After Those Years

ONE

Chapter ONE  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Chloe | nineteen years old |  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I'm sitting on my bed, staring at a box in front of me. I take a deep breath and take the red box, putting it on my lap. I keep on staring at it, and I can't believe the feeling I get when I stare at it.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀It's closed, the lid is still on top of it, and my fingers slide over the red-coloured cardboard. Am I afraid to open it? Or is it just me who's overdramatically emotional. Because that's what I hear a lot these days.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀For example just an hour ago, when my mother told me we were going to hire a beach house during summer. I didn't want to go with my mother, because it's not like we have the best bond. But she said that it would be our last summer spend together, and although I'm nineteen, it's the least I can do for her.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Also, this means I'm going to spend a whole month of summer at the beach, with another family I don't even know. Every time that I ask their names, my mother avoids my question and says that they're 'good old friends of ours', and that I will 'like it'.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Let's hope so...  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And now that I'm complaining, I'm still just staring at my red box on my lap. I don't even know why I do it; I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to take my phone and unblock that one number to call it and tell him how much I miss him and why we left each other.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But only today, on July the first, I take this box from under my bed, and that's something I do since I'm sixteen years old. Other days, I don't look at the box, but this date just brings up too many memories.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Memories I want to forget, but I also don't.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a brief moment, before I find the courage to open up the box and again; I'm staring. I'm just staring at my open box on my lap, and I feel how my mouth is dehydrated.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I close my eyes and slid with my hand into the box, just groping and touching all the things in it. I feel a little bottle of perfume, and I take it out. I look at it, a small smile crawling up on my face.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀'Eau de Chloé' is printed on a pink paper, wrapped around the perfume bottle, and I spray one time in the air, inhaling the sweet scent of it. He gave it to me on my fifteenth birthday.   ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The next thing I take out is a ring. It's just a plastic ring of fake gold, grabbed out of such a chewing gum machine. But he gave it to me when we were only six years old, on Valentine's day, and he asked me to marry him.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We were such dorky kids, to be honest.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And then, I feel how my fingers are striking soft, glossy paper. I grab the piece of paper and pull it out of the box. I look at the picture, and thousands of feelings are raising through my body, through my head,  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀through my heart.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I look at the picture, and inspect every single detail on it. It's a picture of my best friend and I. Or better said; ex- best friend.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We were inseparable. It was always him and me, against everyone else, against the world. Whenever you said his name, you immediately said mine as well. I was never just Chloe, I always was 'Chloe- best friend of him'.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀His name is Ricky Garcia, but I always called him Ricardo. His full name is Ricardo Rene Garcia Jr, and I loved calling him by his full name. I don't know why or how, but he hated it, and that's why I kept on doing it.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But I know for sure that he loved it that I called him like that. I saw it in his eyes, I could read it in his smile.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But now; He's the blocked number on my phone. He's the one in my box of memories I want to forget and don't. He's the one I want to scream at that it's impossible that we don't have contact anymore. He's the one who I called my best friend.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And when I was thinking all those things, I didn't even realize that tears had formed in my eyes and were threatening to escape, to roll down, to fall off of my cheek.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And before I knew it, a salty little drop of water was balancing on my eyelashes, and when I blinked; it fell... Right on the picture.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The picture we took the night it all ended.  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
End of chapter  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[a/n please vote, comment and share!]