[Contest] Write in the Name of Love

Oop i just seen how to do the spoiler thing lemme know if yall can delete so ill redo it 💀💀🤦🏽‍♀️

 

Deadly Love

Back Story

There once was a little girl who grew up in a small town far from the city of Hebron. She did not have the best life growing up. Her parents were not the best role models and developed schizophrenia due to the abuse and neglection her parents caused.

20 years later...

As she got older the women met a man, found a deep connection with this sophisticated young man. They laughed, cried, went outside and have picnics at the small park just outside of town. The couple was thinking about having kids and dreamed of the white pickett fence. That one night changed forever because something happened.

Of the day of April 25, 1997, the couple were watching a movie in their apartment and having pop corn and one particular scene on that movie caused a disturbance in the womens mind and she snapped from past trauma. The man, the lover asked "What is wrong", she said "Nothing" but as the man kept asking her what is wrong, the women was getting this built anger from the pushing of the man and all her past trauma in her life. As she ran towards the bathroom with spinning visuals and over dramatic hallucinations, starring at the mirror and look at her reflection, wondering if life is worth it. As the women, panicking saying "stop, go away", the man comes responsively fast to the bathroom. Walking in to help and as the man walks in he sees her with a razor blade in her hands. The man "stop what are you doing" grabs her from side.

On this fatal night she could see what was real or fake. The women felt the touch of something and thought it was her mind. The man is dead on the bathroom floor, blood flowing from his neck. The women just did the one thing she would never do. She ran out of the door and ran out of the door.

3 days later...

Neighbor from the hall smelt something obtrusive and disgusting from his own apartment building, that was coming from the vents. Nieghbor walked to the door and knocked and found out the door was unlocked and gasped from the smell when he opened it. As he walked further on the apartment he saw the mans body lying on the floor. He rushed back to his apartment to call the police. Shortly after the police arrived and started the investigation.

The women was never to be found and seen.

-iDemon 😈

 

Spoiler: My Angel in Disguise

Love sweeps you off your feet at the most unexpected time, they say. I, unfortunately, can confirm. You see, a month ago I walked in here with a normal fever and instead of a prescription, I got a diagnosis. Now, I’m standing in front of the murky, cracked washroom mirror with a razor in my hand, ready to shave it off. It’s going to fall off eventually so let’s just get it over with. A tear slides down my cheek as I bid farewell to my perfect, golden-brown locks.


I walk into group therapy feeling morbidly light, my eyes - not leaving the blueish gray tiles of the tiny, overcrowded room. Just as I take my seat and muster the courage to look up, my eyes meet the gaze of a stranger. He, too, is bald like most of us; but unlike most of us, he looks unnatural - like an angel in disguise, sent all the way from heaven. His sharp features could slice right through me and I wouldn’t even notice I was bleeding away for I’d be hypnotized by those forest green eyes of his. As he stares at me, not breaking eye-contact for even a millisecond, I feel as though he sees me. He sees me for all I am, with all my hideous flaws and ghastly imperfections and says to me with those gorgeous eyes of his, “You’ll be okay, it’ll be alright.” It’s as though he knows I am this close to giving up and he wants to help me find myself again.


The world disappears, he’s all I can see and suddenly, I’m not some helpless woman, trapped within a dreadful hospital chamber, waiting for death’s impending doom to consume me.

When he walks up to me after the session, I feel something - something abstract - an energy, perhaps or some sort of zeal, I can’t quite describe it but I can feel it and oh, does it make me feel alive again.


“Hi Ava, I’m Alden,” he says, and I’m so lost by the sound of his voice, I don’t even question how he knows my name. Thanks to him, I start speaking in group therapy - talking about myself, laughing with him and the rest, finally feeling like I can be happy despite all the pain and anguish I feel each day. We play games, we talk and gossip and eventually, I stop feeling like a stranger in my new home.


He occasionally comes to visit me in my room in the middle of chemotherapy and distracts me. We sit together, chatting for hours on end - never speaking about the pain we’re both going through. When I’m with him - time stops. It is easy talking to him; with his sweet words and that warm, charming smile. Not to mention the fact that he truly listens. No one before him ever cared enough to know what my favorite color was, or why I preferred reading over watching a movie.


Curiosity finally takes over me and one day and I ask him if he is going to survive his cancer. He smiles, but I see a great deal of grief behind those deep, forest green eyes. “Now that I have you, yes, I believe I can,” he whispers and kisses my forehead.


That night, he sneaks into my room and wakes me up. “Follow me,” he says and gently holds my hand.


“Where are we going?” I whisper, but he says nothing.


I silently follow him up the stairs, past the pathetic excuse of a library this hospital has, and through a door. A chilly wave of wind blows past, as him and I stand under the dazzling starlit sky on this magical, frosty December morning at approximately 1A.M. We lay on the terrace floor in silence for a while, my head on his chest, his hand, running up and down my arm, sending a tingling sensation all through my body. Suddenly, he gets up and holds his hand out to me. I take it without the slightest bit of hesitation. He puts his other arm on my waist, evoking butterflies I’ve only ever read about in books. I place my hand on his shoulder and we begin to dance to the silent rhythm of the rustling wind. Later that night, we fall asleep in each other's arms under the enchanting sky.


It’s been four months since he walked into my life and healed all my wounds. If only he could heal my cancer. Unfortunately, it’s started spreading faster. Soon, they put me on bed rest, forcing me to wait patiently for death’s abating embrace. Alden, of course, visits me often and with him, he brings that familiar feeling of hominess that keeps me sane.


“I was not completely honest with you,” he confesses one day and my heart stops beating for a second. “I’ve seen this before, what you’re going through, every single stage of it, until the very last. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, just as you’re seeing it now.”


“So…you survived?” I ask, my heart thumping through my chest at a rollercoaster’s speed.


“No, my love, I did not.”


I feel my throat go dry - I do not utter a single word. “You remind me of me, you know?” he whispers as his eyes glisten with tears. “If fate wishes for it, I shall see you soon, Ava.”


Then, he is gone - just like that; in the blink of an eye, he disappears. A sob escapes my throat as I try to comprehend the last five minutes of my life. It takes a while but I realize, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again but I do know I’ll love my dear angel in disguise until my very last breath and if there’s an after, I’ll love him then too.

 

