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Howli barked again.
“Howli, you really don’t have to cut me off every time I—”
Howli howled in his small puppy way.
“Aera?” Gray emerged from the mist, his eyes swollen and red, his tee shirt hanging off his newly gaunt frame.
And now—here’s the cliché part—time froze. Not literally, but it stopped when I saw him. I never thought I’d see him again. He was the person who had always been there for me. The person I couldn’t stop thinking about at night. The person I wanted to be with the most. The person I never thought I needed. Despite being afraid of death, I’d die for him. It sounded crazy and foolish coming from a seventeen-year-old girl, but what could we possibly do to stop our youthful hearts from falling in love like a raging fire?
“You’re here,” I breathed, the wind blowing my hair.
Howli jumped out of my arms and ran toward Gray, who smiled and patted him on the head before looking back at me.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. I wanted to curse and say I fucking missed him.
Before climbing down the rock, I pulled the scarf out of my bag. Rushing in his direction, I only halted once we were about a foot apart. I found myself gazing at him, as if I needed to relearn his features. In front of me was a complete mess of a man; the wrinkled clothes and messy hair proved he wasn’t done grieving yet, and perhaps he wasn’t even planning to.
“Belated happy birthday and happy Valentine’s Day,” I said, a sad smile finding its way on my lips as I reached over to grab his hand and placed the scarf in it. “I made this for you.”
“I-I didn’t know. I wasn’t able to get you—”
I pressed a finger on his lips. “Gray, it’s okay,” I reassured him as I slowly lowered my arms. “I just wanted to see you, and now here you are.”
Gray clutched the scarf, his eyes watering as he wrapped it around his neck. “Thank you,” he whispered weakly.
“Listen,” I started, “I don’t know what exactly happened last week, but I’m sorry.” All he’d told me was thattheyhad died, and whoevertheywere, he cared about them, so much so that he blamed himself for their demise. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose the moon or your whole world.” I went on, “but I also don’t want you to face something like this all alone. If you’re feeling low and lonely, don’t just disappear and come back once you’re feeling better. Your family’s worried about you.I’mworried about you. I’m scared you might never feel better if you keep shutting everyone out. Talk to us. Stay with someone. Let someone be there for you … Treasure the old memories you had with the people you lost but make new memories with us too. We’re still here …” I trailed off. “I’m here. I can be your moon too. Let me help you heal and make getting up in the morning a little bit easier day by day. Let me in, Gray. Please.”
“I …” He sniffled between his words and smiled gently. “I’m really glad you’re here, Aera.”
Like The Old Times
The sun brokethrough the clouds at Skyhigh Falls. I wasn’t surprised Aera found her way back there. She was like the sun. And if I were the clouds, then she could break through me anytime, anywhere.
I observed her as she situated herself on the ground beside me, both of us facing the waterfall. Her hair smelled like fresh flowers and coconut as she tied it up in a bun. “That was one hell of a hike,” she said. Aera rolled her sleeves up to her elbows before drinking water from her plastic bottle.
Howli, as she called our rescue dog, was now sleeping on my lap, snoring and … farting.
“He’s been waiting for you,” Aera said. “Take care of him, will you?”
I looked at Howli’s peaceful face then back at Aera. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, setting her bottle aside. “I think he is curious about you, just like how you intrigue me. That’s why it’s hard for us to stay away from you.”
“How so?”
“You always see the good in people. Obviously, I’m the opposite. I always judge them before getting to know them.” She leaned back a bit, hands pressed on the ground behind her. “I wish I could be more like you.”
I smiled, though I was quarreling with her statement in my head.
“About last week, do you want to talk about what happened? I mean, you mentioned something about someone dying …”
“I’m sorry,” I said faintly. “I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“Oh, okay. Let’s talk about something else, then.” An awkward smile flickered across her face. “Did you know that eating is the best way to chase your sorrows away?”
I pouted, denying my hunger as I held the growl attempting to escape from my stomach. “Didn’tIUsay that in her dramaBel Ami?”
“Heol,” Aera muttered with great surprise before giving me a half-suppressed laugh. “You watched that show?”
