✔ Statistics » Timothée Chalamet

T h r e e

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Manon found herself sitting on a foreign bus, glancing at the scenery as it gradually changed in front of her. It went from large cities to villages, to lakes and tall mountains. She adored the unique views so much and found herself getting lost in the art around her.

The bus traveled across the glorious asphalt so fast that the passing scenery easily became a piece of a dream, a hazy blur to look back on. The windows to the outside world were bathed in the rain that came from the cries of the ashen clouds and beat on the roof with much determination, yet gentleness all the same.

As opposed to the disarray outside, the universe inside the vehicle bustled with life. The warm air inside felt like a brew of both content and boredom, all of its passengers no doubt itching to arrive at their fabled destinations.

Some were talking with each other, telling jokes or sob stories, while others were reading books and newspapers, getting lost in a world of their own. The smart ones were using the time they had to sleep, while the majority were on their phones, unable to remove their eyes off the screen. 

And then there were the rare ones like Manon, the lonely ones that sat and examined the view while swimming in memories that they once experienced. Those were the ones that weren't interested in sleeping, conversing with others about their deepest darkest secrets, getting caught up on the scandals of the world, or burning their life away using technology. They were lost, and nature brought them guidance.

After traveling by a few mountain spurs, then passing through a small village, they were back by a body of water, a large lake. Manon couldn't help but get taken back to the memories of the lake that once spread out around the mansion she adored so well, the one that held so much of her past.

She remembered so vividly how multiple times a week the two families and the friends they made along the way would sit down by the magnificent body of water. They'd light up a bonfire and make food while talking about life. Sometime's they'd make jokes, sometimes they'd talk about serious topics and sometimes they'd sit in sheer silence. 

As each would take their desired place among the logs of wood that surrounded the carefully arranged bonfire, their eyes would reflect the flickering of the creation in front of them, each iris containing a small imitation of light, and perhaps a hint to their deepest of desires. Their skin would glow red, orange, and gold. They'd be reborn under the heat. That one was the occasion Manon enjoyed the most. Sitting in silence, not moving a muscle, yet feeling all the more unified.

When the conversations began to bore the kids, or they felt the need to escape from the embarrassing stories told about them without their permission, Timothée and Manon would run away from the bonfire to their own world. 

They'd simply grab some snacks, a blanket, and themselves. They'd use the night sky to their advantage, and lay there side by side, staring at the whirlwind of stars in front of them. They'd tilt their heads in unison, gaze upwards with a giggle, not particularly looking at any stars, perhaps more focused on their feelings rather than anything else, yet somehow, seeing the entire universe all at once.

Sometimes Manon and Timothée would fall asleep by the lake under the stars. Their family would later find them and carry them back to their rooms, or wake them up once they were older and too heavy to carry. Sometimes one would fall asleep, while the other would stay awake. The one awake would think of a way to prank the other one, but on occasion, the one left awake would instead choose to adore the other one as they slept, before closing their eyes and joining the one beside them in the land where all was possible. Occasionally the two would get bored of the sight above them, and challenge each other to swim in the lake, and from time to time, the promise of life in the darkness above them would give them hope and spark up a deep conversation. 

"Why do you never talk about your parents"? Timothée broke the silence between the two one night, resulting Manon to sit upright, feeling taken back by the sudden topic that rose up, one she had surely not expected.

The two never spoke about Manon's parents. Timothée knew of their existence, but they'd never visit the mansion, and Manon would never mention them in her stories. He was used to it, but as time went on, he couldn't help but grow curious.

"What's the matter, did I say something wrong"? Timothée sat up after Manon, who had her head resting on her knees, seeming to be deep in thought. He had mentally scolded himself that moment, for he knew Manon's pattern of behavior, and noticed she wasn't too comfortable with the topic being shown to light.

"No, everything's fine" She sighed deeply "I'm just not used to talking about them" The girl explained. Truthfully, she hated touching the topic of her parents. Whenever someone in school brought the topic up, she'd send them a glare and shut the topic down. But that night was different, it was her best friend. Part of her wanted to let her emotions go and tell him everything, for she never told anyone about it but the people that knew, her parents and her grandparents, but part of her didn't think it was necessary. To her, her parents were nothing but a nasty scar that was slowly healing over time. 

"That bad, huh"? Timothée attempted to cheer the girl up with a soft smile, noticing the sighs that kept escaping out of her. It looked as if they were lifting the tension away, yet replacing it with melancholy instead of relief. 

"Yeah, that bad" The red-headed girl looked over at him, connecting her gaze with his and smiling shyly at him. It was difficult for her to stay strong in front of Timothée, but she didn't intend to break down and seem weak in front of him, not that day. 

"It's fine, Manon. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I won't force you to"  Timothée mumbled "Just know that I'll always be here for you" Often times when people said something like this, it'd feel as if they were just urging the girl to speak, yet with him, it was different. It didn't feel like he was forcing her to speak, it felt as if there was genuine kindness in his smile, in his heart. A gentle touch that hugged Manon protectively, yet also very calmly. 

He owned the captivating smile, the only one that could melt her into pieces, or laugh her heart out. It was the smile of someone who laughed with ease and saw through everyone's walls, seeing each person as who they truly were, rather than who they were trying to be. Timothée felt like the sunshine, radiating from the best aspects from those around him, their flaws invisible to him. He was everything beautiful, everything calm, yet most of all, he was her best friend, and he had her heart, whether he knew it or not. 

Timothée noticed Manon's eyes shift in a different direction, becoming glazed with layers of tears. She blinked, and they dripped from her eyelids and raced down her cheeks. Feeling his heart sink, he automatically pulled her to his side. The topic disappeared as if it was never brought up in the first place, and the two found themselves sitting in silence, looking at the reflection of the shimmering stars in the lake, distracting their thoughts from the concerns that threatened to overtake.

To say that Manon didn't regret telling the boy everything that day would be a lie. She deeply did, but she also knew that it wouldn't change a thing. He'd still be gone, and with him, so would her heart. Still, as bittersweet as it was, she smiled at the memory, her smile full of joy, and concealed sorrow. 

Lifting her phone up, she looked at her destination, realizing she was closer to her future than she thought. Her anxiety excelled at hiding beyond everything that made her who she was; her smile, her mannerisms, her eyes, and her thoughts. She felt it rise from those hiding spots within her, threatening to burst as the kilometers on her phone increasingly began to diminish.

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