"Seraphina is her name. She was nice and she kissed me." I lean in, my mouth gapes open.
"She kissed you?" My voice raises and I can't help but think of having a new friend.
"Yeah." he said coolly, as if girls kiss him all the time.
"Yeah?! That's all I get?" I plop my hands on his shoulders, "I am flabbergasted Mitch come on, give me something! When can I meet her?"
"No." His answer is rushed as he averts his eyes from me.
"What do you mean no?"
"I don't know if I even like her," he twiddles the ties of his shirt
"But she kissed you..."
"Yeah, SHE kissed me not the other way around."
"Oohhh," I extend the word and make kissy noises.
"Stop," he moans pushing me off of him. "I don't LIKE her," he says and flops back on the bed. I flop next to him
"Fine. So I won't meet her and you won't go out with her again." We lay for a moment and stare at the cracked ceiling. He is my best friend and I didn't want to share him anyways.
"Wanna play ball?" I ask eager to change the subject and he turns to me a grin plastered on his face and without a word he springs up like a jumping spider and heads for the door.
*********
"Marriage!?" I exclaim, "you can't be serious."
"I don't want to marry," he states halfheartedly, "but it's not like I have any choice in the matter. Father wants me to marry her so I must."
"I'm going to be a third wheel. I'm going to be pushed out of your life!" Then on a much less serious note I dramatically fall into his arms. "Might as well say goodbye now. My dear, dear friend, may your new life treat you better then I..." He lifts me up off his arms and spins me to face him.
"I'm not kicking you out of my life. I'm just involuntarily making our life bigger." He smacks on a smile and I try and keep a straight face. "You might like her. Heck you might even like her more than I do."
"So you met her?" I question once past the idea of keeping him with me forever fades.
"Yeah remember Seraphina?" He says slowly.
"The girl who liked you but you didn't like her, yeah I remember." Not catching on.
"Well..." he starts.
"You didn't let me meet her and now you are marrying her!" I rise up and punch him with all my might.
"She lives in a neighboring town and her father has good crop and said he would help take care of Pa's medical necessities."
"They bought your love," I state angrily.
"In a sense yes, but she seems nice."
"You meet her again and didn't tell me? Didn't let me come with you?" I have half a mind to punch him again.
"I didn't want you to worry-" I keep interrupting him, he's never going to get a full sentence out.
"Well, I'm worried now!" I plop back down and slump back resting my head on the wall. "She's coming here right?" He doesn't speak, he averts his eyes and tries to stand, but I'm too quick. I grab his wrist pulling myself up in the process and ask again.
"What do you mean you're leaving? Where are you going? How long?" Questions keep rattling out of me.
"The marriage is going to happen quickly, more quickly than I expected and father... father doesn't want me to see you for a little while. Just until after the wedding and...." he mumbled a few more words, but I knew the routine of marrying and keeping old friends of opposite sex, it's not good for reputation.
"It's not forever and Pa knows how much you mean to me-"
"But Seraphina and her family don't want me there, or anywhere near you for a while?!" Recollection sinks in of an old friend of mama's, he was kind and brought me books and brought mama sweet treats from his shop when he visited. Dad didn't like him and soon he stopped coming all together.
"Mitch," I speak but it barely comes out as a whisper. "How long is a little while?" I feel tears well up in my eyes, but I try to contain them before they have a chance to fall down my checks. It's too late, I taste the salty tears on my lips and I try so hard to keep my composure but he puts a hand on my shoulder and it's as if in that very moment, I break.
We got in an argument. That's why Mitch isn't here. Well it's not because we got in a fight that he's not here, it's because of why we were fighting. Marriage, I still can't believe my best friend is married. I've stopped counting days since Mitch and it's been what seems like forever since Mr. Chase came in and told me I should be dead. I should take it as a compliment. I'm too strong for death so I live on.
3 days before his wedding. Two days before I lose my best friend.
"Today's my last day with you Harriet." Mitch says as he swings his legs onto the rooftop next to me. I glance up at him wanting to memorize him. But not wanting to have to memorize him. I want to be able to see him every day. To hear his voice and his laugh all the time... Wait last day?
"What do you mean last day? Don't I get you tomorrow too?" I don't want to memorize his voice or the way that he laughs; he snorts like a pig. Or that he can't walk in a straight line, he curves slightly to the left so I have to bump him back on the trail.
