Hey everyone! This is Dancing back with the re-done version of the old Tao imagine Lost from a while ago :) Sorry it took so long. And Cindy, I’m horribly sorry if the genre does not fit what you requested at first- I can’t find where you said it -.- /feels guilty/
Enjoy, anyhow~
Tao stood at the foot of a magnificent clock tower, staring with dark, brooding eyes, silent and searching. His gaze ran up and down the grand structure, following the marble carvings and tiny statues up until the ornate face of the clock. Chasing the impatient but timely flick of the ancient hand of seconds.
As if he was looking for something.
A bell rang, strong and resonant. Tao closed his eyes. A swarm of tourists engulfed him, and he walked amidst them, away from the clock tower. He found himself at Le Pont de Peine, glaring over the bridge. And the calm waters below reflected him.
Tao saw a pallid man, with dark rings around his eyes and no smile. A ghost of a man.
He wished it wasn't him.
And then he heard a laugh. It was sweet, musical and Tao whirled around, gasping. His heart thumped.
It might’ve been her.
But it definitely wasn’t.
A plump woman dressed in a garish floral sundress glanced apologetically at him and hurried away hand in hand with her friend, speaking rapid-fire French. Tao cringed, and a tired sigh escaped his lips as he ran his hand through his hair.
It couldn't have been her.
Yet his feet brought him to another place he knew so well. La Place de Mémoires.
Memories.
He had too many goddamned memories. They were beautiful ones, full of laughter and happiness, yet they haunted him, taunted him with what he couldn’t have.
Her.
She was someone else's, now.
The square was packed with people, and all Tao could hear was jovial conversation, punctuated by the familiar sound of clinking glasses of drink. He didn't want to be here. It was too festive. Full of kissing couples, drunk bachelors, clusters of scantily clad girls admiring the previously mentioned bunch of bachelors, a few sensible couples and a couple of locals incensed by the lewd, dirty manner in which those people were acting.
Not the place for him.
'And I swore I saw him!' someone shouted as they jostled past him.
A laugh. 'That's not possible!'
Tao ran away. That sounded so much like her. Too much like her. And he wasn't even going to wish. It just couldn't be.
And he was back at the foot of the clock tower again. But all he could hear, wasn't the ticking of the clock, wasn't the chit-chat of the tourists, wasn't the squawk of the birds that flew about.
It was just her laugh. Everywhere.
An aggravated tear slipped down Tao's cheek. He looked around wildly. But there seemed no correct owner to that beautiful, tinkling laugh. The world spun as he looked about and there was-
'Oof!' Someone ran into Tao.
He hurriedly extended a hand. 'Sorry! I'm so sorry- I-'
'MON DIEU, IT'S YOU!'
'OH MY GOSH!'
A girl appeared beside the two of them. 'I TOLD YOU, CINDY, I TOLD YOU, I SAW HIM.'
'SHUT UP! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, IT'S YOU! TAO-YAH!!!'
Tao quickly swooped Cindy up bridal style and maneuvred his way to a bench by the water where it wasn't so crowded. Her friend followed suit with Cindy's crutches.
'What the hell are you doing here when you're still in crutches. And where's Kris?'
'Well I kinda lied to you.'
'Obviously.'
'You know I got into a car crash-'
'A serious one.'
'Okay, okay, stop adding in your own commentary. Listen. Aish.'
'So after I got into a car accident I had to stay in America, right? To get medical attention and all that crap. And I met Kris.'
'Your doctor and the guy you liked. Can we skip that?' Tao asked irritably.
'No. To clear it all up, I did not like Kris. He was just a friend, and a really nice doctor. You were just being jealous.'
'I was not.'
'You never called.'
'That's because Kris specifically called me and told me not to call you.'
Cindy laughed. 'You pabo. He told you not to call me at the wrong time, like too early or too late, because I needed my rest and for the medicine to do its work or whatever.
'Oh. So what are you doing here? Why aren't you in America, then?'
'Aha that. Kris decided I was well enough to go. And I just kinda felt like coming here. Coincidence, eh? Why did you come here, Tao?'
'I was so convinced you were with Kris that I wanted to just come here to re-visit our happy memories if I couldn't have you.'
Cindy's eyes were glassy with tears. 'Oh you cheesy idiot. Come here.'
He leaned over and kissed her tenderly.
'EW! OH GOSH PDA IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES YOU SEE EACH OTHER! HAVE SOME CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS!'
'Don't look then.' And they kissed again, much at the expense of Cindy's friend's innocence.
And Tao knew that if he were to look at himself now, he would see a happy man. Still with dark rings around his eyes, though, but a happy man nonetheless.
The End.
Gosh that took way too long to write. I'm sorry I procrastinated -.- Mianhae! Hope you liked it, Cindy~ Okey, okey, I should go write some more XD It's the holidays for me, so I'm going to try and update more :P Vote! Comment! Thanks! ~Dancing
