Wanton Winters

One -> Bus Driver

In the beginning was the cold, and in the cold were the bare trees that lined the streets, and in the streets were us, and in us was a thriving yearning to escape the numbness that wrecked us. Our breath rose in vapor clouds to join the darkened night sky above. A freezing chill made us violently shudder. Our gloves were bejewelled with frost. We pulled our woollen hats over our rosy ears and our scarves over our purple-tinged lips. Just a few steps now, I thought to myself. Just a few more steps toward that bench.

The blizzard winds cut through flesh and bone and nibbled at the marrow. Time and everything else seemed to slow down, but the sharp hoarfrost spun rapidly amid the frigid air and struck our pallid faces. We sat on the lone bench in the middle of nowhere, Harlen and I. Harlen was my best friend, and I was his.

We first met face-to-face on the Christmas eve of '07, when we were both ten years old. My mother was his mother's roommate back in college, thus our friendship had been since birth. Our mothers lived in different countries, but phones never diminished their friendship. Harlen and I talked through the phone for years and then we met. It was a fascinating moment for the both of us, me being taller that he, and my physical build being slightly bulkier than his own. He looked more like a seven-year-old than my age mate. Speaking of which, we were both born on the exact same day -- the 25th of May. He was like my brother, but there was a reason we were not attached at the hip at birth.

You see, I lost my twin brother when I was merely five years old. It was a devastating moment for my whole family, especially me, the young girl who lost her other half. It was a terrible winter and hypothermia struck my poor twin like lightning. I grieved for those five years until Harlen came about to take his place... Call me crude, but I had no choice. What was a small girl like me to do?

I was a lost crow, hidden behind dark foliage, as blind as a bat. That is, until a young sparrow came along to guide me. And I accepted whoever set foot on my branch, whoever came to show me the path, solely because I had nowhere else to turn to. And who better than someone who is weaker than you, so that they can learn from you and, at the same instant, you from them? 

I stared into the distance as a dim light broke through the subtle haze. Suddenly, the illuminated sign of a bus appeared, rocking slowly down the icy road and Harlen and I raised our stiffened arms to hail it forth.

"Imagine how warmer it'd be inside the bus, Robyn," I heard Harlen chatter. I smiled. Well, I felt my lips twinge and fade, unable to maintain a grin because of the painful cold. I simply nodded and puffed. A cloud of my breath was taken into the air and eventually died away. Light beamed into my eyes. Long awaited warmth lied ahead us on that very bus. Perhaps not warmth, but we'd be away from the dancing snowflakes that fell from the winter skies. Upon thinking this, a snowflake landed on my eyelash. I blinked it away.

The bus hissed as it halted and the doors squealed open for us. Harlen let me aboard first, glaring at me sweetly as I noticed his cheeks bunch up and his eyes squint. His smile was sunshine and it warmed me internally. A rush of something warm tickled my skin upon my entry in the bus and eased itself into my body. I closed my eyes and smiled, finding it easier for the muscles in my face to move. My fingers wriggled in the wool of my gloves. I saw Harlen slip off his mittens and sigh, burrowing into his front pocket for some change. I looked at him as he paid our fee and took a seat in the back of the bus. I sheepishly followed him, waddling down the aisle. The bus let out a guttural wheeze and jolted back to life. As I sat near Harlen, I felt his burning gaze on my neck. I knew he was staring at me, waiting for a striking moment to kiss me or hold my hand, but I was not going to let him. At least, not at that very moment. I looked to my right, through the window and avoided Harlen's gaze. Darkness seemed to swirl in contrast with the white snow. I saw pale spots of light from blazing streetlamps. I saw the bench I was seated on earlier. They moved backward as we moved forward. But everything still moved slowly.

I even questioned if the bus was moving, even though the bus clearly shook atop the lumpy snow. I imagined the tire tracks the bus must have been leaving, only to be covered with more snow that trickled through the clouds. I looked ahead at the driver, a faint smile plastered on his old face on which a greying beard hung on. He looked as jolly as Santa Claus, very fitting for the weather.

"You two lovebirds headed anywhere?" Shouted the bus driver from the front. I felt my face burn in embarrassment so I turned away to face the window

"Just take us as far away as you can, sir," Harlen chuckled. "Anywhere but here."

I reckon you could say we were running away. There was no reason to it, but it counted toward a new life... I had always lived in the city of snow and everything bad in my life happened during the winter... So what would happen if I went somewhere where it never snowed? Would my fate still be written and find a way around it? I sighed. I was only giving myself false hope.

Peering back at the driver's frontal mirror, I realized he was staring at me. My cheeks burned red again, but I didn't look away. I saw him smile and the urge to turn away was rising. I sucked in a deep breath, felt it fill my lungs with its icy chill and slowly let it out through my nose. 

Anyone could mistaken Harlen and I for a couple. We were just two 17-year-old friends who occasionally held hands and laughed together until our stomachs hurt or until our eyes bore tears. I only held Harlen's hand out of pity. Harlen held my hand out of love. Real love, not friendship love, whatever love meant.

Last winter, Harlen confessed. Evidently, I thought he had been joking, but the expression on his face told me otherwise. All these years and I hadn't seen it coming. He was my type, of course, but I couldn't simply end our friendship when it was so good. I liked hanging about with him, calling him my friend and nothing more. But I knew that would hurt him, so I told him I'd think long and hard about it. He gave me a year to return his love...

And a whole year later, one day before I had to decide, we were aimlessly riding off in a bus in the middle of a snowstorm.

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A/N - This is my first story on Wattpad. I'd be very grateful for feedback, votes, and adding-to-libraries! I'll be sure you get a cookie for doing any of the above! *^* Thank you for reading, too.