Status: I'm back from the dead yo
Estranged
Estranged
The darkened sky spread out above them, the vast expanse filled with tiny specks of twinkling light that drew the attention of the couple beneath. A soft blanket shielded their backs from the moisture of the grass forming at the early hour of four in the morning. But they did not seem to mind the time or the possibility of their clothes getting wet as they lay with eyes transfixed on the sky.
The only sound was their shallow breathing and the cool summer wind that blew through the air. It was slightly chilly, but not enough to bother the jean short clad girl. Her socks and boots lay beside the blanket as her toes dug into the dirt, not a care in the world as she traced her eyes across the stars, trying to remember the constellations that had been taught to her as a child.
The boy beside her did not hold the same feeling of contentment as his restless eyes shifted from the dark blue above to the girl who rested beside him. Her face was calm, peaceful, and without a single worry as a small smile etched its way into her cheeks.
"Does it ever bother you that these stars we're looking at could be long dead by now?" Her soft voice broke through the air, not going above a whisper as she spoke. "It takes so long for their light to reach Earth and to reach our eyes that in this moment, it could be expanding and dying, and we wouldn't know the difference."
The boy did not respond, but simply reveled in the sound of her voice and the chills that covered his skin as her words washed over him. This girl, she was always a mystery, always leaving him guessing.
"I've never met another girl quite like you," He voiced, not realizing that his thoughts had slipped past his lips.
She perked up at the sound, rolling onto her side and propping her head against her hand as she smiled over at him.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, a quirk to her lips that sent his heart into a frenzy.
"It's just the way that you speak and how your mind processes the things that are in front of you, it's like no other person I've ever met in my life. I could just lay here and listen to you talk for hours," He admitted, thankful for thee darkness that hid the reddening of his cheeks as his eyes stayed locked on the stars, refusing to meet her gaze.
"You're sweet," She smiled, laying back down and reaching over to give his hand a soft squeeze.
"I just feel like I can pour my soul out to you, and I know that you're going to listen," He continued, not being able to stop now that he had started. "Cause that's just what you do, you listen to people, no matter what they're saying. You can't find that in people these days, and it's just one of the things that makes you so special."
"I'm not that special though," She replied with a small chuckle. "I just give people what I would want in return if our places were switched."
A silence falls over the duo, but not one that leaves either of them uncomfortable. It's gentle and peaceful and the girl gets lost in the stars again and the boy gets lost in her. He watches as she moves, shifting one way or the other, running her fingers over the indent of her hipbone where her shirt had ridden up slightly. He finds himself wishing to be able to do the same thing. To be able to touch her, caress her skin with his fingers, and hold her against his chest as they lay there. The memories of the past consume his mind, of kisses shared and the sound of her giggle as he pulled her into the backseat of his car.
"Why did we ever break up?" He whispered, voice barely audible.
"Because we just didn't work," She replied without a second thought, her shoulders moving up and down in a soft shrug. "It just wasn't meant to be."
"I'm still sorry for how I used to treat you," He sighed, moving to look back up at the sky. "I just never knew how to act around you. I wanted you to think I was the perfect guy and not the loser that I really am."
"You aren't a loser though, that's the thing. And I never wanted you to be perfect, I just wanted you to be yourself." She sighed in return, looking over at him and how tightly his jaw was clenched together making it seem even more prominent than it already was. "You can't live your life trying to make other people happy, Calum. You have to make yourself happy first and foremost."
"God, how are you still single?" He awkwardly laughed, trying to break away from the direction that the conversation was going. He was not ready to go down that road with her, not when the night was going so well for them.
"I don't know," She laughed, the sound making his heart skip a beat. "Guys just aren't really interested, but I'm okay with that. I like being single and living my own life. It doesn't bother me like it used to."
"It's just so hard being alone though," Calum spoke, hands moving up to run through his thick hair. It was becoming unruly and for a second his mind flashed to how it needed to be cut again before he realized his mind was wandering.
"It really isn't," The girl laughed again, looking over at the slightly distressed boy. "You have to learn to be comfortable on your own before you'll ever be able to fully be comfortable with another person. You have to love yourself to know how to love someone else."
The air fell still after her words had faded, neither of them knowing what else to say. The sound of their shallow breaths filled the void around them as they continued to lay side by side.
"I don't think we should hang out anymore," Calum breathed out softly. "I think I'm falling for you again."
"It's alright," She whispered, turning onto her side once more, tucking her hands against the side of her face. "I just want you to be happy, Calum. That's all that I've ever wanted for you, despite everything that has happened between us."
"Yeah, I'm definitely falling for you again," He spoke, mostly to himself.
"I think it's time for me to go home, plus you have class in about four hours and you can't be late again," The girl said, sitting up and reaching for her socks and shoes while he just continued to lay there. It was not until she stood up and stretched her limbs, shirt rising up slightly to reveal a small black swirl against her hip that Calum forced himself to his feet as well.
"You can still call me anytime you need," She told him, a small smile stretching across her delicate face. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
"Do you need me to drive you home?" He asked, making it a point to avoid her words and the feeling in his stomach as she spoke them, as his eyes roamed around the empty field in the middle of a park. "It's still dark out and I want you to be safe."
She just smiled again as she took a few steps backwards, "Don't worry, you know my house is only a couple of minutes away. I've walked the path so drunk I could barely stand and I still made it home okay."
"Are you sure?" He questioned again, stepping towards her once as she continued to back away.
