Beneath the Starry Sky

Goodbye

Alina Baraz - Unfold 🎵

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The next few days were uneventful. Ariel was nowhere to be seen. The group—namely Joy, Cristian, Nate and myself, had enjoyed the sun, the moon, the beach, and the pool as expected.

Sweet syrups danced on my lips. Bitter flavours tasted after.

We danced, we sang, we drank.

We ate, we swam, we slept.

On the last night before Nate was to leave. He asked me to meet him back at the pool where we stargazed for the first time together.

There was a single flower in a mason jar, two glasses on a bistro table, a bottle of champagne, and a candle lit at the center of the table.

I appeared from behind a large tree and Nate was there seated comfortably beneath the starry sky.

"Vivian," he breathed.

"Hey Nate," I stepped to him, cautious about the arrangement he had so carefully set up. "What's all this?"

"Have a seat," he said cordially. I did as he commanded.

I was seated across from him. The single flame highlighted each feature on his handsome face.

I giggled. "Are you going to propose or something?!"

He threw his head back in laughter.

"You wish," he teased. "But listen. A lot had happened this trip. And something tells me it's not the end." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful hair comb, similar to the one that belonged to Catalina a hundred years ago.

"It's gorgeous."

"Take it and don't forget me." He seemed almost serious then. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning back to New York. But luckily we live in the age of the internet. So make sure you keep in touch."

I suppressed a chuckle. "Did you really have to go and set up all this just to tell me that?"

He took the comb and brushed my fringe back before applying it to my hair.

"There." He concluded, "the perfect ending."

"You're cornier than Cris, you know that?"

He grinned, white teeth gleaming.

He leaned over the table and kissed me then.

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That morning, Nate had gone.

I went walking alone as the sun rose. I thought about Ariel and his undying love for Catalina. I thought about Nate, and last, I thought about the comb in my hair. I smiled brightly to myself.

Joy and I spent our last day lounging by the pool. We had already packed up our things for ease when our time came to leave.

In our last hours, Joy invited me to a vigil. I gave her a confused look. She told me that last year, a girl had drowned in the ocean and the girl's family had returned to hold a ceremony to remember her.

When we arrived at the beach, flowers and candles were lined up at the place where she was pronounced.

A beautiful black and white photo. But the same grey eyes.

"Althea?!"

Joy flinched when I said that name, "Yeah, she was from Toronto too, you know? That's why I wanted to come and pay some respects."

"You don't remember hanging out with her our first few nights?!"

Joy looked at me all concerned, "You're doing it again, Viv."

No one seemed to remember. I turned back toward the ocean. A setting sun. A another goodbye.

I think Nate knew.

Beneath the starry sky, sometimes things don't always make sense. But as they are, their own certain poetry, sometimes, things are just meant to be felt.

End.