't come." He muttered.

I could hear the pain in his words. I could feel how his heart ached by the thought of her absence, and his trembling voice compelled me. It had nearly been a week since she had broken up with him.

Suddenly, I remembered how we used to videochat each night until 3 a.m., and how he would open up and confess how bitterly unhappy he was with her. He would go on for hours and every single time his stories would manage to break my heart. I often begged him to let her go and to seek his own happiness but his love was blind and the more I insisted, the more distant he seemed to become. Each time she hurt him hate grew intensely within me. I became bitter and would rarely answer his calls. I couldn't bear the thought of my boy getting hurt. So my way to escape the confrontation of his sadness was shutting him out of my life.

I felt my eyes watering with tears of guilt but I managed to silently nod. He punched the air in frustration and lowered his face embarrassed. I stroke my hand against his cheek and gave him light kisses on his neck. We had always acted as a couple even though he had never actually considered me as a potential girlfriend.

He continued down the same road and began murmuring endlessly. He complained on how everything had changed. I could not focus on his words but rather on his eyes. I saw his anger and frustration. I wanted to embrace him, let him weep in my arms and promise him that everything would be alright, but I remained still.

A few minutes later we arrived to his house and he parked the car just outside his garage. I could hear the loud music and the pointless conversations from the party. As he was opening the door I took his face between my hands and caressed his cheeks. I kissed his forehead as I promised him he would soon find the girl he deserved.

I separated myself from him and for a moment my eyes caught his gaze. We looked at each other intensely as I began to breathe heavily. As we were about to merge into a kiss I turned away. I could feel the awkward tension growing by the second. He was beginning to apologize when the sound of a nearby car engine cut him off. It was her, she had arrived after all.

As he greeted her my heart sank deep into my chest and the only thing left for me to do was to gulp down the tears. I ran into the house and straight into the bathroom. I tried not to scream and calmed myself down. When I went out he was nowhere to be seen. The party seemed as a never-ending nuisance. I dragged myself from place to place imagining what they could have possibly been talking about. I forced my best smile and tried to join my friends.

Three times did I peak from the window to see them sitting down closely near a tree. It felt as if a sharp knife stabbed my vulnerable heart and my hopes for each second that passed.

When it was finally time to leave, I made my way through the crowd of people and fell into his arms. I hugged him tightly and softly told him he didn't deserve to be sad. He took me firmly from my waist and kissed my cheek. As I left his house his last words echoed through my mind and never ceased to.

- "I don't want you to leave."