CHAPTER SEVEN: CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU

6TH MARCH 2022 - 04:40 PM

When we finished eating, I piled up our rubbish and put it onto one side. My eyes caught the straps of the duffle bag. Curiosity got the best of me. Reaching my hands out to touch it, Aaliyah quickly swats my hands away before I can do anything. I gave her a look. Aaliyah shakes her head at me. "That's for me to look after."

I was about to beg to differ, but Aaliyah had already swung the bag over her shoulders. I kept my mouth shut. She then gets up and, for whatever reason, runs to the lone tree sitting there, who was bearing witness to our actions.

The tree trunk was as wide as ten long planks drilled together. Aaliyah was trying to wrap her arms around it. I was annoyed that I didn't have my phone to take a photo to capture the moment. She was laughing, playing a game of peek-a-boo with me – it somehow filled the dead silence around us.

Aaliyah gives up soon after realising that her plan wasn't going to work. She moves away from the tree and stares intently at a specific part of the tree trunk. Digging her hand in the duffle bag, Aaliyah gets something I can't see out and leans against the tree. Her body obscured my view, so my curiosity got the best of me; walking over to her, I went to see what she was doing. With a satisfied smile, Aaliyah moves away. But then she stops and stares at what she's done. Three, four seconds pass. Aaliyah leans back on the tree trunk, again, drawing something. "This was missing something." She mumbles to herself.

Having no idea what she was doing with this, I waited until she stepped back finally, letting me see what she's done. In her hand was a smudged red lipstick; her fingers coated in red. My lips parted on a soft gasp. Aaliyah had written our initials and drew a heart around them.

She scratches her head. Then realises her fingers are dirty, she rubs her fingers and thumb together. "I really wished I had something sharp to do it with. Like a knife or something, you know? Then it would've been better." Aaliyah angles towards me, her grin sheepish. "This is lame. Right?"

At this point, my heart was doing overtime. The way it was thumping so fast against my ribcage, I thought I might have a heart attack.

Her cheeks were a vibrant pink; she looked at her feet, suddenly shy. "I don't know. It just makes sense. You plus me..." She trails off. Three, four seconds pass, Aaliyah lets out an awkward laugh. "Sorry. That was too much, right?"

The fluttering was deep in my chest and my stomach. My head is a jumbled mess; it scrambles to every corner of my brain, scavenging what to say to her, what to do. I stare into her deep brown eyes.

I could've kissed Aaliyah on the spot right there and then. So, when I open my mouth, I don't realise the words that came tumbling out. "Can I kiss you?"

DEPRESSION. (noun)
• deep sadness sets in when we realise
the loss has already happened and
our life has forever changed.
• this is a natural response for most people
experiencing loss - this is not a sign
of mental illness.

published! MARCH 17TH, 2022