Kissing Clouds | Short Story

Chapter 9

When I woke up the next morning, I woke up next to him, Ramon Marelli. The love of my life. I just lied there and watched him. His face was soft and peaceful. Pink lips parted slightly opened as soft breaths escaped his lips. His morning breath was not as bad as I expected so I didn't turn away but instead took it in like I did that night.

I raised my hand to touch his soft face and his eyes slowly opened up. Those beautiful brown eyes that I could've stared into for an eternity.

But there was something different. Something was off. He turned away from me and stretched. I just watched as his back muscles twisted in the sunlight as he basked in it for a moment before he got up.

My eyes never left him as his naked body moved over to the window. His bare feet slapped against the floor until they stopped. He was staring outside the window.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

He didn't answer me. I got out of bed. I walked over to him. I placed a kiss on his cheek and then I just stood next to him. He was looking up, at the sky. My eyes followed where his were fixated on and it was a cloud. It looked like a face.

"Matthew."

I turned to him and watched as a tear rolled down his cheek. He turned to me with a frown as he grabbed my hand.

"I want you to know that I will always love you and that you will forever have a place in my heart."

"I know this but why are you crying?"

He slipped a ring on my finger and I just stared at it wide-eyed. It was a pretty jewel that shined brightly in the sun. I then looked up at him.

"I don't understand."

"You're lonely and yearn for the love you give you out. You're wasting energy on someone who doesn't even think twice about you and that someone...is me. You give up so much of yourself to one person and each time you lose a part of yourself. Sooner or later, if you don't wake up and open your eyes, there won't be much of yourself left to give and soon you won't even recognize who you are anymore."

I was crying. Lips quivered, eyes tried to hold back the tears by the wrist before they could run down my cheeks and my heart was squeezing and shrinking in size. My chest was in pain.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is not the last time you'll see me but you will wish it was."

"But I love you."

"I know."

He brought his hand up to my face and wiped the tears from it. His lips came close to mine for one last time but they felt different. They felt softer than before but then they got so soft to the point where it felt like they weren't even there.

When I opened my eyes, he wasn't there. Where did he go?

He called my name and I looked out.

There he was...with all the other clouds.

It was just another dream.