The Memory of my Love

Matthew a tall, intelligent, and passionate individual worked on my family’s farm years ago. He one day caught my eye while he was outside petting the goats. I’d watched him from afar but I could sense he sensed my presence. It didn’t bother him it seemed. One night he stuck into my room in the middle of the night. I’d first thought I was being robbed until I saw that angelic face of his. He had a dark charm to him that intrigued me to no end. We talked for hours and slowly became friends. Until one night when he visited me. It was an unusual night at first he was a bit silent and it was starting to feel a bit awkward. Then all of a sudden he kissed me. I was quite shocked but returned the kiss passionately. Ever since then he and I could not keep our hands off of each other. From the day we meet I felt butterflies moving about endlessly in his proximity. Everyday was something new, something exciting, something to look forward too. He’d always hated to see me bothered by the worries and anxieties of everyday life. He’d wake up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was perfect for me the next day. Everything he did was perfect. He’s a bit of a perfectionist on steroids if I’m being honest. Something I’d tease him about regularly, and he’d end up picking me up, holding me tightly in his arms, while staring into my eyes silently. All to shut me up because he knew it always would. In fact I’d purposely did it sometimes. Just to see the built up frustration and soon after the sensuality in his eyes. Those eyes they were like a hidden world he’d drawn me into. A world only for me a world full of passion, want, and love. I teased him mostly because I knew he’d always been a bit high stung like myself. He’d be a bit agitated at first but soon he realized. I was just trying to distract him from his worries. Like he does for me. I woke at 8am to him kissing my forehead. It was the day before Valentine’s Day and I was determined to keep my present for him hidden. So was he. I got him all his favorite things expensive wine, sensual books for the occasion, and me of course. I’d also brought him flowers has he’s always done for me but I’d never done for him. He’d be gone for about 10 hours so I tried to think of what else to get him but I couldn’t think. The only thing on my mind was a feeling, a bad one. Was I going to mess this all up by being predictable? He knew me oh so well. But he’d always been able to blow me out of the water. I cleaned for a bit, then watched a few episodes of my favorite show. Enjoying my one off day blissfully. I soon fell asleep for what seemed about 5 hours. I woke to my husband gently carrying me to our bed. I could tell he was tired, and yet he still carried me. I couldn’t help but admire him as I watched his angelic face determined to make it to the bed. We talked like always about life, our goals, our ambitions, our desires. He soon fell asleep and so I got up and got to work. Tomorrow was going to be his off day and I was determined to make it as perfect as he always made things for me. Although I’m clumsy and messy basically the opposite of my love. I made him breakfast, straightened his side of the closet, washed his clothes, and ironed them. Except a jacket he had on a hanger that smelled of sweat as I saw no reason to because he runs in it everyday and it wasn’t the end of the week yet. I soon returned to bed kissing him on the forehead like he did in the mornings and slept. I woke to him kissing my forehead the next morning. We were both ecstatic because I only had a part time shift that day. So I could come home to my darling and enjoy the bit of time we have together. As we were poor and worked many hours to stay afloat. The shift felt so dreadful. People were everywhere talking and drinking and having a blast. While I stood at a cash register watching them like it was the most entertaining thing in the world. I only had one thing on my mind getting done with this shift. Thankfully in my last two hours my friend came in and distracted me from all the noise. The restaurant was packed today because of our V day special. I was so happy when I finally got in my car and was on my way home. Nothing else matter but getting home. I wondered what would I be blown out of the water by today? I got home but found him no where. I called him and called him but no answer. Everything started to feel surreal. “Maybe he went to get something?”I asked myself as I pondered on and on about why he wasn’t anywhere to be found and why he didn’t answer his phone. It was late and getting later by the second. I sat on the couch crying and watching tv and eating potato chips in a very drama movie like manner. It was now 11:30am I called the police and they said they’d soon get back to me. In the morning I didn’t even feel like going to work but I knew I had bills to pay. As soon as I was about to leave the house a police officer pulled up by our curb. I was wondering if he was going to possibly tell me if my husband was arrested for some odd reason bewildered to me. Or if he was taken by someone or maybe even putting a restraining order on me. My mind was in a horrible daze. The officer walked up to me like you’d walk up to your mentally unwell grandmother a bit cautious and with a pity in your eyes. I was soon informed my husband….died in a car crash. I burst out in tears. The officer continuously apologized but that could not console me. I returned to my home and cried most of the day. My family came over and stayed with me for support. I know that sooner or later I’ll have to have the talk with my mother, and father about my living arrangements as I can’t afford our home on my own. I was so heartbroken Matthew was the sweetest, kindest, and wisest soul I knew. He helped me through my depression. Though it all basically. He never gave up on me even when I gave up on myself. He never deserved this. He til this day will always be in my memory. A wound forever open. A connection that’s although severed feels as though it’s has never left. A love deeper than anything I’ve ever experienced. A man who was forever in my eyes perfect.

 

I-
I love this so much. Great work!!!

 

Finding love like the old days was much easier and genuine, unlike today.

I am envious of them. Like how our grandparents and parents began. The origin of our families were built from the foundation of genuine love. Their tradition of courtships, their old-fashioned way of dating without the interference of social modernization.

Today, everyone just turns their relationships into a status symbol to their liking, people are scared of commitment, there are too many of those who go for anonymous online dating, and worse is that this generation has normalized cheating.

And here I am about to share my own experience in this new era of internet dating.

A PIMD Real Love Story: “The Promise”

My cousin is a fan of playing online games. One time, he urged me to play a game called "Party in my Dorm" or PIMD for short. Out of curiosity, I went to the App store and downloaded the game.

After a few days of playing, I was still trying to learn certain aspects of the game. The game is quite simple; it is a college-themed game that allows you to create an online persona and socialize with other people directly from the app. I was able to gather as much information about the game as needed, through observing & asking questions in the game's public chat also known as “Campus Chat”.

Then I saw a random girl looking for a relationship (not the real one just for game purposes), and since I was still quite new to the game and I didn't have one too. I took this opportunity to ask her if I could take this position. To my surprise, she didn't hesitate to say "yes" despite the big difference in our stats (in game character power).

As time went by, we grew closer together and discovered new things about one another. Until one day, I realized I was slowly falling in love with her. I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I felt, so I tried to be cool about it.

We became comfortable with each other after setting our in game relationship status, we would also talk every night. As we progressed I was falling for her deeper than I was before.But of course I kept it a secret and didn't show or make her feel that way. After a few weeks, I became extremely occupied, as did she. Thus, real life issues came and we both were so busy that we barely had time for ourselves. Then we just stopped talking. I stayed in the game, waiting for her to come back.

She returned three months later, so my patience was somewhat rewarded. But the reward was also a punishment for my heart, for she was already in a relationship with someone else. She seemed very happy, I'm happy for her as well. We stayed good friends and remained in game relationship even if she went inactive. Once in a while, she'll go online to say hi and catch up. It felt like we were never apart. She was my closest friend in the game.

Then real life struggles came haunting both of us again. We didn't even have time to talk anymore. Again I stayed in the game and learned how to trade and improved my in game stats and have met a lot of new friends too.

I finally came to accept that it's impossible for us to be more than friends.

A year later, it was Christmas eve and I was surprised to see her on my message wall. It was just a simple greeting, but for me it meant a whole lot more. She's back. We talked and she told me that she's been single for 4 months and spent that time keeping a busy schedule at work.

It was the time that we both started talking again and made some bonding, just like the first time that I met her. Every night, we would talk with each other until it was late. It's funny how I would compare it to a couple in a long-distance relationship...hahaha.

Then one night, I wasn't feeling okay that time I needed someone to talk to, someone to vent out my problems and frustrations. She didn't hesitate to listen to my plea. She listened to my stories and rants, then she suggested that we should get some ice cream together, because she knew it was my comfort food. While we were eating our ice creams I said my thanks to her. She was surprised by my action and she smiled, I heard the happiness from her voice. So I asked her, why is she so happy?

She answered "I want you to repeat what you said? I didn't hear it so much."

I said "Thank you, thank you because you listened to my problems and rants also for taking me out to have ice cream."

"Ohhh...I thought it was something else heh...it's no biggie rs just for you." She replied

"What do you mean by something else???" I asked.

Then she shrugged it off "It's nothing forget about it."

I was so curious that I kept nudging her "What is it really? Ehhh? Ehhh? Weird."

"I thought you said, I love you." She blushed.

(Of course I was smiling like a crazy, because she was my crush for a very long time now and I'm falling more in love with her in this situation.)

"Hmmm...is it because you like me? Do you have a crush on me? Are you in love with me now?" I jokingly implied, her cheeks are now even more flushed than before.

Until she confessed and admitted that she was starting to like me. With this I also owed up to my feelings for her, how I liked her all along from the start that I met her and every nightly talk we had. Now that things have improved for me in this situation and we have gotten closer. I told her that I was already falling in love with her.
Both of us were left speechless, after a few seconds I started talking.

I asked her to be my girlfriend then she smiled & said "YES".
I explained to her that I wanted the two of us to be official that night and I promised that I'll never stop courting her everyday.
since I believe that "courtship lasts forever." Just because you had already gotten the approval of someone you liked doesn't mean you'd stop making them feel important and loved. Remember that they loved you because of how you treat them when you were courting them, that signifies that they love the attitude of a person who courted them, not the attitude of a person who changed after they say "yes". So I say never ever stop courting your girl".

From all of the things I said, I saw her more flushed and flustered than before. "Make sure you'll be a man of your words" she said with a "tsundere tone" with a smile on her face.

After that talked we had that night, I still couldn't believe it. Someone that I thought couldn't return the feelings I had for her would love me.

Several weeks had passed, she told me that she wanted to spend her birthday together with me. We then planned for us to meet. She and I were overjoyed that we had already planned everything necessary for our meeting. Until the very day arrived, I picked her up at the airport, when I saw her walking close to me it felt like time stopped. Her beauty amongst her social media pictures and video calls has doubled in person. When we arrived at the condo hotel that we had rented, I gave her a ring (she was so speechless looking right at me with a smile on her face).
I looked her straight right into her eyes and said-

"Love, I promise that I'll always take care of you, love you and support you with everything that you want. I mean everything that would make you happy, I'll do the very best that I can to provide" (knowing that she isn't really a materialistic person). Then I grabbed her head gently and kissed her on the forehead.

After those heartfelt moments with her, we hurriedly went out of the hotel to meet up with our PIMD friends, naaaah we're late.
Then it was pure bliss and a very romantic days spent on each other. Everything went smoothly, It's like we're in a very perfect relationship. It all reoccurred several times and the relationship became legal between our families.

She told me that she wanted to spend the rest of her life, until we grow old together and so was I. Also we both know that we were much comfortable with each other and how much we loved one another. Until we decided to live together and get our own house, but several weeks have passed and problems come to us. It resulted in the cancellation of all our plans together, although we understand the situation clearly.

