The Butterfly Effect

Chapter Fifteen

How is she ever going to come back from this? Now all that is left is a wish she knew what she was getting herself into and retreated while there was still time.

.....

Her chest rises and falls in anticipation while Juliet waits at the front door, the sound of rushed footsteps approaching closer. This is harder than she thought.

She mouths a barely audible 'hey' when Miles opens the door, his eyes taking in her appearance before a frown covers his forehead. His gaze specifically falls on her shoulder as he finds no traces of a backpack.

Juliet makes her way towards the couch in silence and Miles follows her as he feels something is off about her.

He sits in the empty place next to her when she starts speaking,

"I didn't come to study today as you can see. I just have something to tell you."

Miles looks at her with questioning eyes, indicating for her to go on.

"I'm leaving for Waterloo in a few days, on July 14th precisely. College actually starts in September but I'm moving in earlier since my friend and I have some plans for this summer. Also, we've already covered almost every topic that I was struggling with. So..."

"Yeah?" He asks in a hesitant voice, his eyes looking eager.

Juliet swallows against the lump in her throat, the simple sentence refusing to leave her tightening vocal cords.

"So... This is it, I guess." She chuckles awkwardly, "I just came to say goodbye."

His body visibly stiffens as soon as she utters those words. He stares at her blankly, at a loss for what to say.

"Oh..." A whisper leaves his mouth, inflicting fresh pain on her already aching heart.

"Where is everyone else?" She asks, looking around.

"Mom and Ariel are sleeping. Nana is not home."

"Oh, I wanted to talk to Ariel." She sighs, "Anyway, just tell her goodbye on my behalf."

Juliet studies his expression for something, anything but his face remains unreadable. Just a little unprepared and lost in thought.

"When is your college starting?"

"Same as yours... Mid September." Miles responds.

She nods as silence falls between them. Her eyes longingly take in his features, in hope of engraving his face in her mind. In the end, this is all she's got.

"Your help was much needed. Thanks a lot." She thanks him, rising to her feet to which he nods at her in acknowledgement.

"Keep in touch with us. Ariel will miss you." He says in a slow voice, not making eye contact as he too stands up.

"I will."

Taking a lingering look around the room, she realizes she'll miss coming back to this house. Interacting with these people. It was a brief encounter and it amazes her to know how much more it has become in such a short period of time.

As she turns her attention back to him, something shifts within. If this is the end, why not make it more memorable? After all, she will probably never see him again.

Inching closer towards him, she looks deeply into his charcoal eyes and she feels like he has words on the tip of his tongue. As if he wants to say something. But she shrugs it off as her illusion.

How she will miss those eyes...

Taking some much needed air, she finally lets go of her hesitance and slowly wraps her arms around his neck in an awkward manner. Miles seems stunned for a moment at her sudden action but his stature loosens up soon as he gives in to the embrace, deliberately bringing his hands to her back.

"I will miss you, Miles..." She struggles to let the words out, her voice shaking and she bites her lips. There's just this intense tension between them at this moment that feels too much to handle. The air around them weighs heavy with lingering feelings, unspoken words and something more that she doesn't know how to define. She feels him tightening his grip on her waist and subtly nudging his face in her hair.

If he sees her just as a friend he's been tutoring, why does his arms around her feel like this? Since when do friends hug like this?

Maybe there are some questions in life that we shouldn't get answers to. The probability of what could have happened remains untainted in our heart like a blooming forget-me-not, reminding us not to let go even when it hurts. Maybe some things are just better left unsaid.

Before he can say anything, her hands slip away from him. With a faint 'bye', she turns around and almost runs out of the door. Her eyes burn as if she's been staring up at the sun for an eternity and moisture gathers in them. She crushes her wish of looking back one more time like a bug and leaves the premises hurriedly, her heart shattering into a million pieces.