Hierarchy of Need [t.r]

Chapter Forty Seven

  Walking down to the lake, Delilah had taken her shoes off and the warm grass was soft against her feet. Her free hand was twined with Tom's and their arms swung lightly.

  The air was hot but a breeze was drifting in from chilled water, in the distance she could see the Giant Squid lolling about above the surface taking in the sun. Once they got close enough they sat down, Delilah resting her head in his lap as he leaned back on his elbows.

  She simply watched him, how his dark hair looked honeyed in the afternoon light and the curls danced, his eyes looked bright and his cheeks were painted a light pink. Delilah only closed her eyes once Tom's fingers began to run through her hair, tickling her scalp.

  Comfort covered her and she nearly fell asleep.

  "How different is the future?" He suddenly asked. Peaking up at him his focus was on the lake, how the water rippled and glinted like witch's oil. Delilah hummed, "loads is different."

He laughed, "do enlighten me. I'd prefer not to go in blind."

"I don't really know what to tell you, to be honest. It's either unimportant or depressing."

"Well, what do you find interesting about it. You're from there."

She smiled at him and thought for a moment, "I love the music. Also all the movies, my favorite is Fight Club. But Clueless is also good. Oh! Oh my god have you ever had sushi?" Delilah sat up, looking excited and expectant and he merely blinked at her.

  She groaned, as if disappointed in him. "If we somehow have the time you have to try it," she concluded, leaving to room for argument. Delilah continued to ramble, he noticed she tended to speak really fast when she was excited, and using lots of hand gestures.

  Tom traced the contour of her face, along her nose and lashes, the curve of her plush lips. Her skin was lightly sun kissed, freckles dancing across her nose and he wanted to count each and every one of them.

A laugh shook her chest, her cheeks pulling back and dimples dug into her cheeks and he smiled.

He had be so enveloped in a hollow darkness, all his life. Then there was this girl, crashing into his world out of no where and telling him life wasn't about extending, dragging on time. Everything he'd made himself believe was unraveling to actually be a lie.

So why did he still care? Despite everything Tom couldn't let go of this fixation with immortality. Not yet. Everything died, everyone fades, even memories and he hated it. There had to be something more.

  What would be the point if dying was all there was? He hoped in all due time he might get better, she could help him get better. Delilah has ignited a fire of hope inside him, flames that he thought had extinguished long ago.

  People like her still surprised him, hell everyone surprised him. Most people accept they're going to die, and if not they at least ignore it. Or they pray. Praying was always beyond his comprehension. What good did it do? They ended up in the ground either way, and Heaven was a fictitious ideal people made up to not be afraid.

  It was idiotic, in his opinion. But now Tom knew he had a choice. He wasn't destined to be drowned in ruin. He couldn't be, so much had changed. What if it wasn't enough?