"Goodnight Calum," She said with a laugh before turning her back to him and slowly making her way towards the small path that he knew lead right to the street that she lived on.
He knew that was going to be the last time that he ever saw her, and the feeling in his chest told him that it would probably be the best thing for the both of them.
The only sound was their shallow breathing and the cool summer wind that blew through the air. It was slightly chilly, but not enough to bother the jean short clad girl. Her socks and boots lay beside the blanket as her toes dug into the dirt, not a care in the world as she traced her eyes across the stars, trying to remember the constellations that had been taught to her as a child.
The boy beside her did not hold the same feeling of contentment as his restless eyes shifted from the dark blue above to the girl who rested beside him. Her face was calm, peaceful, and without a single worry as a small smile etched its way into her cheeks.
"Does it ever bother you that these stars we're looking at could be long dead by now?" Her soft voice broke through the air, not going above a whisper as she spoke. "It takes so long for their light to reach Earth and to reach our eyes that in this moment, it could be expanding and dying, and we wouldn't know the difference."
The boy did not respond, but simply reveled in the sound of her voice and the chills that covered his skin as her words washed over him. This girl, she was always a mystery, always leaving him guessing.
"I've never met another girl quite like you," He voiced, not realizing that his thoughts had slipped past his lips.
She perked up at the sound, rolling onto her side and propping her head against her hand as she smiled over at him.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, a quirk to her lips that sent his heart into a frenzy.
"It's just the way that you speak and how your mind processes the things that are in front of you, it's like no other person I've ever met in my life. I could just lay here and listen to you talk for hours," He admitted, thankful for thee darkness that hid the reddening of his cheeks as his eyes stayed locked on the stars, refusing to meet her gaze.
"You're sweet," She smiled, laying back down and reaching over to give his hand a soft squeeze.
"I just feel like I can pour my soul out to you, and I know that you're going to listen," He continued, not being able to stop now that he had started. "Cause that's just what you do, you listen to people, no matter what they're saying. You can't find that in people these days, and it's just one of the things that makes you so special."
"I'm not that special though," She replied with a small chuckle. "I just give people what I would want in return if our places were switched."
A silence falls over the duo, but not one that leaves either of them uncomfortable. It's gentle and peaceful and the girl gets lost in the stars again and the boy gets lost in her. He watches as she moves, shifting one way or the other, running her fingers over the indent of her hipbone where her shirt had ridden up slightly. He finds himself wishing to be able to do the same thing. To be able to touch her, caress her skin with his fingers, and hold her against his chest as they lay there. The memories of the past consume his mind, of kisses shared and the sound of her giggle as he pulled her into the backseat of his car.
"Why did we ever break up?" He whispered, voice barely audible.
"Because we just didn't work," She replied without a second thought, her shoulders moving up and down in a soft shrug. "It just wasn't meant to be."
"I'm still sorry for how I used to treat you," He sighed, moving to look back up at the sky. "I just never knew how to act around you. I wanted you to think I was the perfect guy and not the loser that I really am."
"You aren't a loser though, that's the thing. And I never wanted you to be perfect, I just wanted you to be yourself." She sighed in return, looking over at him and how tightly his jaw was clenched together making it seem even more prominent than it already was. "You can't live your life trying to make other people happy, Calum. You have to make yourself happy first and foremost."
"God, how are you still single?" He awkwardly laughed, trying to break away from the direction that the conversation was going. He was not ready to go down that road with her, not when the night was going so well for them.
"I don't know," She laughed, the sound making his heart skip a beat. "Guys just aren't really interested, but I'm okay with that. I like being single and living my own life. It doesn't bother me like it used to."
"It's just so hard being alone though," Calum spoke, hands moving up to run through his thick hair. It was becoming unruly and for a second his mind flashed to how it needed to be cut again before he realized his mind was wandering.
"It really isn't," The girl laughed again, looking over at the slightly distressed boy. "You have to learn to be comfortable on your own before you'll ever be able to fully be comfortable with another person. You have to love yourself to know how to love someone else."
The air fell still after her words had faded, neither of them knowing what else to say. The sound of their shallow breaths filled the void around them as they continued to lay side by side.
"I don't think we should hang out anymore," Calum breathed out softly. "I think I'm falling for you again."
"It's alright," She whispered, turning onto her side once more, tucking her hands against the side of her face. "I just want you to be happy, Calum. That's all that I've ever wanted for you, despite everything that has happened between us."
"Yeah, I'm definitely falling for you again," He spoke, mostly to himself.
"I think it's time for me to go home, plus you have class in about four hours and you can't be late again," The girl said, sitting up and reaching for her socks and shoes while he just continued to lay there. It was not until she stood up and stretched her limbs, shirt rising up slightly to reveal a small black swirl against her hip that Calum forced himself to his feet as well.
"You can still call me anytime you need," She told him, a small smile stretching across her delicate face. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
"Do you need me to drive you home?" He asked, making it a point to avoid her words and the feeling in his stomach as she spoke them, as his eyes roamed around the empty field in the middle of a park. "It's still dark out and I want you to be safe."
She just smiled again as she took a few steps backwards, "Don't worry, you know my house is only a couple of minutes away. I've walked the path so drunk I could barely stand and I still made it home okay."
"Are you sure?" He questioned again, stepping towards her once as she continued to back away.
"Goodnight Calum," She said with a laugh before turning her back to him and slowly making her way towards the small path that he knew lead right to the street that she lived on.
He knew that was going to be the last time that he ever saw her, and the feeling in his chest told him that it would probably be the best thing for the both of them.