~First update November 3d 2019~
For a long time I've been trapped inside hospitals and locked away from the world.
For a long time I've lived imprisoned by my own body and the cancerous cells inside it.
My time is coming to an end. I know it. It is...
Jullian doesn't shut up for a second all the way to the freaking ice cream shop. He doesn't give me any time to panic with all his rumbling!
We called mom and she just made sure I had my oxygen and painkillers with me before hanging up on us.
I've been trying to focus on my chipping black nail polish the whole ride.
When Jullian turns the car off after he has parked the vehicle I feel a burn on my chest and I try to convince him that he needs to drive me to the hospital because I'm having a heart attack.
He refuses to.
I'm running out of options.
"Bean! Get out there already"! My brother whines after fifteen minutes of me begging him to take me back home.
"Ugh! Fine"! I growl and open the door forcefully, hitting something with it. I hear a thud and an "Ow"! My eyes meet Jullian's in a flash and I practically fly out the car to find Harley on the ground.
His forehead is already starting to form a bumb and a bruise.
I try to help him up but it's hard with my oxygen tube in the way. Jullian takes over and helps Harley sit on a chair.
"Julles go get some ice"! I say and my brother runs to the counter.
"Holly molly I'm so sorry Harley. I didn't see you there". I apollogize and see him flash me a smile. "It's alright really. It makes for a very interesting first date story doesn't it"?
His answer helps me loosen up a bit and I even smile back.
"Are you dizzy at all"? I ask concerned but he shakes his head while taking the ice Jullian hands him.
"I'm fine, really. Relax alright"? He says and squeezes my hand. I nod and sit back on my own chair.
"I'm going to leave now. Please don't cut each other's heads off until I come back alright"? Jullian says and I roll my eyes at him.
I look at Harley sideways and find that he is looking at me.
''Shall we order ice cream"? He asks and I nod.
The rest of the date goes much more smoothly than it started.
We discover a lot about each other, like...I find out he plays hockey and not soccer like Selena informed me. You know, important stuff!
His favorite color is yellow, which happens to be the color of my vogmask, he has a comic book addiction and he does not know how to ride a bike.
"You what? How is that even possible? What was your childhood like"? I ask in horror and he laughs with my reaction. "It's just riding a bike, I didn't tell you I don't know how to walk"! He chuckles and I roll my eyes.
"Might as well have"! I exclaim, throwing my arms out and he chuckles again. "I need to change that before I go''. I say seriously and nod to myself. His lips form his infamous lopsided smirk but I can see the sadness he tries to hide behind his ocean eyes.
When we both finish our ice creams he suggests we go for a walk by the ocean. ''There is no beach here'' I say confused but he pulls me to follow him out of the shop anyway. ''Just come on''
He holds my hand in his tightly while he leads me to a massive building I never paid much attention to before. At the front there is the word. AQUARIUM
''You want to take me to an aquarium? I don't have enough money to get in you fool''. I say and swat his arm. He rolls his eyes, walks right by the old woman at the front desk and gets inside by only waving at her.
I shall wave at people when I want free stuff from now on. I wasn't aware of this lifehack.
The aquarium is mostly empty at this hour since it's getting dark outside already. With my hand still in his, Harley walks through rooms with several tanks with tropical fish and stops in front of a large blue wall staring at me expectantly.
''What do you want me to say you goof? How pretty the big blue wall is''? I ask, starting to feel impatient but then he softly touches my face, tilting it upwards and then I see it. The massive manta ray swimming by us.
I take a step back in surprise and clasp my hand in front of my mouth to suppress a gasp. Paying closer attention and squinting my good eye a bit I now notice the rest of the little fish and other rays swimming behind the glass wall.
So that's what it was. A glass wall, not a blue one.
''How did you get us in here''? I ask walking closer and touching the glass softly. From the corner of my good eye I see Harley shrugging and moving closer to me. ''My aunt works here''. he says quietly, now standing by me.
''Thank you. It is beautiful''. I say and turn to look at him. Before he can answer I hug him surprising him.
When he gets over the initial shock he softly wraps his own arms around me and hugs me, pulling me to his chest. ''You're welcome'' he whispers and we both look at the ocean by our side while I snuggle in his chest and he rests his head on top of mine.
******
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Get ready. The next few chapters are going to be a roller-coaster.
