First Kiss & Broken Promises

Chapter 4 - Pigtails, Ponyrides....and Aryan

VJDunraven: I dedicate this chapter to VJDunraven for her unique writing style that has been one of the inspirations for me to start writing a story. The first chapter of 'The Promise' remains one of the most exciting, hilarious, and arresting beginnings of a story I have ever read.

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"Wanna chase me, Pigtails? Come get me," he taunted, his laughter fading with the blurring images.

I tossed restlessly, tangling the sheets around my legs. The heat was unbearable and I struggled to sleep. Car doors slamming shut woke me up from my sorry attempt at sleep. What time was it? Lifting my head off my pillow, I cocked open my weary eyes and squinted at the clock on my bedside table. 1 am. With a curse, I rested my head back on the pillow. Thank heavens it was not a school night. Finding relief at that thought, I closed my eyes, too exhausted from lack of sleep to get up and put on the AC.

Light giggles and whispered conversations wafted through the open windows. My eyes shot open and I sat up on the bed. It was a still night with curtains as motionless as the walls beside it. I threw the sheets off my legs and got off the bed. Walking to the window, I drew the curtains aside and peered into Annie's courtyard where her mom's car was parked.

I could make out Annie's silhouette near the car; she was talking animatedly with someone. It could not be her mom; she hardly ever spoke to her. My brows furrowed and my head tilted as far as the window would allow in an attempt to catch sight of the person behind the car's open trunk door. The person must have said something funny for Annie threw her head back and laughed loudly. Her arm shot out to punch the person playfully with so much familiarity; my sleep-deprived mind cleared instantly.

Airport! They were back from the airport! 

As if to validate my brain's lucidity, a hand emerged from behind the trunk door holding a haversack. My breath locked in my throat, anticipating what my eyes longed to see. Those seconds, those precious seconds he took to shut the trunk and emerge from behind, felt like hours and then the time stood still.

My eyes zoned in and stayed riveted on his appearance. Moonlight cast a silver shadow on his silhouette defining his long slender frame. This was a moment my fingers itched to hold my camera and capture, but my eyes refused to shift its gaze from the man, drinking in his every movement. He hitched his haversack onto his right shoulder, shaking his hair out of his eyes and weaving his left hand through it. He then casually threw his arm around Annie's shoulder, pulling her close, and started walking to the front door.

A few feet from the door, Annie broke away and ran back to the car. As usual, she forgot something. My eyes refused to follow my friend and stayed on the man...the boy I had not seen for four years.

Aryan!

He lifted his head towards my window so suddenly as if I had called out to him. My eyes bulged out of their sockets, and I quickly clamped my mouth shut with my hands, resisting the impulse to duck or dive back into the room away from the window.

Shite! Did I say his name aloud? I didn't! Or did I? I wasn't sure anymore.

Despite the storm raging inside me, I stood rooted to the spot as still as the moonlit night, as still as the man below. He could not see me, right? But I could feel his eyes bore into mine, and my heart hastily beat a staccato. I blinked. In that instant, the moment broke, and he turned his head away towards Annie.  Both of them entered their home without a backward glance.

I stood there, looking at the last spot he had been.

Pigtails! I closed my eyes on a sigh.