Sunflower | h.s

53

Because, here's the thing. Overtime I've realised that the more I've known Aaliyah, the more her physical characteristics have just gone away. I didn't realise until it happened that you begin to dwell in this energy in which consumes you so deeply you don't recognise your surroundings. The only thing you can see is the essence of that person. That one person. It's why I find myself not falling in love with her beauty. The energy almost casts aside every exterior feature and allows me to recognise the raw emotions of her heart and soul, allowing me to utterly immerse myself in hers almost as if our souls have longed for each other out entire lives.

I just wanted this memory of us tucked away safely and rooted in my veins.

Forever my darling.

I close my eyes softly and let the sound of the lightly ticking clock synchronise with my soft breaths. I feel myself slowly drift back off to sleep with the metal pendant held close in my hands. Time froze, it was as if it wanted to savour this moment with me.

As I fall back to sleep, last nights events replay in my head. I'm so beyond grateful I got to witness that with her. All those lanterns lighting the night sky, almost heating the chilled evening in the process.

God Aaliyah, what have you done to me? Everything has changed. Almost as if I've had the chance to begin again.

-

"Have you not lit lanterns before?" Aaliyahs words were enough to make my heart sink to the souls of my shoes.
"Are you okay darling?" She asks almost immediately after with remorse radiating through her tone.

I answered straight away but my thoughts seemed to take a while yet flash before my eyes at the same time.

***

"Where are we going?" She asks with a blindfold over her eyes and reaching out for my nimble hands in support. Father holds a tight yet comforting grasp around her waist. They both are laughing and it's echoing throughout my head despite this place being filled with people.

"It's a secret, you'll see soon." He says before looking down at me and giving me a subtle wink and thumbs up. I don't know why I bothered hiding the pep in my step, she couldn't see us just yet.

The souls of my shoes are met with the thick grass and the chatter of people begins to increase while my mother is just clueless. I laugh under my breath. I've never kept a big surprise from my mother before.

"Don't you join in." She tries to say in an assertive tone, referring to her not knowing what's going on. But she couldn't help but laugh.

Being with my parents made me feel like no one else was around. Everything was so perfect. It felt like home wherever we went, just so long as I was with them. It felt like home.

"Okay, H can you go grab it?" Father asks, I knew what he was referring to as he told me in advance what was going on. I walk over to where a small group of people began forming. I go to a table.

"Hey there little guy!" The lady at the desk says. I feel my eyebrows furrow at her words.

"I'm seven." I say back but relax my features and clear my throat by how high pitched my voice came out. I've never liked being called little guy, never in my entire life. And while I know I look small and have a high pitched voice, I will always be bigger than I was yesterday. But it's easy for the adults to call me that...I mean, they're all grown up now.

"My apologies, I'm not very good at this." She says laughing through the thick tension I didn't mean to create.

"It's okay, I like your butterfly clip." I say taking my small forefinger and point to the silver clip holding up her dyed hair in which consisted of purple strips at the front.