I can hear the rain hit gently off the window pane. As I pull open the curtain and look outside I notice that thick, grey clouds cover the night sky, hiding the stars from view. It is raining quite heavily and little droplets bounce of the ground below me.
I look up and notice there is a gap in the clouds. The moon is peeking out, yearning for attention. It is only a small sliver that is still there. A crescent moon, the last of the cycle.
Marking the end of an era.
***
The large, bricked house towered over me, it seemed much bigger than it actually was this particular afternoon. It had just struck twelve o'clock and the sun was at mid-point in the sky. It was warm as the blue sky was cloudless, letting its golden rays beam down. The greenery that surrounded this familiar house stood still because of the lack of wind, making it seem as if time was frozen.
I'm not sure why I remember every single detail of that particular moment, maybe it was because what I was about to do could change my life, or maybe I was just so nervous that I surveyed my surroundings in extreme detail.
It had seemed like hours from the moment I knocked until the moment the black, wooden door opened. But when the door did open it seemed as if nothing else mattered in the world, and that the past had been forgotten.
"Abby?"
I stared at the speaker in the door in front of me in silence, his dark brown hair looked as if he had been running his hands through it a lot and he was wearing grey sweat pants which were torn in several places and a over-sized t-shirt.
And yet, he still looked as handsome as ever.
"I'm so sorry," he spoke again, clearly worried as to why I was there.
"I know," I replied, "I'm here to forgive you."
His eyes lit up, but it quickly faded. "Even after all I have done? The murders and the lies?"
"I'm fully aware of what you did, Zeke."
"Then why would you forgive me?"
"Because I fell in love with Zeke Riley, not Damien O'Kane. I realise that you two are separate people."
Zeke looked a bit flustered - almost confused - but asked anyway, "Do you want to come in?"
I walked through the open door like I had done many times before. The interior of the house hadn't changed - not that I expected it to - except it had a bit more clutter littering the floor.
I made my way to the kitchen where I sat down at the familiar glass table in the spot I usually sat at and gestured for Zeke to sit beside me.
"Why do you call me Zeke?" he questioned, "If you know my name's Damien?"
"Because you aren't Damien. You are Zeke Riley; a caring, kind and sensitive man. Calling you Damien just brings up the past and the person you aren't anymore, it digs up bad memories I'd rather not remember."
"Abby, you can't run away from who I am."
"Was," I corrected. "You aren't that person anymore, I believe you when you say you aren't. I was right at the beach last year, people can change."
I looked into Zeke's bright, green eyes and could tell he was relieved that I forgave him.
"I love you," I whispered before taking Zeke's hands in mine.
"I love you too."
I leaned in closer to Zeke and kissed him roughly - it had been too long. Zeke returned the kiss and I found my hands tangled in his already messy hair. Zeke kissed me as passionately as I kissed him and I think we wanted it as much as the other. I quickly cleared my mind of all thoughts and just focused on Zeke's lips on mine.
~*~
"I've missed you," I said while we were sitting on his sofa in his living room.
"I missed you too, more than anyone could ever imagine." Zeke replied before kissing my cheek. Then we were silent for a while.
"I spoke to Gabrielle Garcia," I stated bluntly.
I heard Zeke inhale sharply. "Did you?"
"Yes, she told me everything,"
Zeke squeezed his eyes together tightly and I could feel his body tighten. "Let me guess, you hate me now."
I couldn't help but laugh loudly. "If I hated you, would I be here right now?"
"S'pose. Does she hate me?"
"No, not at all. She's a very gracious woman, I wish I was more like her."
Zeke pinched my left cheek gently. "You are amazing as you are,"
"Maybe," I replied, "but I'm also quite hungry."
"Well, what would you like?"
I thought about it for a moment, "Hmm... A cheese and ham toastie?"
"No steak and chips?"
"Today's a day for change," I told him before getting up and making my way towards his kitchen.
Zeke made me and himself a cheese and ham toastie. We sat at his kitchen table, like usual, to eat them.
"Wham bam chese and ham," I heard Zeke mutter under his breath.
I laughed quietly and took another bite out of my toasted sandwich. It tasted so good and it felt warm as it went down my throat. Even Zeke could make a simple toastie taste amazing. I glanced over at Zeke and smiled, only then did I realise how much I really loved him. Only then did I realise I would do anything for him, and forgive anything he does. It was irrevocable, unconditional and unquestionable. I loved him, full stop.
~*~
A few days after I forgave him, Zeke and I went for a drive into the country. I lost track of where we were as Zeke was driving, and all I could see out the window was endless rows of greenery - and many, many cows. After about an hour, the car came to a stop. I looked out the window, once again, to see more trees and bushes.
"Zeke, where are we?" I inquired.
"C'mon," was all Zeke replied as he got out of the car.
I opened my door and stood up, only to be greeted by a large gust of wind. I grabbed my coat from the passenger seat and slammed the door shut so it would actually close against the force of the air. Zeke took my hand and led me towards - what seemed like - nothing.
"Zeke, seriously, where are we?" I whined, dragging out the words.
Zeke ignored my question, and continued to drag me up the hill. The incline seemed to steepen dramatically and I could feel my legs getting weaker and weaker under the pressure. I had never been a particularly fit person and it was clearly showing at that time.
When we seemed to near the top the only thing that was keeping me up was Zeke's grasp. I was completely out of breath and came to the conclusion this was some sort of punshiment Zeke was putting me through.
"Nearly there," Zeke told me, trying to keep my spirits up so I wouldn't collapse.
I mumbled what was supposed to be an 'OK' but it just came out like 'mmphmm'. That walk - or torture - brought back the memories of the numerous times I tried to go for runs last year. Never again. The great thing is, I'll never really get fat, thank God for metabolism!
It wasn't long before the incline started to run flat. I looked up and noticed that we were nearly at the top. I breathed a sigh of relief as I scaled the final few yards. I finally got my breath back when I saw the view, then quickly lost it again.
I could see the whole of the city from where we were standing. The sun was just starting to set, turning the city an amber colour. I could see the cars rushing around the streets and lights in people's houses flickering on and off. It looked to hectic down there, but yet it was so peaceful from where Zeke and I were standing. It was almost as if we were in a world of our own, looking down on everyone else.
"Like it?" Zeke asked me.
"I'm...speechless. It's beautiful."
"Worth the walk?"
I turned around to face Zeke. "Debatable,"
Zeke chuckled before wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head. He cupped my chin with his hand and lifted my head up so he could lean down and press his lips gently to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. After a while, Zeke pulled away and said:
"We should head home now,"
Zeke grabbed my hand again and we retreated down the hill. I looked up at the sky and remembered the time we let off the Chinese Lantern. I promised that we would live a long and happy life together, and that was me keeping that promise.