Searching For A Rainbow

EIGHTEEN-Carson

"Carson! Carson, wait!" I heard as I walked away from the church, no particular destination in mind.

"Carson, please!" I stopped in my tracks, allowing Will to catch up to me. He stopped behind me and lightly grabbed my shoulders, turning me around gently. We looked into each other's eyes as my shoulders shook with the sobs that wracked my body.

He slowly pulled me in for a hug and I leaned my head on his shoulder, crying into it. After a few minutes, he gently grabbed my arms, moving me away from him so his arm was around my shoulders instead.

"Come on," he said, leading me towards his truck.

He opened up the door and I climbed in, him leaning over and buckling my seatbelt as I sniffled and stared forward. This time I didn't flinch.

He got in his side and began to pull out of the church's parking lot. He began to head towards my house.

"No," I said, "I don't want to go home."

He turned around in a parking lot and began to head towards the other side of town, towards his house.

We got to Willow Lane, pulling into Will's driveway where there were no other cars. He explained that his mom, a nurse, was doing a shift at the hospital and his older brother was off at college.

He got out of the car and jogged around to my side, opening my door and unbuckling my seatbelt, helping me hop down from the tall truck. Then he led me up to the front door, where he pulled out his keys, unlocking the door and pushing it inwards. We were greeted by a happy Humphrey, who got up from his spot laying down in the hallway and waddled over to us.

I crouched down to pet him.

"He seems to really like you," Will remarked. I didn't say anything, just leaned into Humphrey, wrapping my arms around him and soaking up the comfort that, sometimes, only an animal can provide. Humphrey stood still and let me hug him and I began to cry again, softly. Will let me stay like that for a few seconds and then quietly helped me up.

"Come on," he said gently, leading me up the stairs to his room and sitting me down on his bed.

He went to his closet and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, handing them to me, then turning around.

I got the hint and stood up, still crying as I changed into the comfy clothes and out of my black dress. When I was done, I tapped Will on the shoulder, not yet willing to speak. He turned around to face me and through tears, I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine. Then he wrapped his arms around me and I melted into him and then onto the floor, Will following, his arms still wrapped around me.

We sat like that for what must have been an hour before I dozed off, my face buried in Will's chest, into a dreamless sleep.