Our relationship continued smoothly without any serious fights and only pure happy memories. Although we have our little misunderstandings it would always end in both of us forgiving one another.

Several months go by, my greatest fear had arrived. She talked to me thoroughly and asked me if I love her, of course I said yes. I felt very nervous that time, until she suddenly burst into tears and said that she love me so much too. But after saying those words, she also said that she's not happy anymore.

That's right, she still loves me, though I didn't know she's not happy anymore with our relationship. I was left speechless, one by one tears started to fall on my face.

She told me that she wants to find herself, she wants to find the things that will make her happy and then she apologized while crying. I smiled hiding the pain and told her about the three promises I made to her (quietly in tears).
She nodded while still crying.

First, is that I would always support her in everything she wanted.
Second is that everything that would be good for you and would make you happy, I would be willing to do.
Last, that I will love you so hard I would give up everything for you (I felt the pain more as I speak those promises to her). I asked her again if she still loved me, She just nodded.
"You love me but you're not happy anymore" - I said. the pain was unbearable that time.

I asked her if there was something lacking after all the efforts and love I shared with her. If there was another that was keeping her heart away from me or did I do something wrong, but what she answered baffles me "Nothing", and said she was very lucky to have me. Though she can't accept that only her love is making her stay, when she doesn't feel happy with our relationship anymore.

I have nothing to do but cry and let all the tears fall down while I was looking right into her eyes.

"Sorry love, sorry rs," she whispered.
her weeping grew louder.

When I heard those words, I just kept looking at her eyes and said ...
"Love, I promised to give you everything that would make you happy right? and I would do all that I can to give you the happiness you deserve. If you're gonna be more happy without me in your life and if that is what you want, I'm giving it to you.

Just then all of my pain and sadness just burst out. I'm freeing her from our relationship, while still weeping from mine. She's still sobbing as she kept saying she loved me and I'm sorry.

I told and reminded her that I don't like seeing her crying, because I just want to always see her smile.
But love ... I stopped and asked her for a request.

"Can I see your beautiful smile one last time?"

She nod and smiled a bit.

"Why are you so pretty even if you're crying?" I said.
she looked at me while crying and smiling at the same time.

I smiled too and said...

"Thank you for all the love, care and memories we made together. I love you, Goodbye.


-------

-THE END.

-------

It hurts to think that you love each other but your partner is no longer happy in your relationship
It's painful that you broke up without even a fight or a serious reason for your breakup.
There are many whys and what ifs running through my mind, But the important thing is that I loved her too much and until the end I kept my promises that I would do everything for her even if the exchange was to free her and my own happiness.


This is the end of my PIMD LOVE story & I hope you guys liked it and felt all the emotions that my story brought.

 

Damn 😭 Why did I even read this when I'm emotional myself? I think I might need to get ice cream too. Nice work, Prof 🥺❤️‍🩹

 

wow...you're a good story teller....you played a movie in my mind

 

🥳

 

The day we met, I knew straight away that you were gonna be special to me. In your presence I felt like I was home. We took each other just the way we were and that's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you.
No fake promises, no secrets, just us.
I was able to communicate with you as if I knew you my whole life. You were so easy to talk to even when you weren't able to understand everything at once and I didn't expect you to. It takes time to get to know someone and not to rush into something. That's why I'm so thankful to you for giving me the time to get to know who you actually were and that you were opening yourself up to me aswell. It proofed to me that we both were on the same page and not dangling around like we were completely lost. We both knew what we wanted and made sure that the other one knew it too. Since then we've been going through many life situations together and I couldn't ask for anyone else at my side. Even though the road sometimes has been very rocky, I never felt like our ways were gonna split apart. We always keep saying we will find a solution sooner or later and I'm happy that we always work our ways to that goal. I hope this will always be our goal together nevermind what may come in the future. I love you 💘

Many may know how hard it can be to find someone who actually takes their time to get to know you, without getting involved with someone else at the same time. Nowadays it seems that many lose their patience of being in the progress of getting to know someone and can't really communicate with each other. Always keep in mind that some things that seem like a little issue or not that important, may cost you more than you ever thought it would. Some might even be wearing "a mask". This mask might seem like a good idea to you for whatever reason. May it be to protect yourself from being hurt, in fear that they might not like you for who you actually are or any other possible reason. But once life gets a bit more difficult your mask will slip or fall apart. Which will reveal your true self. Hopefully for you the person you're with will love you for you are but please don't be surprised if they don't. Since you've been the one hiding yourself from them and giving them a false "picture" of who you are. We all want to get to know someone for who they actually are, not someone they are pretending to be. Don't ask someone to be themselves, if you're not prepared to be yourself. Not everyone will like you for you but that's completely fine! Then those who like you for you, will be worth it.✨

 

Good luck bestie! Told ya 🥹🫶🏻❤️‍🔥

 

Her fingers glided down his cheek, feeling the warmth that crept into her fingertips. Her graze softens as she stays longing for the man before her. No words needed to be exchanged in the end. She knew the day will come and now she is free from his father's chains and can now go back home. Her last remaining family left. Her soft fingertips no longer linger on his cheek but he clasps her finger with his and presses his firm lips against her knuckles.


“A parting gift for the lady” his graze never left her, his eyes held such longing of love that it tugged on her heart deeply to know that she will never know if they’ll meet again. “Thank you for always remaining by my side and may you finally rest those demons at last.”



He simply watches her turn and the way her blonde locks gracefully fall back to her back and the strain of unshed tears. He watches her simply fade into the night. Leaving him content. He will never forget her words but he knew deep down that this was the end between them. It seems the string that kept them together finally collapsed.


He turn around and briefly wave his hand to the young maid who seem not bothered by what she witnessed. Or simply she was and he looked passed it. He never admit it loud but her presence alone didn’t make him so lonely. Maybe he was being selfish for thinking this way but it was the truth. Knowing that he will never see her golden locks or feel her fingers in his hand. He is afraid to walk back into that mansion that held so many demons. She was the reason he could stand it. Knowing she will be there with her bright smile.


Yet Nova, the young maid was also there as well. Waiting for him to come back from his daily task. She was there before that young maiden captured his heart. The thought of going back to that mansion doesn’t seem too scary. He wasn’t going to be alone.


He was never alone, to begin with. He was indeed a foolish man yet his heart still longed for that mystery woman. Love was indeed cruel to him or maybe he was cruel and simply blinded by something that was out of reach. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter when his heart cracks knowing this was the end of their affair. With this realization, he took a step forward and spoke.


“Let us go home, Nova.”


He meant it.

 

Spoiler: Finding a Lost Love

Rat

I couldn't believe I was back in Trussville. It had been years since I had last been here. It felt so different from the small town I had once known. I was a glutton for punishment; it was the only reason I had let Selene talk me into doing this.
I went to run my hand through my hair in agitation, forgetting once again that it was no longer free-hanging around my shoulders. As I'd changed, it had come time to do away with the longer hair that I could easily pull back. Now it was shorter, only hanging to my jaw at its longest lengths. I had it layered because I liked to give it a ragged, spiked look. I usually kept the left side swept back and secured with a pin to the back of my head, but I left the right side loose.
My hair wasn't the only thing I'd changed. Selene was the one who had convinced me to get piercings. I'd thought it so stupid at first, but after I'd gotten the piercing in the right cartilage of my nose, I'd found that I actually really liked them. The nose thing was a ring, and then I'd added three studs above my left eyebrow, lining the end of it. And for kicks, I'd gotten a ring in the left corner of my bottom lip.
When I arrived at the border of Trussville, I promised myself I wouldn't, but I guess I didn't have the self-control. My eyes scanned every person, even though I tried to keep them focused. I'd recognize his white hair right away, if not anything else about him. Truth was, I was pretty sure I could pick Cam out of a crowd of his lookalikes.
He probably hated me now, though, if he hadn't before. I'd dropped off the face of the earth for five years. He probably had a pretty wife now. Maybe he didn't even hate me anymore. Even worse, maybe he'd forgiven me and forgotten me. That would be so like him.
I hoped I didn't see Cam. Would I be able to stop myself? Probably not. I had missed him. I missed his smile and his laugh. I missed how he'd challenged my way of thinking, got me to think of others for a change.
Thankfully I didn't have to be in town for long. It was just a couple of quick errands. I just had to last an hour, tops, in the market square. Only the busiest place in Trussville at high noon. I'd tried to convince Selene to let me go later or earlier, but high noon was the best time to go shopping. One hour, in the place I was most likely to run into somebody. God, the anxiety alone would kill me. I didn't even need to see Cam to be on the verge of losing it.
Selene needed a fresh supply of meat and brushes. And... soap? That was it. It was cleaning time for all her dogs.
The soap and brushes were easy enough, but she had a lot of dogs, so she needed fifty pounds of raw meat... for one day of feeding. She liked to stock up for a week, so I was looking at three hundred and fifty pounds.
The butcher's face was priceless. It couldn't be everyday that someone asked for, well, about all the meat he had. She seriously needed to pick one butcher and set up a weekly pickup. But once I convinced him that I was serious and could pay, boy did his eyes light up.
He pretty much shut down his shop to help me load my jeep with roughly three hundred and fifty pounds of meat. "What are you feeding, son?" he cajoled, giddy with stars in his eyes from the amount of money he was getting from this one sale. "A pack of wild wolves?"
I managed to laugh with him. "You have no idea."
"Here, let me help." a man near my age, probably the butcher's assistant, came jogging out of the back of the shop. His hair was silverish-grey with blue tints, but there was something about him that felt familiar. I didn't know if it was his carefree, ignorant character that just about everybody in Trussville seemed to share, or the way he openly chatted about the meat as if he knew more than the butcher.
Between the three of us, it didn't take long to load up the jeep. There was no sign of Cam as I drove out of Trussville. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as I passed the border. Even so, I felt a nagging sense of disappointment. I had no idea what I would have done if I had seen Cam, but I still had hoped for at least a little peek. Maybe talking to him would have been too much.

