Clara's life is not as it appears from the outside, but no one really cares to know about it other than Ethan. One day, they plan to meet at a garden, and that's when they decide to take a new step in their life.
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"After battling through a long day, when you look for a shoulder to lean on, I will be around."
Most of us remain alive by the thought that someone is there for us, and for Clara, it is Ethan. Other than him, there is no one in this world who cares for her. He was not always a part of her life. One random day, she met him somewhere, and from there, their bond grew into something which is beyond any label.
Today, the weather is pleasantly sunny. The bright rays of the sun add a shiny layer to the lush grass. There are flowers growing here, and there are butterflies hovering around them, like the nature has coloured this garden with its touch. A carpet is spread on the ground, on which she lies, paddling her legs in the air and flipping through the pages of a novel book as she waits for him to come. She often visits this place to spend some moments with him, and that is her only break from the life she is trapped in.
"Am I late?" Ethan asks, sitting close to Clara on his knees. She flips herself, holding the book in her hands. Lying on the carpet when she looks, she sees the sun, and partially covering the sun, his face. She replies, "Or maybe, I was early." He laughs, and she laughs along, resting the book on her chest. He touches the left end of her forehead with his fingers and slides down along her cheek. "I missed you, Clara." Her eyes shine when she whispers back, "I missed you more." He asks, "Are you alright?" She replies, "Of course, I am. It's just the sunrays filling my eyes with water." As he adjusts himself between the sun and her face, he feels a sense of relief, because he can't stand anything that bothers her, even if it's the sun or anything under it. "Let's walk," he says.
While ambling through the grass, holding each other's hands, they talk about everything that happened from the day they last met till this noon, or at least they believe on each other they shared everything without missing any detail, but maybe there are things people hide from each other, even from their closest one. She softly runs her hand through the fragrant flowers lining along her path, and a butterfly circles around her little finger. As she halts, the butterfly pauses upon her little finger, bringing its wings to rest. He stops along to look at that heavenly view.
When the wind wafts harsher, it moves the hair from the right end of her face, and he notices a bruise on her forehead. That was something she didn't mention in the conversation earlier. "Did Jacob hit you?" he asks. She lowers her face having no words to say to him. He clenches his fist filled with rage and goes again, "Tell me, Clara. Did your husband hit you again?"
"Yes Ethan, yes... he did," Clara cries, and the butterfly flits off into the air. Ethan's heart aches for her. "Why did he do that?" She wipes her tears and tries to speak. "Eve... every night, Jacob gets drunk and returns home late. He knocks on the door several times, and the sound gets louder and louder each time as if he would break the door if I delayed opening it... and when I open, he shouts at me for no reason. He treats me as an object to let out his frustration." She breaks into tears again. "He slaps me... hits me... abuses me... I can't take it any longer, Ethan. I really can't..."
He softly cups her face with his hands. "Hey... listen... look at me... look at me." Still, she keeps looking down. With his thumbs, he rubs off her tears from both sides of her cheeks. "I won't let him touch you again. He can't hurt you like this... Clara, I promise you, I won't let you suffer anymore." She says in a low voice, "What can you do, Ethan? He will again hit me tonight... in fact, every night..." He gently holds her hand. "You aren't going back to him, Clara. You are coming with me... Trust me, this is the beginning of our story... just you and me." She raises her eyes towards him with hope. He pulls her close to his chest. "I can't stand anything that bothers you, even if it's the sun or anything under it."
Her worries melt away as his words shield her soul, and she feels safe in his arms. He asks, "Are you okay now?" With a soft smile, she whispers, "With you, yes, I am." They gaze at each other with love and trust in their eyes. They know this moment is only theirs to share. She rises onto her tiptoes to reach his lips, and he also leans in. Her breath slowly gets warmer around his mouth, and their eyes shut. His lips can almost taste hers, but just before their lips lock, she pulls back. "Ethan, what's that sound? Is someone knocking on the door?" Looking around at the flowery garden, he chuckles. "What? We are outside in a garden, aren't we?"
Clara walks near to the carpet on which her book is lying open, and she sits there on her knees. As she gently traces the open pages with her fingertips, her eyes fill with tears. She sobs, "Oh no... oh no..." She turns back and looks at Ethan. He looks down at her and asks, "You realized it, didn't you?" She asks back, "All those promises you made... even if you wish to, you can't fulfill any of them, right?" He fails to give her an answer, and helplessness is visibly clear in his eyes. In a trembling voice, he asks, "Can't you let go of everything and stay here for a while?" With a tearful smile, she replies, "The sound is getting louder, Ethan."
"One last hug?" he pleads. She wishes to hug him as much as he wishes to hug her, but she hears the knocking sound again, and it is louder this time. She closes the book in the next second, and after placing it on her bed, she goes to open the door of her room.
When her book is closed, the flowers wither between the pages, the butterflies fall flat on the words, and all those colours melt away. Her fancy prince is now nowhere to be seen. Romance is again a story in her book, and he is a lie residing within such tales.
Most of us remain alive by the thought that someone is there for us, and for Clara, it is Ethan. Do you think it ended here just like this? No, she will meet him again when her book is open. They will talk, laugh, and maybe, even share a kiss till the flowers wither.
