'Damn’, I cursed under my breath.
My little finger stung like hell. I must’ve bruised it; I can’t seem to remember how and when. The world had been passing by in a blurry haste since past few days.
My phone beeped and I didn’t care enough to check. Instead, I raised my hands up, slowly examining my fingers. Slender, bruised and nicotine stained. I clicked my tongue in disapproval. Nate wouldn’t have liked it. But he wasn’t there to tell me that.
I looked around the empty room, at the cartons sitting to be unpacked. Nate and I were supposed to live here. It was Nate's idea. He had always been that fish which couldn't survive in the backwaters like Tennessee. And he didn't.
His death was my trigger to leave the city, because it would haunt me. Also because I felt I owed Nate something for all the times he had saved me. If I had stayed I would've gotten stuck in time, another thing Nate wouldn't approve of.
My eyes settled on the tiny notebook peeking out from my sling bag. I reached out for it and ran my fingers along the tattered spine. The front page had 'Jellybean' written on it. A stupid nickname to call your younger sister, but that's what big brothers do so that's what Nate did. I turned the pages, it had my drawings and comments from him, random scribbles and quotations Nate would note down from the books he liked. It was our tradition. He made me search for authors or books from where the quotes belonged and made me write them down. I think he secretly wanted me to study because I wasn't as bright as him.
Flipping through the memories, I found an unfinished quote.
I fished out my cell and ran a search, but I couldn't find the correct one.
Quickly fishing out a pen I furiously scribbled down on the notebook, battling the tears in my eyes. The quote might have belonged to someone great but right then, at that moment it was my brother urging me to move on, telling me he always had my back, reminding me why I needed to start afresh. He had written,
'I'm here...'
And I knew what to write,
'I'm here'
-Nathaniel Green.
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:) Lemme know how you liked it.
Stars Out!
