Missing Piece

Hurt

[ A smile I have to protect. ]

Her face resembled an innocent child as if she had stolen candy from the local grocer. Cute.

I grabbed Kaitlyn's hand and fixed my expression on her. I knew I had to say something. But how can I speak, when my mind is so enraptured? Can a boy be so blinded, and yet see so clearly the sun, pure, bright and terrible, in the face of another? But I had to try. I had to know what lay behind that icy lattice, behind those pools of brilliance. "I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking straight. I was devastated," she spoke up softly.

What could have possibly caused her to feel this way? Something that I wasn't aware of, was it her family? Was it a conflict with her friends? I had no generic idea. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't realise Kaitlyn fast asleep on my lap. I took off the hoodie that I was wearing and covered her body which was exposed to the chilly temperature. 

"Oh, you're awake now?" I smiled at Kaitlyn as she got up and brushed her disheveled hair promptly. "I'll send you home before my parents find out," I added as I got up to find my keys. Kaitlyn clutched my hand tightly and hesitated for awhile, before letting go of her grip. I let out a slight chuckle and proceeded on with finding my keys.

The truth was reflected in those eyes. Her gaze was so powerful that she could calm a torrid sea of heartaches and restlessness. That wasn't all. There was just something beneath those eyes that I couldn't understand. I saw a world foreign to mine in her, there. There was a certain degree of coldness that held on the surface that could be comparable to icy cold water. I had to know.

But it just wasn't the right time.

I walked Kaitlyn home, her house was located on the parallel street from my house. I could see it from the window of my bedroom, overshadowed by trees. But it was too far to be able to see through the windows of her house and the view was only partial as thick branches obstructed the outside of my window. We walked side by side, our palms coincided. We thought about the same thing, trying to grab each other's hand sneakily. Her face blushed lightly and I just laughed it off.

"Hey... what if I disappeared one day?" Kaitlyn asked and shot me a quick glance. "We wouldn't be separated!" I quickly countered her question and smiled.

I never thought about it at all.