Cam

It didn't take long for the heartache to set in. I wanted nothing more than to drop everything and chase after Rat. But I had responsibilities here in Trussville.
It took me awhile to figure out what to do with myself. Trussville changed so fast, it wasn't even the town I had used to know. It seemed to be changing well, giving the people more of a foothold.
I missed Rat, but he wasn't part of my life anymore. Trussville always had been and always would be my home; Rat couldn't find it in himself to forgive them. No matter how much Trussville changed, Rat would never come back.
I changed with Trussville, letting it erase my past. I got rid of my white hair, that was nothing more than a scar. It'd never be the same as it had been before, and I didn't even try. I didn't want to be who I was before, and I needed to let go of who I was with Rat before it tore me apart. I dyed my hair silvery-grey with streaks of blue.
I helped the community adjust to the fast-paced changes taking place around us. In five years, Trussville could hardly be recognised as the city it had once been. My mom couldn't get over how 'grown up' I had become. She kept telling me that I was a man now, not a boy. She wanted me to find a nice pretty girl and start a life, but I didn't think I could ever go back to something like that after Rat.
I got a job so I could help my mom take care of the abandoned baby we had found and saved. The old system had me working security, but with the new freedom, I found myself enjoying more hands-on work. I started off doing construction, but then I found myself helping out one of the butchers and I really enjoyed it. So I took a job as an assistant for whichever butcher wanted a little extra help.
I was two years in, five years after I had last seen Rat, when I got my first reminder of him. I was assisting Ralph, one of the local butchers. He was a portly man who was jolly and good-natured about everything.
He wasn't everyone's favourite butcher, but he kept a steady flow of customers. I attributed it to how flawlessly his attitude drew people in. He called everyone son or darling. He laughed easily and could engage even the most sour-looking person in conversation.
He usually sold a good twenty-thirty pounds of meat a day. So when just one customer asked, as seriously as any customer who asked for one-two pounds, for three hundred and fifty pounds of raw meat, I knew it had to be Selene.
I offered to help and found not Selene, but some sort of punk kid she must have taken on. I'd noticed her maternal side coming out. First it was taking care of her dogs, then it was taking care of people.
His narrow, slanted features reminded me of Rat, but that was where the similarities ended. His hair was cut sharply to frame his face with stylised spikes. The left side was drawn back and clipped behind his head. His drawn back hair revealed a line of studs above his left eyebrow, along with a ring on the right side of his nose and a ring in the corner of his bottom lip. It made him look rough and rebellious.
It was hard to look him in the eye; I felt intimidated with the way he looked around disapprovingly. He seemed to regard me and the butcher rather kindly, so I talked about the meat to keep busy. He was lucky we had all three hundred and fifty pounds of meat, though it meant he got a wide variety.
So no sign of Rat, but at least I knew Selene was at least somewhere nearby. Maybe Rat had left her behind, too. I shook that away before it could manifest. I didn't want to be bitter about it; I didn't want to let it make me hate him.
Maybe I'd go and visit Selene to see how she and her dogs were doing. I told myself it wasn't curiosity about Rat. I had let him go; I didn't want to know how fully he had forgotten me. I was, after all, just a piece of Trussville to him.

Rat

"Thanks, Rat!" Selene was waiting to greet me right as I got back from Trussville. "How does the meat look? I haven't ordered from Trussville in awhile."
"It looks fine." I parked the jeep crookedly outside the apartment complex she had taken over for her dogs. "What do you mean you haven't ordered from there in awhile?"
She shrugged and waved a couple of her friends over to help us unload. "I try to avoid it, but I wanted to check out their meat quality. How is it looking?"
"Better." I handed a ten pound box of meat off to one of her helpers. "They've made a lot of changes."
"See anything interesting?" she gave me a knowing wink.
I shook my head at her, smiling just a little. "No sign of Cam. I suppose it's better that way." another ten pound box and a casual shrug. "He probably wouldn't want to see me again.
"You're wrong, Rat," she tossed a box out of the jeep.
I snorted, tossing my head. "Yeah, because everyone wants a guy who walks away because of stupid prejudices. All Cam wanted was for me to forgive Trussville, and I couldn't do that for him."
"Do you think you've forgiven Trussville yet?"
"I don't know, Selene." I sighed. "It's not what it used to be, that's for sure. I don't know if I can ever forgive them, but I think I've accepted that it was my family, not Trussville, that wronged me. I think I can accept Trussville separately from them."
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Selene jumped out of the jeep with the last box and passed it off, dusting her hands on her ratty jeans. "Go after him."
"He wouldn't want me." I watched the clouds moving to avoid looking at her. "He's probably got some pretty girl."
"Yeah right." Dogkeeer slugged my arm. "Because anyone would just get over you."
"What are you saying?" I smirked at her, changing the track of the conversation. We did this at least once a week, and well, I hadn't gone back for Cam yet. "I'm irresistible?"
"No." Her cheeks went bright scarlet. "I'm saying Cam wouldn't just forget you."
I went silent, mulling that over. "I think he would." I said finally, exhaling heavily. "Now come on, let's go make sure your meat gets put away."
She was meticulous about the way her meat was stored, and it worked instantly. She forgot about our talk and ran off. I followed more slowly, pausing to visit with the dogs.
I watched Selene ruthlessly dictate the organisation of the meat in the freezer unit. It didn't take her long, and then we got to work on setting up baths for the dogs. They knew, as soon as we got started, and some of them got excited while others got anxious.
Selene and I worked flawlessly together, falling into the routine. With just the two of us, it always took forever to wash her dogs.
Darkness was rolling in when a visitor rolled up. It wasn't often that someone just came by, so Selene went to go see what was up. I followed cautiously behind her, on guard for any funny business.
"Selene!" The boy from the butcher's shop jumped out of the vehicle. What the hell? Had he followed me here?
"Cam!?" Selene greeted the-- hold up. Cam? I looked closer at the man, doubting Selene's judgement skills. His hair was clearly... not a natural colour. I really hadn't looked past the colour.
"Cam?" I almost stumbled toward him, but caught myself. What would Cam want with me? So much for thinking I'd be able to pick him out of a crowd. I'd overlooked him when he was right under my nose. He looked so much more grown up all of a sudden. Maybe he'd come to gloat about how I hadn't recognised him.
Selene, in a rare display of affection, wrapped Cam up like she did with her dogs. His eyes locked on mine over her shoulder. "R-- Rat?"
Selene let him go slowly and backed out of the way. Both of us stood frozen. Had he not recognised me either? How could we have been so close to each other and not noticed?
Selene suddenly planted her hands in Cam's back, I hadn't even seen her move, and propelled him forward. He came to a stop right in front of me and looked up with those big eyes. I would have recognised him instantly if I had looked into his eyes.
"It's you." he gasped. I flinched involuntarily when his fingers appeared in front of my face. And his voice. I'd been so caught up lookin for his hair that I had already disregarded the man in front of me.
His fingers, lighter than air, grazed the line of studs above my eyebrow. "What did you do?" he whispered.
I swallowed thickly, having to consciously keep my eyes from falling shut. "Cam. I..." did he still...? Was I... good enough? "I'm sorry." I reached out violently, grabbing his waist and yanking him to my body.
He made a surprised sound as our bodies came together, maybe a bit more roughly than I was intending. "Rat." He sounded both like he was laughing and protesting. But it felt way too good to hold him for me to let go, even if he was protesting.
"I should have recognized you." I berated myself, feeling his body relax against mine. His hands gripped my shirt around my waist, holding me just as tightly as I was holding him.

