Dances With Petals

Chapter 5: The Midnight-Lake.

Brooke felt himself blushing as she walked ahead with his hand in hers. He hadn’t felt skin so soft.
Her dreamy caramel scent carried him forwards helplessly entranced. Where were they going?
‘Where are we going?’
‘It’s a surprise!’ She said.
The forest was quickly getting thicker, the trees were getting darker, and the light was becoming sparse in the dense atmosphere. There were no flowers here, no petals. The forest had taken a night-like sensation; A blue aura that emanated from the environment, enveloping them both in an ambience of dreaminess. The air had become cooling and moist, as it carried itself softly towards his face. And faintly, in the distance and between the trees, was what was steadily looking more and more like a still, blue lake. Is that where they were heading?

‘How was your day, then?’ Her voice broke the substantial silence.
Brooke felt forced to say something quickly, but nothing could form in his mind, being asked a simple question by this girl was stupefying, given the odd situation he was in.
‘It was okay …’
Why was she doing this? Why was she so interested in him? He had no idea that this forest was so big.

‘Is that it?’
Something about the way she had said it knocked Brooke aback, he fell silent. She just laughed under her breath.
They came to a stop beside the lake; he was lost for words in the wake of what he was seeing. It was beautiful.
‘Well, do you like it?’ She asked, turning to look at him, with a wide smile on her face. She looked at him expectantly with her wide eyes.
He shook his head, ‘It’s gorgeous, wow.’ – It really was all he could say.
She sat down on a broken tree, and beckoned him to follow. He sat down next to her, right next to her. He could feel her warmth.
‘Brooke, how was your day?’ She asked again.
‘I said?’
‘You never answered me properly.’
He had never met anybody like her before.
‘Well, it was … it was okay.’
‘Be honest, I want to hear what your first day back was like.’ Her expression was stern.
He looked at her for a moment, and then took a breath.
‘Well people were treating me differently …’
She paused to allow him to carry on.

‘Like, like I had a terminal illness or something.’
He was looking out to the lake as he spoke, it felt strange – beginning to open himself up in front of a stranger.
‘I know I’ve been through a lot recently but it doesn’t help if people alienate me, you know? Especially when it’s my friends. I’m as strong as anybody else; I don’t need sympathy or special treatment. It’s just … annoying now; I’ve had it for 2 weeks straight from everybody I have spoken to. ‘
‘I haven’t been like that have I?’ She interrupted.
‘I don’t think so.’ He said. Actually, now that he had thought about it…
‘What did you mean, when you said you were helping me?’
She laughed as he said it, as if she expected him to mention it.
‘You were asleep in the middle of the forest by yourself, you were clearly psychotic! You need my help. And truthfully, you like it too. I can tell.’
‘Hah, you’re probably right…’
‘Who were your friends?’ she asked.
‘You saw me with them?’
‘Yeah, they looked like a nice group of people.’
‘Well Joel Smith, he’s my closest friend, he was pretty much the only person who treated me normally today. There’s Sophie, Jess, Carl, and John too.’
‘Why is Joel your closest friend then?’
‘Because we’ve been through a lot together, and he knows me better than anybody. Why do you keep asking me questions? I know nothing about you.’
‘Because I’m interested …’
Interested? Really? Why was she so interested in him?

She smiled to herself as her eyes traced the ripples in the lake ahead of them. It was getting darker. She looked like she might have been getting cold, he could see her tremble slightly now and again and she seemed to be hugging herself.
‘Would you like my jacket?’
He hoped to God she wouldn’t think he was flirting.
‘I never thought that you would ask, I’m so cold.’

Brooke, on the contrary, was sweltering, and was happy to take his jacket off for her.
He put it around her shoulders, and it effortlessly covered her. She leant into him and put her head on his shoulder. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest as her caramel scent carried him into ecstasy.
‘Your shoulders are nice, but I prefer my pillow.’ She said.
Brooke laughed. ‘I’m sorry about that.’ He replied, his voice shaking slightly.
There was a silence that followed. During which Brooke’s arm began to feel silly, hanging between them with nothing to do. It felt natural to put it around her shoulders. But what would she think?

Before he had time to act, she grabbed it herself, and put it around her waist. And then she said -
‘Do you ever think that there has to be more to this? Do you ever feel like you’re leading only half a life; that there is a much bigger picture that you’re missing out on?’
It sounded rhetorical, and he couldn’t answer even if he wanted to, so he let her carry on.
‘I don’t like accepting that my life is going nowhere. There is a certain magic about it that I’m missing out on. I come here and I think to myself that I haven’t reached my vocation yet. There’s something waiting for me. Something I need to do. Have you ever thought that?’
He found what she was saying to be humorous.
‘I’m not that deep Holly.’ He remarked.
‘I think you are, I just don’t think you show it.’
‘what do you mean?’
‘I think you keep your emotions hidden even to yourself.’
(“…What?!”) He thought to himself.
‘You don’t even know yourself; that’s what I think.’
‘Honestly?’
‘Yup.’ She sat up again as she said it, and looked at him with an expression in her face that was too difficult to read – it was getting very dark now. Only her eyes were sparkling in the light emanating from the lake. She had Beautiful, wide eyes.
Out of nowhere, something triggered an incredible urge for Brooke to kiss her. He wanted it more than anything. But he was too afraid to act on it. And soon after, he lost his chance as she stood up.

‘I’m getting tired, Brooke, and so are you.’
She was right about that one.
‘Your eyes seem fuller now though.’
‘There it is again! The thing about the eyes, what do you mean by that?’
‘I’ll tell you another day; it gives me an excuse to bump into you again, doesn’t it?’
‘I suppose so …’

She took his hand as he stood up, and they began to walk together. After a while, she stopped and turned to him, it came out of nowhere. She kissed him on the cheek. The mark where her lips touched seem to burn in his skin as his whole head flushed with blood.
‘This is where we part ways, for now, Brooke.’ She said. And with that, began to walk away.
‘When will I see you next?’ He said.
‘Depends how much you want to.’
‘A lot.’ He said.
‘I’ll see you soon, Brooke.’