As Time Proceeds (boyxboy) Complete

As Time Proceeds Prologue (boyxboy)

As Time Proceeds

Prologue

    Time is a silly thing; it has the ability to skulk on when a heart is sullen, but skip away in a blink of an eye when you least expect it.

    The air was still around me as I squished my bare toes in the sand. My bottom was beginning to ache from sitting near motionless in a much-too-small swing. My eyes were closed as I finally let out a breath.

    A hand tenderly settled on my knee. “I’ve made up my mind, Aeden.” Kendall’s voice was soft, sad.

    Raising my eyes, I met the golden brown of his eyes and smiled searched their depths for anything other than the sadness I was seeing. Even though his touch was tender, I felt a deep chill settling in the bottom of my stomach.

    This was going to be bad.

    End-of-my-word bad.

    The wind picked up suddenly, sending Kendall’s messy caramel curls in an uncoordinated dance. Running a hand thorough my own ashen hair, I cleared my throat in an attempt to rid the worry from my voice. “Oh?” I said with a raised eyebrow as I placed my hand over his. “And?”

    Kendall’s fingers instantly intertwined with mine, sending a trace amount of comfort through my limbs, yet it did little for the chill crawling to my chest. He inhaled deeply and stared into the depths of my eyes. Blinking back tears, I forced myself to hold his gaze. “I’m going to leave,” he said finally in a strained voice. It was obvious he was holding back his emotions.

    The air around us grew still once more as I studied his face. He was really beautiful in a subtle way. When I first ran into Kendall, I was just a sophomore in high school. To be honest, I wouldn’t have noticed him if I wouldn’t have plowed into him. The more time I spent with him, the more his beauty shone; he had a spark in him that captivated me, made me fall for him.

    Here we were, a year later. I was a junior now, and Kendall was leaving to chase after his dreams of traveling the world. Who was I to stop him? He spent his entire first year out of high school with me. Now, it was my turn to give him what he wanted.

    I shoved the tears back farther. “Will you come back? Ever?” I was beginning to lose the grip I clinched around my own emotions.

    Biting his bottom lip, Kendall pulled his eyes from mine. “Probably not.” His voice lowered to just above a whisper. “I’ll be gone for a long time, and I only have one thing,” he paused to correct himself, “one person holding me back.” He sighed, keeping his eyes forward.

    A silence fell over us as my mind began to race. I was torn; I didn’t want Kendall to leave me, this past year was bliss, but I didn’t want to be the only holding him back.

    Kendall laughed to himself. “You know this playground was the first place we hung out.”

    I smiled at the memory. It took all the courage I had to ask him to meet me here all that time ago. It surprised the hell out of me when he actually showed up. “Then don’t go,” I choked out. Tears threatened to seep from their dam.

    Kendall’s eyes were finally locked onto mine once more. “It’s all part of growing up. Sometimes, you have to let go of the things you love to go after what you really want.” His voice was calm despite the tears that welled behind his eyes.

    “I’m not ready for it to end,” I said simply. Tears now traced down my cheeks, leaving behind a salty trail that the autumn air chilled. “I’m not ready to let go of you. We only just started. It’s too early.”

    Now, Kendall’s own tears free fell down his cheeks. He stood from his swing and pulled me into his arms. “I know.” His voice cracked as he spoke. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he spoke once more. “I’m so sorry, Aeden.” He squeezed me tightly. “I didn’t think I could feel this way about anyone. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

    I nuzzled his neck, breathing in his scent. “Please, don’t forget about me.”

    “Never.” Kendall pulled me from his chest to gaze into my eyes. He half-smiled and closed the distance between us, touching his lips to mine. It was a simple kiss, a goodbye kiss.

    It was a shame our first kiss was our last.

    “I’ll never forget you, Aeden,” he said with his lips just a fraction away from mine. His warm breath circled around my face, leaving me longing to fell his lips once more.

    Lifting my hand, I touched the silver bell he always wore around his neck. It was a gift I gave him as a partial joke. I told him that this bell would bring me straight to him whenever he needed me; all he had to do was ring it.

    I enjoyed being all cute and cheesy.

    Rubbing the bell’s cool surface, I smiled weakly. Letting the bell go, I moved my hand to one of his caramel curls. It only took a year for me to fall completely in love with Kendall. It truly wasn’t fair.

    Suddenly, Kendall pulled the bell from his neck and slid it over mine. “Just ring it, and I’ll be right here.” He touched the spot on my chest where my heart thudded loudly. He kissed the tip of my nose. “Goodbye, Aeden.”

    His arms fell from around me, leaving me cold before walking away. He stopped for just a moment to glance over his shoulder before flipping his jacket’s collar up and returning his pace through the cool air.

    Then he was gone.

    Gone forever.

    Forever.

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I would like to thank anyone who read this story. I feel it is my duty as the author to explain that this is a short story and jumps around in time a little. I hope this isn't bothersome to anyone. Also, the 'chapters' aren't really chapters, per-say. They are mainly just to identify the shift of time to avoid confusion.

Thank you once more! - Mason