Cam

I couldn't believe it. The pierced, punk guy from Ralph's was Rat. He'd reminded me of Rat so much, but I couldn't have ever pictured Rat with piercings.
I figured it out when I made that visit to Selene when I got off work. The pierced guy--Rat--was standing behind her. I realised it when he said my name. Something about the way it rolled off his tongue.
I was frozen in shock. I'd kind of expected to see Rat, but I had not expected to realise that I'd been chatting amicably to him only hours before.
He seemed as shocked as I was. I guess I really had changed in the last five years.
I hadn't planned to stay long, just stop in and visit, but suddenly I found myself washing dogs with Rat while Selene headed in to start mixing up their dinner.
"I still can't believe it." I found myself laughing, unable to stop casting glances at Rat. Almost every time, our eyes met. "You were right there."
He stared down at his hands, busily scrubbing the dog in his plastic pool. "I guess we've both changed, huh?"
"Oh come on, Rat," I released the dog I had been drying and let him go bounding away. I scooted toward Rat on my knees. "I didn't recognise you, either. I think it's kind of funny."
He looked at me, his eyes trailing down to my now scuffed and dirty knees. "I thought for sure I'd know you without a doubt if I saw you." his eyes stayed on the ground between us.
He was beating himself up about it, like he had beat up Trussville for turning their backs on him. It was so hard to get him to let go of even little things, because everything was so big in his head.
His dog took advantage of his distraction and bolted away, still covered in suds and water. "Hey!" Rat shouted, getting up to go after it.
"Come back here." I called to the dog, helping Rat herd it back toward the pool. Man, they were well behaved in the water, but as soon as one of the dogs got out, they became stubborn as hell.
It took a couple of tries, but soon we had it back in the water. And that was when it decided this was a fun game, and bolted again, this time dodging between Rat's legs.
Rat had to dance a little to avoid getting knocked into, but the dog still managed to clip his leg when he was just perfectly off balance. He fell in almost slow motion, landing directly in the pool of dirty, soapy water.
His face showed how completely shocked he was, mouth agape and eyes wide. And then I couldn't stop myself from laughing, and his cheeks went red. Well, really, his whole face.
"Hey!" he protested, struggling to stand up. "Stop that. This isn't funny."
I laughed even harder, going down to my knees. He just looked so silly, trying to be serious with water dripping off of him. He started to crack a smile, but as soon as he realised it, he scowled to cover it up. Because it'd be so awful if he had fun.
"You look--" I panted, I was laughing so hard. "Like-- like a drowned-- drowned rat."
"I am a drowned Rat." he started to smile for real, shaking water off at me. It made me laugh even harder. "Oh you like that, huh?" he stepped soggily out of the pool.
"No, Rat," I protested, laughing at the same time, as he came toward me. "Don't."
"Stop laughing." he grinned, reaching for me.
"Rat!" I was almost crying, I was laughing so hard, as he bent down and easily picked me up in his wet arms even as I tried to get away. "No!"
My protests fell on deaf ears, and he dumped me in the pool. "Rat!" I gasped as the water soaked right through my clothes. I struggled to sit up and grabbed the edge of his shirt.
"Hey!" he protested as I pulled him down into the water next to me. He burst out laughing, grabbing me before I could climb out of the pool.
I fell back in, and he held onto me. "Rat." I struggled, splashing him.
Then he tried to get out of the pool, still trying to hold me down. I easily pulled him back in. By this time, we were both pretty thoroughly soaked.
"Cam." he laughed, laying half on top of me in the little plastic pool. I struggled to get up, but he held me down.
"Rat, I'm soaked." I protested, wiggling as he pinned my hands above my head.
"Me too." he grinned down at me, water dripping from the ends of his hair. I still found my eyes going over his piercings, trying to get used to them.
"Hey, you two!" We both looked toward the apartment at Selene. "What happened to washing the dogs?"
The dog that had started this was twisting around her legs, having collected a fine amount of dirt in his wet coat. Rat let me go and climbed out of the pool, reaching a hand out to me. "Sorry, Selene. We got distracted."
I let him pull me out of the water and huddled my arms around myself as the air bit into my skin, suddenly cold.
"I'll say you did." She managed to look a little amused even though it was obvious that she wasn't pleased with us. "Get inside, I'll finish up out here."
Rat put his arm around my shoulders, combining what little body heat we had. I huddled into his side as we went inside, ducking our heads at Selene's ruthless glare.

Rat

I found a warm blanket to wrap up in--I'd intended to get one for each of us, but Cam hadn't separated from me long enough to bother. We huddled together on a couch in one of the rooms near Selene's makeshift kitchen. Besides, it felt nice to put my arm around his shoulders and feel him huddle into my side. He wasn't that much smaller than me, but he sure felt like it right then.
It didn't take too long for Selene to appear in the doorway, glowering at us. She shook her head and didn't say a word for the longest time. Cam suddenly broke into a quiet giggle, and both of us looked at him in surprise.
"I'm sorry." he tried to smother his laugh with his hand. "I just... I haven't felt this happy in a long time."
"You haven't been happy?" I asked immediately, squeezing his shoulders tighter.
"No, I have." he said quickly, smiling. "But not like this."
I relaxed and turned to Selene. "Come on, we didn't hurt anything. We were just playing around."
Selene shook her head, but it wasn't fast enough to hide the flash of a smile. "You two are crazy."
I grinned, knowing she wasn't really mad at us. "Uh-huh."
She shook her head one last time and disappeared. Cam rested his head against my shoulder. "I don't want to leave."
I didn't want him to leave either, but I knew how that worked. Trussville was still his home. He said he wanted to stay now, but he'd miss Trussville soon. And then he would leave.
"Come on." I stood, bringing Cam with me. "Selene is a surprisingly good cook."
He stayed right beside me as we walked to the kitchen, huddling into my side even though neither of us were cold anymore. It was comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable for how soon he would leave me again. Maybe I could go back with him this time. Maybe, with Cam, it'd be possible for me to be happy in Trussville.
Selene tended to keep the meat for her dogs, so she had pasta with a little diced meat and veggies for us humans. My eating habits had gotten a lot better since I'd started staying with Selene. She made some pretty good, well-balanced meals. And yes, we were on the same eating schedule as her dogs.
Cam had already eaten dinner before coming out here, but he tried some of Selene's cooking. He sat with us while we ate, and I wasn't sure if I was imagining his hand brushing against my leg under the table every now and then. I sure hoped I wasn't.
When we finished, Cam and I went outside. I wasn't sure if it was to talk or to say goodbye. I didn't want to break the silence to find out, so for the longest time we just stared at the stars.
I could feel my heart struggling to pump under the pressure of the silence. The moment to say goodbye, again, was growing closer with each passing second.
"Rat..." Cam said quietly, his eyes on the sky. "Are you happy out here?"
That wasn't at all what I expected him to say. I watched him watch the sky. "What do you mean?"
"Are you happy?" It was a straight-forward question that didn't need any explanation. Was I happy?
No. There was something missing in my life, and I knew exactly what it was. The only times I'd felt anything close to happiness were with Cam. "Sometimes." I answered honestly. "Right now."
He looked up at me, his eyes wide and vulnerable. Damnit. "Because of me?"
I was unable to meet his eyes for long. Why was I so damn vulnerable right now? I looked up at the sky, keeping my breathing steady. It was one of the few things I could control right now.
"Rat." Cam said again, pausing until my eyes came back to his. "I'm happy right now, too."
"Your life is in Trussville." Those words alone felt as though they could shatter my heart. His life was not with me.
"I don't know," Rat," he looked back out at the sky, with a faraway look in his eyes. "Sometimes I feel like it is. But other times I feel like I'm missing something. I want it to be simple, but it's not. I love Trussville, but I love you, too."
I love you, too. He had no idea what those words meant. Did he? Did I? Maybe we were both too young and stupid to be this involved. We had two separate lives that could never merge. How could we love each other?
"I want to stay." he said the words firmly, like he understood the consequences of them. He looked back at me, and when I turned to look away, he trapped my face in his hands. "Trussville isn't my home anymore. I've done all I can there. My mom, the butchers, none of them need me anymore. You need me. I need you."
Did he understand what he was saying? I felt like he did; I felt like he meant it. I pulled his hands off easily. "You'd get homesick."
"I'll be home." he countered firmly. It was supposed to be me who was so strong and firm about everything? Why did I feel like a leaf suddenly, and he was the branch grounding me against turbulent winds?
"You'd give up Trussville for me?" How could he...? Why was it so easy for him to let go?
"Make me a deal, Rat." he said seriously. "I might still want to visit my mom sometimes. I want you to be able to come with me."
Go to Trussville? Why not, I'd been there today? I didn't hate Trussville so fully anymore. I could visit it for him. He might not think it was his home, but it was still the home of his family. "Okay."
"Okay?" the brightest grin lit up his face. "Rat!" he threw his arms around me like I had just made his day.
It must have meant a lot to him. I put my arms around him, holding him to my body. It was the way we belonged. Together. I'd live in Trussville if it made him this happy.
Somewhere in our embrace, our lips met. It was no goodnight kiss, and it was no goodbye kiss. It was a new beginning kiss.

