Short stories

Two flashes for yes

She looked at me, green eyes full of joy. I glanced back, just as joyful. We stared into each other's eyes with massive grins on our faces. With a giggle, she reached out her pinky, and I raised mine. "Pinky promise?" I linked our pinkies together and stepped closer. With our foreheads touching I whispered. 

"Pinky promise."

The sun rolled down the hills without a sound, leaving us in the dark. I could hear her parents calling for her from below, so with a sigh, I helped her up. It was our tradition to climb the steep hill behind the row of red houses - where she lived - to watch the sunset. We'd do it every evening, even when it was raining or snowing.

"Tomorrow at five?" I saw her turn around, so I waved at her. "At five, like always!" After she nodded at me, she was gone. The only proof that was left of our quality time on this hill was the marks of her boots in the moss. There were no clouds on that night, so the stars shone clearly above me. I laid on my back, keeping my eyes on the stars; scared to blink in case they'd just disappear once I wasn't looking.

The sound of Grace's porch light turning on was faint, but I could hear it. It was already pretty late; I should probably go home too. But somehow, I couldn't find the strength to get up, my feet were almost glued to my spot. I'd have to stay for a while.

The air got colder and colder with each second, but I couldn't seem to bother picking up my scarf to wrap it around me. It just laid there, dead on the ground next to me. Suddenly, a thought approached my usually silent head. Then another one, and one more; I didn't remember inviting them, they were trespassing. Memories began playing before my eyes like movies; I could remember meeting Grace's parents for the first time.

"Grace, whose child is this?" Grace's mother, Eve, scoffed with an unpleasant scowl. Eve's husband, Rick, bumped her shoulder - pushing her over slightly. "Dear, don't be rude: Grace finally brought a friend over!" I didn't do anything but latch onto my own arm while avoiding eye contact with the adults that were now quarreling.

"I'm sorry Alex, they're always like this.." Grace whispered to me while casting an embarrassed glance to the left. Without saying anything, I grabbed onto her hand and hid it behind my back; I knew they would never support us, from what Grace had told me. Eve and Rick didn't notice when we snuck up the stairs whilst holding hands. I was lead into a bedroom with yellow-ish walls and wooden floor.

"I knew it was a bad idea to bring you here, I'm sorry.." It was silent for a few seconds before I sat down onto the bed next to her. "I'm glad you brought me here. Even though your parents are shit, I got to see the place you were raised in." My shoulder got heavier as Grace added weight on it, she rested her head on my shoulder with a small smile on her lips.

"I love you, Alex.. I'll never let go of this happiness." I never got to express myself to her before her mother stormed into the room, red in the face, and ripped up apart.

I'd never been at Grace's house since. Every time Grace's mother saw me, she'd push Grace forcefully inside and lock all the doors. It might have been true that Grace would have been better off without me, but that didn't mean I was about to leave her. Especially when I knew what was going on behind their closed doors.

My legs began to feel restless, they no longer felt attached to the ground. There was light shining through a window on the second floor; Grace's bedroom window. Without noticing my gaze, she opened the window and rested her elbows on the sill. She was sobbing and heaving while drying her overflowing eyes. But the tears kept coming.

There was something hard in my back pocket, pressing against my leg. Upon further inspection, I made the discovery that it was the flashlight I had brought with me from my house. I held onto it when an idea hit me. While I put the batteries into the battery compartment I could hear Grace inhale deeply. One, two, three. Her sobs came to a halt as she noticed the light flicker at her from the hill, our  hill.