Wildest Dreams

7

"I love you," I turned in his arms and kissed him, sliding my hands into his hair.

We spent the night together again that night, and nearly every night after that. Each time was better than the last. There was something about being that close and intimate with someone that you couldn't take back, that truly cemented you together.

It made me fall more and more in love with him. I didn't think I could love someone this much. I had never felt this way before, not even with Noah. I barely remembered Noah.  I wondered how he was doing. I hoped he was happy.

The months dwindled. They turned into weeks, then days. I was heartbroken.

Only days left with James? I couldn't fathom. I just couldn't. It was impossible. I wouldn't let it happen. 

Somewhere deep down I had known we weren't going to last, we weren't meant to last. There was just no way. I had known it since our argument about his arranged marriage. I didn't actually know for sure if he ever sent his parents a letter about me, about us. But it was too late now.

As the days dwindled, I became more sad. I spent a lot of time in my tent, on my bed, writing in a journal furiously all things I was feeling. The only time I was happier was, of course, with James. He didn't seem to notice my sadness, or if he did, he didn't say anything.

One night Alice found me crying in my room, and she said, "There, there, Scarlet. It's alright. It will be alright. You'll figure it out."

On the second to last day, James appeared in my tent with a picnic basket and a radio.

"What are you doing?" I asked. My voice sounded weird. I didn't recognize it. It was limp and hoarse, maybe from all the crying.

"I'm taking you on a picnic. A final picnic in Africa," He said, smiling a half smile.

I pressed my lips together and followed him out. He didn't lead me to the car, or the airplane. We just walked right into the fields of Africa. We walked a short distance from the camp, which was now barren and almost empty of people and things. Everything and everyone had been packed up and sent home.

I laid out the blanket James had brought, and we sat on it together.

The last few days I hadn't talked to James as much. But as I had talked to him there, on a blanket in a field in the middle of nowhere, I talked and talked as if I had never talked before. I loosened up considerably, and by the ending we were in each others' arms. It was almost like we were meant to last, like this wasn't the end.

He turned on the radio we almost forgot we had, since we were too busy investing in each other. James pulled me up to dance. he twirled me and spun me and dipped me. It was wonderful. A good start to the end. I twirled myself around, ripping off my scarf and holding it in the air like A flag.

Almost in a second, it became windier, and the sky darkened as clouds formed overhead.

"It's going to rain," James said, starting to pack things up. 

I stopped him. A raindrop fell. "Wait," Another fell. "I've always wanted to dance in the rain."

He smiled, lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and we spun and spun. It then started raining, a heavy downpour.

I laughed. Thunder cracked overhead, startling me. I screamed, cowering down, but then jumped up again when I realized there was no immediate danger. James was laughing.

"Years from now, you know, you'll see me in hindsight tangled up with you." I said breathlessly. But he didn't hear me. The rain was too loud, or I was too far away. All I could bet when our time together was up, was that when he left me, these memories would follow him around. That he'd see me every where he went. He'd see me in the scarf on the mannequin in the window, he'd see me in the sunglasses his sister wore, he's see me in the news footage of Africa on the television. And all I could bet for me was that this would end nicely, that there'd be no big drama. That we'd still be on good terms and he'd be happy. I'd be happy.

Far away on the horizon, there was lightning, lighting up the entire sky. It was pretty. How could something so beautiful be so dangerous?

James and I, we danced in the rain till we were soaked to the bone. It might seem so mundane, dancing in the rain, but when you actually do it is so much more. It's enlightening.

After a lion ran right past us, we were both spooked so we gathered our things and walked back to the camp.

We kissed goodbye, and I made my way to the showers. I ran into Oliver on my way back to my room. He was wearing a green rain coat with the hood up, looking like a pear.

"Ah, Scarlet. I was just about to go find you. Turns out, we have more money in the budget than I thought. So, tomorrow we will fly out of Africa to California, where we will continue shooting for another day on a set." He didn't wait for me to answer and he zoomed off, presumably to find James to tell him the same thing.

I thought it was strange, that we needed to shoot in a fake set. Wasn't what we already had enough? But who was I know? I wasn't a director.

I began to pack my things. I picked out my outfit for tomorrow, plain blue culottes and a white blouse. I packed the rest of my clothes away, save for my sunglasses and head scarf which I thought would go nicely for tomorrow.

Afterwards, I laid in bed, unable to fall asleep. I don't know if it was because of the rain, or me thinking about James, or the end of my time with him. Or all three.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I eventually did. I don't remember if I dreamed. All I remembered was his face.