 

😭😭 I'm sitting here in tears after reading this. Such a sad story and I'm so sorry. But thank you for such an emotional read. It is truly a work of art. 🥺💙

 

“It’s bitter,” I gagged, scrunching my face in disgust at my boyfriend’s homemade concoction. It was 3 am and we were bored out of our minds, so he came up with this idea of mixing whatever he e could find and whomsoever made the best one had full control over our one year anniversary special. I was so excited. I’ve been planning this for 4 months and this idea of his was a bonus. His laughed echoed in our small kitchen, his dimples appearing and his perfect white teeth coming into view. I was undeniably inlove with him. “Man, your face!” He pointed a finger at me, laughing so hard he snorted. I snapped Out of my revolver, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, well, taste this,” I held my cup out for him to take a sip and watched satisfied as his eyes lit up. “This is actually really good!” He grabbed the cup from my grasp and finished it never questioning the ingredients. I squinted my eyes at him questioningly. “What if I had poisoned you?” He took a step towards me, holding me by the waist and pulling me flush against him. “Well, ma petite souris, I would gladly die a hundred times if it meant I got to live and experience you all over again.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, my cheeks hurting from smiling too hard.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”


Our anniversary date drew close and I was getting nervous about the whole situation. I knew this man my entire life, yet it felt as it did when he first confessed. Butterflies erupted in my stomach and my fingers began feeling numb as I stared hopelessly at my computer screen. “Jeez,” I groaned, throwing my head back. “Now isn’t the time to be feeling like this!” An image of his adorable face made its way to the forefront of my mind and I hid my face in my hands, blushing. “Man, I won’t get anything done if this continues! Gosh that man and his dimples!” The sound of my phone ringing brought me back to reality and I glanced at the caller id surprised.

“Mom?” The sentence that left her mouth after made my heart drop. I quickly grabbed my car keys and ran out the door not caring about my anything else. As I drove towards the hospital all that I could think about was, “car accident” and “he’s badly hurt.” I swallowed the lump in my throat as my entire body filled with dread as I near the hospital parking lot. I could see my mom consolidating his baby sister. “Please. . .no.” I parked my car, stood at the door and stared at them unable to move. My mind was completely blank and I was numbed. I wasn’t prepared to face the reality of the situation just yet even though the answer was painstakingly obvious. As if sensing my presence, my mother’s eyes met mine and in that brief moment I knew. I got in my car and drove all the way back to our apartment.


I don’t know how long i was sitting on the floor of our kitchen, just staring at nothing in particular. I felt empty. I couldn’t even bring myself to shed a tear or two. My mind was at war with my heart. There was apart of me that refused to believe that the phone call happened. . . that he was really gone. A light in the corner of my eye caught my attention and I reached out to grab, realizing it was my phone. My eyes stung from the sudden brightness and my heart sank as they finally adjusted and I saw the messages from my mom and one voice message. I stared at the voice message for what felt like an eternity. I wanted to know what it said but I was frozen, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. With shaky fingers I finally played it. His voices filled the room. “Ma petite souris, how are you? I know that you won our little competition, but I have a cute little surprise waiting for you. Please be ready by 6. We have-“ his voice was cut off by the sound of screeching tires and i sat there horrified as the entire crash played out. I rushed to the garbage can and emptied my stomach contents, tears clouding my vision. A piercing scream erupted from my chest as the realization dawned to me. It was my fault. He died because of me.


I cried. I threw up. I cried some more. He meant everything to me and now he’s gone. The love of my life.. gone. I stared at the bottle in my hand with a tired smile. “I would gladly die a hundred times if it meant I got to live and experience you all over again.” His words echoed in my head as I downed the contents of the bottle without a second thought. “It’s bitter..” I mumbled, succumbing to the tiredness. I laid on the cold tiled floor and stared at the ceiling, his face staring back at me until my breathing was no more.

 

Trigger Warnings: Death, alcohol, and talks of possible mental illness.

Special shout-out to my friend @LadyDreadful for keeping me motivated.

Skeptic.

Jane and Stephan’s story is a bit cliche, but what love story isn’t? They met their sophomore year in high school whilst attending Belleview West. After befriending one another, they became inseparable. Both are naïve of the romantic feelings they share. The final semester of their freshman year of college, an accident will change their lives forever.


June 27th, 2010.


“LET’S GO LANCERS!” the banner above the door read. Lindenwood University’s very own rugby team had made it to the finals. Of course they had to celebrate with one of the biggest parties of the year. Everyone made their way over to Pauls’ family home, and the night carried on. A typical college party, not much different than anything they’ve seen all year.


Mostly everyone had gone home around 3am, the last few piled into Frank’s van. Stephan and Frank weren’t the best of friends, but they got along. He had accepted the ride home as he knew he was too far gone to drive. Going down the north belt near Emge Junior High, Frank turned to Stephan. “I’m doing pretty good at staying in the lane for having a few shots, right?” Stephan laughed and they carried on a conversation about their night.


It had seemed the thirty minute drive turned into hours. Finally passing the Skyview Drive-in, one of the guys in the back reached forward and turned up the radio. They continued on, Frank’s eyes feeling heavier with each moment. He became aware of how hard the alcohol was hitting him with everyone screaming and bouncing around. “FRANK LOOKOUT!” Stephan screamed, but It was too late.


“Breaking News: One dead, four injured in early morning collision.” A headline that will haunt Belleview forever.


Everyone was distraught. They never expected something like this to happen in their city. *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* Filled with panic, Jane rushed to her door. To her surprise, Sandra was on the opposite side. Tears streamed down her face, “He’s gone, my baby..” Sandra had fallen into Jane’s arms. She couldn’t breathe; Broken sobs and a deep feeling of melancholy she’s never felt before washed over her.



November 11th, 2010.


It’s been five months since Stephan passed away. Jane is finally able to leave her dorm without having an anxiety attack. Except today was different, it would’ve been Stephan’s 20th birthday. She missed him and regretted not telling him how she truly felt. “Hi Stephan, it’s me again.. I figured I’d come sit with you on your day.” she said, sitting on the blanket next to his headstone. Hours passed on as she spoke to him, the wind started to pick up.


“Jane, can you hear me?” Trying to get her attention, Stephan knew she didn’t believe in the afterlife. He needed to convince her. He tussled the pages of her book, grabbing her hand. “JANE! Please listen to me.” She felt uneasy, not knowing what to do with the electric-like feeling in her hand. She decided it was time to go home.


As the day went on, Stephan continued trying to get Jane to open up her beliefs. Changing radio stations, flickering lights, and even knocking over her favorite picture of them. He had one last shot to make himself known before becoming too weak. “Janey, I’m still here. Please listen to-” he said, using the last of his energy to speak through her radio. Her heart dropped.


“Diane, I think I’m going crazy. I heard him through my radio.” Jane cried out to her friend. Diane embraced her for comfort. “Honey, as I've told you many times, it’s possible that he’s trying to contact you.. You know to let you know he’s okay?” Jane sighed, “I don’t believe in that crap and you know that.” Diane shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Maybe you should look into it.”


June 27th, 2011.


It’s been a year since the accident. Jane has been dreading this day since it became her reality. Stephan’s mother Sandra had a day full of activities planned for them. It had been awhile since the last time he had tried to contact Jane, almost as he’d given up on trying to convince her. She’d ignored every time that he spoke to her, but still got that uneasy feeling anytime he touched her. “Today will be a good day, it’s for you Steph.” She walked out the door and got into Sandra’s car.


First stop was to lunch, their favorite coffee shop Sip & Chew. They talked about what’s been going on with school and work while waiting for their order. “You know.. I’ve been meaning to ask you about something, but I don’t know how to bring it up.” Sandra said. “I’m going to come out and say it, but please don’t feel the need to answer if you’re uncomfortable. Were you in love with Stephan?” Sandra asked and Jane sighed. “I think I will always be in love with him, I just wish I had told him.


