Falling In Love With You

Chapter 15. Say Goodbye

Bex rolled over in bed, blinking against the darkness. Something had roused her from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes with her fists, as something tapped against her window. "What the heck?" she mumbled.

She climbed out of bed, and went to the window, parting the curtains, and gasped with surprise. "Bowie?" She opened the window quickly. There he stood, smiling.

"Hey, Bex."

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then his lips, frantically holding onto him as if he'd disappear before her eyes.

"I just wanted to see you," he told her, returning her kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she said. "Hey! How did you get up here?"

"The same way you get out," he said, nonchalantly. He glanced downward.

Bex leaned over the windowsill and peered out. When did mom put the trellis back up? She asked herself. She looked back up at Bowie. "Do you want to come in?"

He shook his head. "I can't," he replied, with a sad look in his eyes. "You have to come out."

She gave him a sad look. "I can't," she told him. "I'm too scared."

"Please?" he pleaded. "I want to show you the stars. But we have to hurry."

"But what if I fall?" she asked.

"If you fall, I'll catch you," he promised. He reached for her hand, taking it in his and squeezing it. "Please, Bex? If we don't go now, we never will."

"Fine," she finally agreed. "I'll go."

"I'll wait for you at the bottom," he told her. "Just don't look down."

In a moment, he was out of sight. Hesitantly, she climbed onto the windowsill, and eased herself onto the trellis. The wood slats hurt her bare feet. She wished she'd put on shoes. She climbed down carefully. She was about halfway down when she didn't hear Bowie's voice anymore. "Bowie?" she called.

No answer. She looked down, turning her head slowly, and a scream froze in her throat. Bowie was nowhere in sight, and the ground was much farther away than it should have been. And worst of all, the trellis was crumbling, falling away. She had to get back to her window. She scurried up just as the foothold she'd been using turned to dust, but she still had a long way to go. She clung to the trellis for dear life, reaching for something to hold on to as it cracked between her fingers. But then, a horrible splitting sound told her it was too late. The whole trellis disintegrated before her eyes. She dug her nails into the siding of the house, but it didn't slow her fall. She was sliding down, into the unknown darkness below...

Bex awoke with a start, breathing heavily. She sat up in bed, looking around, disoriented. Morning light streamed through the window. Everything looked perfectly normal.

"It was just a dream," she said to herself. A nightmare, really. It felt so real. She almost swore she could still smell Bowie's cologne clinging to her pajamas, and feel the touch of his lips on her skin.

She got out of bed, and went to the window. She looked out nervously. The trellis wasn't there. The yard was still.

She turned back to her mirror, feeling uneasy and disappointed. As terrifying as the dream had been, it had been wonderful seeing and touching Bowie again, if only for a minute. But now she was awake, and he was still gone. Sadness crept into her veins. If anything, the dream brought back the pain of him leaving all over again.