"It's a long journey and Pa wants me to get their early to spend some more time with her before..." I know all these things, basically everything about him because we grew up together. We see each other every day for a majority of each day. I don't have to memorize because it's habit. It's engraved in my memory I hope forever, but if you don't do something or see someone for a long while...
"That's not fair I thought we had more time!" I whine. The details will start to fade, faces blur, voices mold together and I don't want to forget his face. "I got you something." I say trying to distract myself as I reach for my beaten excuse of a bag. Don't cry, I think, it's not forever. Don't cry.
"Har-"
"Well it's not really for you, it's for her... your..."
"You really didn't have to do that." He says, his eyes searching for mine, but I'm still digging through my junk to find-
"Well I got you something too, but I wanted to get seething for her, as a sign of good faith." He smiles when I look up to him. "You know, that I'm not going steal her husband, so she should let me have my best friend sort of present." Mitch is older, just by two years but he was always an old soul or that's what everyone says. I never understood it though, he is young not old. But he is smart, he is on a different level from everyone else, maybe that is why everyone loves him. Even though he is so amazing he still stuck around with me.
I place the box in his hand it's a beautiful purple velvet box and inside a single pearl bead necklace. He looks up at me with a smirk.
"You get this from the palace?"
"Only the best for my..." Best friend's future wife?
"I didn't realize the palace had a gift shop." He closes the box and places it in his pocket. "You're an excellent thief Harriet."
"Why thank you darling. Just wait to see what I stole for you." He shakes his head but he is laughing so know everything is going to be okay. Everything has to be okay. I jump down from the roof and he follows. "It's not actually stealing," I say to him as I lead him along the quiet trails. "It was mine first." I explain.
"But you lost it." He says sarcastically.
"Oh the sass of you." I nudge his shoulder. "I didn't lose it. I misplaced it and... Shhh."
We wait a moment for higher born guards to pass, we squish together in an alleyway, Mitch pokes at me trying to make me laugh. "You butt head." I bite out when they pass. "Talking of stealing in front of guards is a no, no." He pokes at me again and I slap at him, he fakes a pained expression.
"Did you steal from the guards? Is that we are hiding Harriet?" Once far enough away I move out of the alley and Mitch follows right after.
"No I didn't... 'Steal'," I whisper, "from them in particular." I jab a finger back in the direction the went. "But when discussing my criminal acts I prefer to do it without others of authority looming near me." He lets out a glorious laugh causing me to laugh as well, his laughter is contagious. "Here." I state and stop. It's a completely random stop in the middle of a random trail, but it has a lovely view. I take a beaten wooden box out of my bag and hold it out for Mitch.
"Well I can see who you like better already. Where's my velvet box?" He speaks sarcastically but takes the box with a grin.
I can't help but smile. "Just open it and stop whining." He jiggles the lid. "Don't want you becoming a big baby without me here to spoil you." He laughs his pig snort laugh and opens the box. Wooden splinters fall as it opens. His eyes go wide and I hold my breath. Our eyes meet and in one movement he engulfs me in his embrace.
"I can't," he says shaking his head. "This is too much, too much Harriet." Still hugging me, I try to freeze this moment in my mind forever.
"You're my best friend, nothing is too much for you." I say in return.
"This," he says breaking the hug, "this was your grandfathers' watch. You love this."
"I love you more," I mumble. "May I put it on you?" I ask reaching out for it, he nods, his face still glowing.
"Gold etching, perfect condition..." he goes on about the beauty and uniqueness of the watch.
"You always loved this watch." I say.
"YOU always loved this watch too," he retorts. "It's the only thing you have of your family and you're giving it to me?"
"You are my family." I say, "and you are all I need. Besides I'm always early and you're practically never on time." I release his hand and he admires the watch on his wrist.
"Mitchell! Mitchell!" We both turn to find his father walking up the trail. "Time to go" he calls. "Many things to get done before your wedding."
"Thank you Harriet," Mitch says and hugs me once more. "After the wedding I will come back and I will find you and... And everything will be the same." He knows that isn't true, nothing will be the same, but I smile anyways.
"Of course, I can't wait for you to tell me all about her."
"Mitchell!" His father yells again, he's closer now.
"I love you Mitch."
"I love you Harriet," he says and kisses my cheek.
"Go on now, don't be late, you don't have any excuses now for timeliness." We both glance down at his watch and smile. He gives my hand a squeeze and runs off to his father.
"Coming Pa." I turn to watch him run off.
"Goodbye Mitch," I say to myself as if I need reassurance that he's gone. He turns again and waves goodbye and that was that.