Continuing on the day, that question kept replaying in her head. She had never admitted to anyone how she felt about him. She felt relief and was content that his mother was accepting of what they should’ve been. They visited the intersection where the accident had occurred; the light post off to the side was filled with flowers and letters for him. Last stop, to see his grave. This was going to be a hard one. “We’re here baby boy!” Sandra called out, placing a bouquet of flowers down.


They ended up only staying for a couple of hours and left when it started to rain. Passing each road knowing this drive was his last is hard. Jane couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head as he was watching out the window. “Oh look, they redid the Drive-in sign.” Sandra said smiling. “I’ll have to check out and see when they’re opening back up.” Jane replied. “Thank you for today Sandra, it meant a lot to me.” Jane said, embracing her before walking inside.


— Flashback. —


August 31st, 2008.


“You’re insane if you think I’m going to let you pay for movie tickets when I suggested we come in the first place,” Stephan looked at me. “It’s not a big deal Steph, I just thought I’d offer.” I laughed. This was the first time we’d ever hung out alone. Like a date, but without him knowing I like him. We decided on watching “Yes Man” because who doesn’t love Jim Carey?


After the movie, he asked if I wanted to take a walk in the park before going home. “So did Scott ask you to prom?” Stephan looked as we passed through some trees. “Why would he ask me? Isn’t he supposed to be going to Hawai’i with his parents?” I replied. Stephan laughed, “Oh yeah, that’s right.” We continued walking along the edge of the lake. Is he going to ask me to prom, is that why he brought it up? “We should probably get going, it's almost 11:30.” He said.


On the drive back home we listened to our favorite songs, singing at the top of our lungs. Laughing together at the horrible sounds coming out of each other's mouths. “We should do this more often, tonight was fun.” Looking at him as he was speaking, he smiled at me. “Do you want me to walk you up?” He added on. “You know I love you, right?” I said, before opening my door.


— End of Flashback. —


After the long day she had, Jane fell asleep shortly after a warm shower. “Janey, this is the only way I can think of to truly get to you now..” Stephan said. “I need you to listen to me, it’s me. I promise you I’m trying not to hurt you, but I need to tell you something.” Her dream continued on normally until the very end. “Janey, one last thing. I need you to go to the drive-in, please just to hear me out,” He was begging her at this point. He was not able to fully move on until she fully understood how he felt about her.


June 29th, 2011.


Jane woke up from her deep slumber and the feelings she had were so intense. She didn't understand how one dream could affect her like this; she was beginning to question her beliefs. Picking up her phone, she knew exactly who to talk to. "I'm sorry it's early.. I just need to talk to you," She said. "Don't worry about it, what's going on?" She told her every single detail of the dream. Diane was very conscious of what she said, knowing the beliefs Jane has expressed many times before. They talked on the phone for a few hours before Jane came to the conclusion that was going to go. Now to continue on her day until it was time to make her way down to the drive-in.


Jane walked into class, knowing that the next 90 minutes was going to drag by. This was her favorite criminology class, but that dream kept replaying in her head. Not knowing how to control how she felt, she began to doodle on her notebook. "Jane. Can you please see me after class,'' her professor said. She looked up at him and nodded. By the end of class Jane had covered an entire page of random doodles and thoughts, one caught her eye the most. "We had forever and we lost it.." Professor James made his way over to her seat. "Are you doing okay today Jane?" He asked. She smiled, running her fingers over those words. "Yeah, today is just a harder day, but I'll be fine." He explained to Jane that he had an opening next semester for a teacher's aide and wanted to see if she was interested.


It was time for Jane to go. That overwhelming feeling of anxiety washed over her. As she pulled out of her driveway she looked down at the time; 11:11AM. She could almost hear Stephan "Hurry! Make a wish, it's 11:11." She grinned knowing that was something that she will always have to look forward to. The drive felt like a lifetime, the anxiety becoming so much she almost turned around. She pushed forward and went anyway, pulling into the parking lot she found the spot where they always parked each time they came.

"Stephan, I don't know how to do this. I feel stupid, like I'm talking to myself," She said out loud. Jane didn't feel anything, the anxiety she had finally settled.


"The only reason I came today is because after that dream.. It felt so real, I thought that I was going to tell you how I felt in the dream, but I didn't." She twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. Stephan was listening, but he couldn't make anything out, he was too weak. "Keep talking Jane," He thought, hoping it would give him some boost of energy. "I should have told you about my feelings, but I was so in my head about what it would have done to our friendship." She sighed. "I was so in love with you. Everything about you was so perfect to me. You were the air in my lungs, the pulse in my wrist. It's so hard now that you don't exist," tears streaming down her face.


"If you're actually here Stephan, please speak before I check myself into a mental institution," She wiped her face. He reached out and put his hand on hers. "I'm here Jane. Can you hear me?" He asked. “Yes.. I can hear you,” her breath felt stuck in her lungs. She put her left hand on top of her right, she couldn’t physically feel him. “I’m so proud of you Janey, thank you for opening up your mind and coming to me,” he said. “I miss you so much, I love you,” she cried. He stroked her hand with his thumb, letting her feel his energy. “I listened to everything you said Janey, I just want you to know that I..” There was complete silence. “You what Stephan?” She asked, she couldn’t feel the energy anymore.. Sobbing, she said “Stephan.. please.” But it was too late..

 

Hidden Feelings
Two best friends plan to meet up for a fun day at the carnival, just the two of them. They then see each other from a distance and make eye contact. Many things go on through both of their heads. You’d be surprised by how similar their thoughts are…

Spoiler: Della’s Thoughts

Nangel! There she is! My sunshine is as pretty as the sunset, as bright as a light bulb, and as angelic as an angel. I’ve loved her ever since I met her, but not in the way normal friends do. I’m in love with her. Every time I see her my heart speeds up and my tummy flutters. I can’t help but get nervous and look away every time she looks me in the eyes. She’s light to my darkness. She’s the only person in my life who makes me happy.


I always ask myself: “Are these feelings I have for her normal?” “Am I just going through a phase?” “What would other people think if they found out?” “Is what I’m feeling a sin?” These thoughts fill up my head whenever I think of her.


Although those thoughts come to mind, I have always wondered what it would be like if I was with her; if we were a couple. I feel like people wouldn’t accept it or think it’s normal, and that’s what pains and hurts me. If only I could be happy with my person. Only in my dreams. We’d be happy girlfriends that are complete opposites. She’s my golden retriever as I am her black cat. But then again, I’m not quite sure if she likes me or not. It gets confusing because one minute she’s holding my hand and saying that we’re dating. The next minute she says that I’m like a sister to her. I never truly know, and it scares me. What if I get rejected by her and our friendship changes? What if she thinks I’m weird for liking her and she leaves me? If our friendship changed simply because I confessed to her, I would simply die. Which is why I will try my absolute best to hide away my feelings. If I lose her, I lose everything I love. If I lose her, I’d become nothing. If I lose her, I lose my only happiness.


If I lose her, what else is there to live for?

Spoiler: Nangel’s Thoughts

I see her over there, my Della, my cute moonlight. She looks so pretty in the grey jacket that I gave her. If only she knew how much I love it when she wears my clothes. It makes it feel like she’s truly mine. If only she knew how much I loved her and how I feel about her.


Don’t I make it obvious enough? I always hold her hand and “pretend” that we’re dating! I always compliment her and tell her how beautiful, smart, wonderful, caring, kind, and authentic she is. How much more do I have to do to show her how much I want to be with her? Why can’t she just come out and say that she likes me? We’d both be happy together and live our best lives as a couple. I “pretend” that we are dating in public, but I want it to be a reality.


She’s always so cute when she looks away as I stare into her loving, beautiful brown eyes. I get lost in them often. Her personality tops everything. She is the smartest, most funny, most beautiful, and most charismatic person I know, and I fell in love with her because of it. She is just such a bundle of joy. She truly makes me happy, even if she doesn’t know it.


I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to go on picnics, movie dates, fancy restaurants, and all kinds of things. I would gladly do anything if it was with her. The only thing that’s holding me back is her. I want to make sure that I’m not just imagining the chemistry between us.


I want her to make the first move and tell me that she likes me…

They both then run to each other, as if they haven’t seen one another in decades. They always do this because of how strong their love and bond are.


“Hi, Della!” Nangel exclaimed. “You look so pretty! I love your outfit with my jacket, it suits you!”


Della blushes lightly. “Aw, thank you! You look beautiful as well. Let’s go get some hotdogs!”


