Ephemeral Echoes

Her Melted Dark Chocolate Eyes

The silence that enveloped us was suddenly shattered, and panic seemed to explode within every beat of our hearts.

"Hide," George ordered.

"Where?" I asked frantically, scanning around for a place to conceal myself.

He swiftly searched for something and approached a wardrobe. He opened it and said, "Get in."

"Inside the wardrobe? Will it fit? It doesn't look spacious enough for two people." I was stalling as I already envisioned what might happen, getting caught red-handed.

"Just do as I say," he insisted.

An unsettling feeling struck me as I glanced back and panicked when I saw the book still wide open. "The book. The book is still open."

"Leave it, we do not have time anymore," he said, taking my hand and pulling me into the wardrobe to hide.

Just a second after George closed the wardrobe, someone entered. My suspicion of being caught nearly came true.

There was very little light illuminating the inside of the wardrobe, and our eyes met in hope amidst the darkness.

We stood closely facing each other, our hearts pounding rapidly. The silence allowed me to hear every beat of his heart.

Anxiety spread as the approaching footsteps haunted my ears, triggering tension within me. My breath felt heavier, the air around me seemingly scarce.

But before the panic could completely consume me, a hand suddenly gently rested on my left shoulder, calming the panic I was feeling.

His warm hand dragged across my neck, and a surge of energy enveloped me as he cupped my face gently.

Slowly, he tilted my head to meet his face so closely to mine. Suddenly, time seemed to freeze; my anxiety quickly faded away under the reassurance of his gaze.

Our warm breaths mingled, and our lips were barely an inch away from touching. I knew this was wrong, but I couldn't turn away.

As he released his hand from my jaw, I lowered my gaze. I thought it was over, but deep down, I didn't want it to end.

Yet, he reached for my face and brushed a lock of hair covering my eyes. I flicked my eyes up to him.

A glimmer of sunlight from the wardrobe's seam hit his eyes. For the first time, I clearly saw the beauty of his sweet hazel eyes, akin to the color of sweet honey dripping from a delicious beehive.

When the darkness filled his eyes again as he shifted slightly, that's when I knew it was him, the person who bumped into me the first time I arrived in London.

My eyes widened. Impossible! How could he be in the future? WHAT IS HE DOING?

NO! NO! NO! I will find a way to keep him from ever being in the future. I can't love him, and neither can he.

The loud closing of the door startled us, disrupting the momentarily awkward atmosphere.

I took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. I peeked through the wardrobe's gap, ensuring that the person had left the room.

Once I was certain the person was no longer in the room, I slowly opened the wardrobe door and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close."

George approached the window and said, "We have to go."

"But—"

"Forget your dumb ideas; this place is no longer safe," he sighed irritatedly.

Seeing him suddenly irritated, perhaps by the contents of Minnie's diary, made me feel what he felt. I complied with his command. "Okay."