Bridge To Her Heart <3

Chapter 29 (Ponds)

Cleo and Anthony walked to the very edge of his neighborhood until a forest of Trees blocked their path. Cleo soon realized that if they were to have walked right through all of the foliage they’d eventually end up at the bridge. She imagined passing her small creek and showing it to Anthony for the first time. 

Instead of walking through the forest though, Anthony pulled Cleo along the edge of the trees, his mind set on a certain location. Cleo kept quiet during their journey and took the time to remember every detail about the feeling of her hand in Anthony’s. Her writing skills came in handy at that moment as she focused on the softness of his touch and the blisters he gained from clutching his drawing pencils so tightly. She didn’t think about the many fights these hands had been in or the many cigarettes they caressed. 

No, she thought about how gentle they were at the moment. 

“It should be around here,” Anthony said finally, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them. Cleo smiled and followed him along a man-made trail cutting through the forest. 

“Where are you taking me?” she asked quietly, getting a teasing smirk from him. 

“You’ll like it when you see it,” was all he was willing to say. 

Cleo huffed playfully, but took the time to reflect over every single moment she’d ever had with Anthony. The blazing sun shimmered through the canopy, giving her warmth. Her mind drifted with every bird’s whistle and every snap of a twig. Anthony was with her now. She could touch him, smell him, hear him and see him. 

That’s all that mattered. 

“Here it is,” he whispered, causing a shiver to go down her spine as his breath tickled her ear. “I’m not usually one for surprises and stuff, but you can thank me later.”

Cleo, snapping out of her reverie, looked around at the clearing and pond in front of her. There were two ducks diving in the cool water, and whatever animal that was drinking from the pond just a moment ago scurried away. She laughed a little to herself as Anthony’s arms circled around her waist. “It’s really nice here, Tony,” she said appreciatively, “It reminds me of my creek. Do you come here often?”

He seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. “Ya, though I don’t really like telling people that I do. Somehow I feel like they’re going to get the impression I frolic with the bunnies or something.”

Cleo laughed deeply for the first time in a long time. It seemed like her last laugh was a lifetime ago. 

“Don’t go spreading rumors now,” Anthony murmured, continuing the joke. That only made Cleo laugh more and it warmed him that he could make her happy again. 

He walked to the edge of the pond and took of his shoes and socks before dipping his feet in the water. Cleo raised an eyebrow at this but followed, giggling at the small fresh water fish who danced between her toes. 

“So tell me,” Anthony started, amusment on his face, “why I was hearing rumors about you coming to school with a hangover?”

Cleo’s faced turned crimson, and she found herself trying to get her hair to fall in front of her face like a curtain. Anthony noticed this though, and gently pushed the caramel strands from her cheeks. She sighed and decided that she’d tell him the truth every day that month until she boarded the plane. “It was after our fight,” she whispered, not really wanting to remember. 

Anthony tensed, but he tried to loosen at the panicked look on Cleo’s face. “What happened?” he asked softly. 

Cleo frowned, “I kind of cried myself to sleep by the memorial and then some janitor woke me up when the sun was setting. He told me that I needed to leave the school because the Seniors were having a dance. I was leaving, but then I heard the music and something just made me want to open the auditorium doors without a care in the world. So I did, and this Senior, Kale, accidentally spilled his drink on me and-”