Nangel smiled at the compliment, while Della was freaking out about how she complimented Nangel. She never compliments her often, since she’s too shy to do so.


They both set off and had a wonderful day at the carnival. They played games and won prizes for each other. They even ate food while Nangel would feed Della, which was normal for them. It was like the day was their first date…


Nangel was mesmerized by Della. She kept staring at her and admiring her beauty. Della didn’t notice this, however, since she was too busy focusing on how to not be nervous whenever Nangel was near her. Whenever Nangel was close to her, she would simply stutter with her words or her heart would beat rapidly. She doesn’t know what to do when this happens, so she pretends to do something else and avoids eye contact with Nangel.


Nangel, on the other hand, thinks that the way Della gets nervous and looks away is adorable. She loves every single thing about her. She loves Della for who she is, and nothing would ever change that.


By the time they were ready to leave, it was close to midnight. Nangel took some pictures of the moon, while Della was admiring how beautiful Nangel looks when she sees something pretty. She wonders if Nangel ever looked at her the same way she looks at the moon. If only Della weren’t so clueless…


The two friends hugged each other as Nangel’s taxi was there to take her home. As they are hugging, a strong urge comes over Della, telling her to confess to Nangel right there. But then, after Nangel let go and looked into her eyes, a wave of anxiety made the urge go away. She just couldn’t do it, let alone hold eye contact for more than two seconds. Nangel looked into Della’s eyes, trying to figure out why she looked uneasy and upset.


“Della, are you okay? Do you need something?” asked Nangel worriedly.


“Oh! N-no I’m okay! I’m just sad this day couldn’t last forever,” said Della.


“Me too, I had an amazing time with you,” Nangel said with a smile.


The taxi was then honking for Nangel.


“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” asked Nangel.


Della said, “Yep! See you tomorrow!”


As Nangel got in the car and drove off, Della felt less anxious. She still regrets not telling her at the same time. Deep down, she knew that she would one day confess to Nangel.


Today just wasn’t that day.

 

Can I also participate in this contest 😵

 

Spoiler: Ill-fated lovers

Isaac no longer knew how much time had passed. The rain had completely soaked his clothes and the fabric felt heavy and cool against his skin. He hadn't felt the cold for a long time and just remained motionless in front of the big window while the wind greedily tore at him.
He did not fear the abyss in front of him. He had never been afraid of heights and had been adept at climbing for as long as he could remember. For him there was no difference between the wall of a house or the wall of the Eternal Tower.
As long as he had hope of seeing her for just a moment, he would climb a mountain.
While he sat with his back against the window, his eyes were closed and he kept calling her face to his mind. Days, weeks and months had passed in which Geist had taken her from him. But he never gave up trying to rip her out of his clutches and save her one day. It wouldn't be long now, he felt it.
All of the fears and doubts he had felt when the mysterious young man with the ash grey hair had appeared back then had been confirmed in no time at all. Way too fast. Before he could have warned anyone, the trap was snapped shut. The strange man had outplayed him with such a skill and ease that it still made his blood boil. But the separation from her had hit him even more than Geist atrociously ruining his reputation. He had used them all like chess pieces and set them against each other.
The sound of a slamming door made him sit up and he turned carefully on the narrow windowsill so he could look inside the room.
"Nana."
His heart beat faster and her name escaped his lips without him being able to prevent it.
She had been his safe haven since childhood and he had stood by her side in every imaginable situation. Isaac knew how her laughter sounded, the tone of her angry voice, how her eyes sought his when she was ashamed and how all the pain fell away from her when she was sound asleep. Only then, when she had stood in front of her foster father's lifeless body, had she become infinitely distant for him. Instead of assuaging her grief, he had had to flee, and Geist had taken his place. He manipulative play had taken Nana from him and at the same time driven her into his own arms.
Now the once so charming man who destroyed their peace was the reason she was suffering. Hardly a day went by that Isaac didn't watch the tears roll down her face. The deep pain was written all over her face and he was secretly glad that he couldn't hear her sobbing through the pane.
He wanted nothing more than to be able to get her out of this perfect-looking prison.
Even today she seemed almost to collapse from the pain. Her eyes were red and still glistening suspiciously, as if she were desperately holding back tears. Her lips trembled and as she wrapped her arms around herself, Isaac was overcome by a feeling that weighed heavily on him and took his breath away.
Nana stood in the middle of the beautiful room. Lonely and abandoned, she seemed to hug herself so as not to break.
He would have given anything to hold her in his arms at that very moment. Just as she had saved him in their past, he wanted nothing more than to do the same for her. He hated himself for the fact that the timing wasn't right and his preparations weren't complete. It didn't take much more for him to finally be able to outplay Geist the same way he had deceived him back then. But something was still missing and he didn't dare to act hastily, even if it broke his heart to see Nana suffer so much.
He wasn't even allowed to show himself to her and give her hope for this seemingly wretched situation. Instead, he had to hide from her, and his supposed rival had unwittingly played into his hands by giving the young woman a room with mirrored windows. He didn't even grant her the prospect of freedom.
In quiet desperation Isaac rested his forehead against the glass. His hand clenched into a fist, he had to pull himself together not to hit against it. Nevertheless, he couldn't avoid supporting himself helplessly with his hands on the window pane.
Seconds passed in which he wrestled with himself and cursed his situation.
When he opened his eyes, he was almost startled, because only the glass suddenly separated him from Nana.
She stood in front of him - crying, eyes closed, her forehead resting against the glass just like he did, and her hands were exactly where his were. He almost believed he could feel her warmth on his fingertips and her familiar scent of lavender automatically filled his mind.
He caught his breath and didn't dare to utter a sound for fear that she might hear him after all, but he picked up all the more clearly how delicately her voice called out to him.
"Isaac, I need you..."
For the first time in his life Isaac silently prayed to the gods and asked them what he did wrong to deserve such a cruel fate and if this ill-fated love would ever find a happy ending.

 

Lost in Translation

I woke up from the porthole of our space shuttle. There was blackness. Infinite blackness. There before me, the universe stretched into the distance, a blanket of blackness. And there in the distance, lost among the teeming constellations of stars, I noticed a blue speck—my home planet.



I am Princess Galaxandra, the heir to the Xenthian throne. I left my planet in order to escape my responsibilities, thus giving me more time to think things through. It has been 24 hours since we left Xenthia.



I wanted to go somewhere far away from my world; somewhere no one would know me. I chose Earth because of the exquisite life forms that thrive on this planet. I was accompanied by my two guards named as Felos and Vector. Felos possessed the ability to determine location of objects in the environment by use of reflected sound waves. Vector on the other hand, is the space captain of our space shuttle. He knows all the controls and protocols when travelling in space.



Our expedition started on a happy note, but then our space shuttle lost fuel. We successfully landed on our destination, but we don’t know how we could go back to our planet. A deathly stillness pervaded my shuttle, and all sound ceased. Felos and Vector checked the engine’s status and they reported to me that we need to find an alternative fuel source. Our space craft landed on an odd piece of land. I think this is what humans call—the farm.




I decided that we couldn’t find anything if we only stayed in this vehicle. Together with my guards, we walked around the farm to find a human that could help us. We needed to find an alternative fuel source and we need it fast. We searched far and wide, but there was no sign of life anywhere.



Gradually, I began to perceive something. As my eyes got used to the feeble light, I could discern spots of light. Millions of specks—above—below—all around everywhere. We were surrounded by bugdroids. Bugdroids are vicious hovering aliens that can fly in the speed of light. We were being chased by these despicable creatures.





I ran as far as I could and lost track of my companions. I suddenly tripped and fell into the deep pit. I was now on my own. Streams of fear and regret clouded my mind. The thought that nothing could escape the clutches of bugdroids filled me with an appalling sense of terror.




Just when I was about to lose hope, someone saved me. He was a guy that came out of nowhere. He distracted the bugdroids by luring them into the corn mill. Springing into action, he plunged a rake into the corn mill and all the grain fell onto the bugdroids.



He assisted me in getting out of the pit and helped me find Felos and Vector. I couldn’t speak his language, but one thing is for sure, his bravery goes far beyond anyone I have ever seen.


The name is of this hero is Luke. He lives in the farm with his parents. He father gave us decaying matter that we can use as alternative fuel. The space shuttle worked again and we needed to head back.



I clutched his hand as my gesture of saying “thank you.” As we flew back to Ugopotamia, I couldn’t forget Luke’s face. The way no words were exchanged, no conversation transpired.


He was now the powerful force that enters my thoughts. I was, lost in translation.


This was a story I wrote in college, hope you like it. ❤🤗🤗