Stars Of Life

✦ His Glimpse

After getting dressed, we got outside, locking all the doors. Eric asked among the noises of the running vehicles,"You don't drive?"

"I'm seventeen. But I do know how to drive."

He didn't ask my age. What am I talking?

"Oh! Make sure to remind me your birthday. When is it... December?"

"Yup. 26th of December."

Eric nodded, typing on his phone. He was carrying a medium-sized camera, whereas I had a small bag on my back. It was a nice September sunny day. We started walking on the pavement leading to the main town. We passed through our neighbour's houses, local shops and road side trees that seemed to change their leaves colour. They seemed to welcome autumn silently, once in a year.

At a certain point, we saw the Reign river, that was named after the same name of our town, flowing gracefully beside the town and between the hills. Beyond the water were low hills covered by colourful trees and the deep blue painted sky symbolizing their singularity at glance. It was such a gorgeous scene!

Eric started taking random shots around the street, buildings, and alleys. And I took out my gifted ancient Polaroid camera from the mini bag. It has a beautiful purpose to click the moments of my near ones occasionally.

We sat on the bench near the park, staring at the river that was now adjacent and looked crystal clear. Most of the people were enjoying the views like us. I took out my water bottle from the bag and offered him, who was intently checking the camera. His shaggy brown hair fell in front of his eyes but it didn't bothered him at all.

"I'd like to listen to your secret plans for tomorrow, sister." He spoke letting out a relaxed sigh.

"Secret?" You chose a wrong word, bro. He gulped some water and nodded, returning me the bottle.

"You talk so little that I thought you could have some considerable secrets?"

"Haha...what a pre-reasoning! You don't know me that I'm always like this." I reasoned cooly. The next sentence made my throat tight and painful,"Fewer friends, little talk and big heart." I tried to brush off my corny flashback that played before my eyes vividly. I choke on my laugh; tears accumulating on the verge, therefore blinding my vision.

"Sage, why are you crying? I didn't say any bad..."

I quickly wipe my tears away. "It's nothing, Eric. Laughing too hard excites the tear glands, you know."

"No," he shifted closer to me, "I don't believe that you're not hurt. Something is bothering you, isn't it?"

"It's just a bad past. Nothing else."

He insisted me to tell. Rather than hearing his nagging remark, I decided to tell him.

I inhale deeply and liberated my past for good.

"When I was fifteen, I had a crush on a boy for the first time. I didn't know what the feeling was, and I used to get anxious at school every time I saw him. I thought, I was infatuated. I didn't tell anyone. Even after one year of our school session, I got the same feelings; talking to him was my unthinkable wish...

Once, I was reading a book inside the classroom during the break time. And suddenly, my eyes met with his whom I'd never able to stop thinking about. I broke the gaze and darted my eyes on the book. Pretending was hard, that time when he asked why I was alone, my heartbeat accelerated several times faster than the normal pace. He also asked why I talk so little. That time I somehow calm down myself and managed to say, 'Fewer friends, little talk and big heart.'"

I paused to drink water. Eric was looking confused, but grinned when he looked at me. "You just cried because you just repeated those words. Time to brace up yourself, sis. You can't cry, just because of that moment."

"I'm not finished yet."

"Listening," he mustered his attention to me.

My voice turned out into the sad one,"From that day, he never came to school. Later I heard, he was suffering from some serious genetic disease." I paused again. I was heartbroken.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Everyone was." I rubbed my eyes.

"Did he recover from that?"

"No."

He was silent, but not more than a few seconds. "Sage, it's time to eat. Two p.m. I'm sorry, but past is past. You understand?"

"Yeah," I stand up tall exhaling the compressed breath, "Thanks for listening!" I'm good at forgetting bad times, but, occasionally I needed to invite amnesiac memory.

We went inside the nearby mall. Then we both bought a bag of chips and extra fruit juices for me as I'm more like to scoff fruit nutrients anywhere possible.

As I pulled the door and step outside. I saw a tall boy, walking alone, both hands in his denim's pocket. In fact, it was his eyes that struck me from what I was thinking. Those eyes were burning vigorously, as if some sort of bright elements were reacting inside his pupils.

I stared at him with my mouth wide open, a loss for words.

The scene had already paralysed me, into the bargain time stopped for a few seconds between the distance of his eyes and mine. I couldn't think of anything and look anywhere except his eyes. I didn't even get to study his face as Eric uttered my name. He was just behind me.

"Sage, you listening?"

I mumbled, turning my face to him,"I'm not. I just saw a strange person!" When I look ahead of me, no one with strange eyes was there,"Where did he go? Oh gosh!"

He looked tired, concerned and mostly annoyed by my sudden behaviour.

So, I installed a zip on my mouth.

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©Krity 2020