"So June had seen his father's name on the paper when I had dropped it in the car," I thought to myself.

Or...could it mean Jonas Amberson?

No, never. It couldn't be June himself. Or else why would he leave the paper with me before departing?

Well, Mr. Amberson did have a valid reason to be involved with Uncle Josh, so it was probably him. It made sense. June's father was the closest person to him, so it's natural that he wouldn't want to fight against him. Nevertheless, Jonas decided to leave the evidence for me to know why he left. He tried to fulfill the responsibility of both a son and a best friend, and he did it in the best possible way he could.

My whole world had flipped by three-sixty degrees in just a couple of hours. Everything had fallen over the places. A mixture of emotions was building up inside me- grief, regret, pain, anger, frustration, disappointment. The sentiments were eating me up from the inside. It was too much for me to handle now, so much that I needed to get it out somehow.

Not finding anything else around, my eyes settled on the ragged walls of the cave. Only physical pain can suppress this mental pain.

I darted towards the wall and punched it once with my right fist out of instinct. The rough surface scratched my knuckles, sending an overpowering sensation of pain through my nerves. I threw another punch, with my left fist this time. Blood froze over the surface of my skin. My knuckles stung to the extent where my mental agony was actually replaced by the physical one.

"Amy, are you mad!" Kelvin screamed, pulling me away from the wall.

His hands were clasped firmly around both of my wrists to prevent me from punching further. I wouldn't stop though; I strained to free my wrists as I lurched my head sideways.

"Leave me alone!" I howled.

I even kicked Kelvin with my legs in the process to shove him back. I had completely lost control over myself at that point in time. My mind was not working.

"Shush Amy, shush," he tried to hush me as he pressed his forehead against mine.

My wrists were still in his grip.

"Let me-" I wailed again, but for some reason or other, the pitch dropped at the end.

"Shushhh," he repeated under his breath.

I actually hushed this time as our breaths synced.

"Why does everyone have to leave me..." I muttered after a while, breaking down into tears.

Kelvin loosened his grasp.

"You want to punch, right?" he asked in a whisper.

I remained silent. I didn't want to prove myself like a maniac who had just escaped from a mental hospital.

"Hit me," Kelvin said, inching two steps back.

"What?" I mumbled in surprise.

"You want to punch something, right?"

I didn't reply.

"Feel free to use me as your punching bag until you calm down," he gave away.

He spread his arms wide, as if ready to brace the attack. I don't know what got into my mind, but I took the offer and smacked him on the arm once, mildly.

"Harder," he suggested.

I went for another whack on the other arm, with a little more force this time.

"Harder," he repeated, not moving from his position.

I grabbed the collar of his jacket, aiming for a stronger blow, but I just couldn't. I couldn't hit him. I failed to control my emotions as I subconsciously leaned my head against his chest.

"Mom left me when I was a child, Pappa left the world itself, Uncle Dave too, Uncle Nick almost left, then June, and now Bruno," I sobbed, not being able to keep it inside me anymore. I needed to vent it out.

Kelvin remained quiet. Well, I was glad that he didn't say anything at that moment. He gently stroked my hair as I silently wept in his t-shirt. He knew how to calm me down.

His heartbeat resonated in my ears like the only soothing tune in a world full of mayhem.

"You will leave me too one day," I whispered out my biggest fear.

Kelvin didn't break the silence.

Why was he quiet? Every corner of my heart ached in the hope that he would deny what I just said.

Would he leave me too?

"You are hurt," he murmured. "I'll get the first aid box."

He parted from me and prepared to walk away. I stretched my hand to hold back his, but only my little finger managed to tangle with his little one.

His silence was killing me.

"Will you?" I asked in a low tone.

He turned around and looked into my eyes for a moment. His eyes were watery.

"I won't," he replied after taking a deep breath. "I'll be with you."

"Always?"

Another moment of silence before he muttered back, "Always."

He turned away to leave, but I pulled him back again.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he repeated.

"Why are your fingers crossed then?" I asked in a low voice before he could prepare to go away again.

Yes, I had noticed it.

He held up his left hand in front of me, the fingers still crossed.

"Promise," he replied with a meek smile after uncrossing them.

Those few words meant the world to me. Maybe I had fallen in love with him already.

I realized that I hadn't even bothered to scan the place where we were yet. As I scrutinized the cavern from the exterior view, I could comprehend that it was a picturesque grotto at some point in time. Emerald mosses still propagated from the fissures in the jagged entrance of the cave. As I carefully ventured into the cave, the muffled whistling of wind against the trees outside subsided and was replaced by the monotonous dripping of the wet patch from the crown. My footsteps reverberated in the air as I hobbled across the pebbled floor. Stalactites hung from parts of the roof in no definite coordination with the stalagmites that protruded from the floor. It was oddly attractive. My nerves froze at the touch of the cold, wet stoned handhold. A foreign scent pervaded the atmosphere; well, at least it didn't reek of debris. You could actually build a residence and dwell here.

A sudden hiss from the rear sent a chill down my spine. It was not only my own breath that echoed in my ears. Was there someone behind me?

I frantically wriggled backward, bumping into something soft. Wait no, it was Kelvin.

I heaved in relief. Thank god it wasn't some wild creature sneaking around.

"You had scared me, Kelvin!" I complained like a kid, my hands still on his chest.

"Did I?" he joked in between his laughter.

He received a smack on the shoulder in return.

We perched on top of something like an outsized smooth-surfaced rock to get our wounds aided. Thanks to the warm fire he had ignited, it felt cozy to some extent.

"Funny how I've never applied it on myself," he commented as he applied ointment over my bruised knuckles.

Well, I didn't quite regret punching the walls now.

I picked up some alcohol swabs from the first aid box to clean the cuts on Kelvin's arms since he wouldn't do it himself. My hair brushed against his face in the process, and I could sense his fingers running through the strands.

"You have a hair fetish Kelvin Xaviers," I quipped. "Why do you always keep touching my hair?"

"Good question," he said with a sheepish smile.

"That calls for a good answer too, doesn't it?"

"Hmmm," he buzzed.

"Didn't I ever tell you how much I love your hair?"

"As if you ever compliment me," I responded with a raised eyebrow.

He scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Well, only if there is something left to compliment about," I heaved, trying to ignore his reaction.

More like an attempt to calm my whimsical heart.

"Left with only these scars now," I continued, scanning my eyes through the blemishes on my hand.

I skimmed my cheeks with my fingers, there were scratches too.

"Scars make you more beautiful," Kelvin commented. "That's why people love the moon."

I smiled thinking how different he was from all the other people I ever encountered. He was the kind of person no one would dare to fall for, neither would anyone dare to get up once they have fallen.

"I tried calling Jonas," he mentioned after a while, bringing me back to the current situation.

Did he talk to June?

"Unfortunately there's no network here currently," he sighed.

The little ray of hope in my heart fainted away again.

"So we can't contact him-?"

"We'll get back to him tomorrow, don't worry," he assured.

I trusted him.

"He just got scared," Kelvin reasoned.

"I know him well. He got shot by a bullet for the first time, that's why probably."

Only if he knew the real reason. Should I tell him? Or maybe I should let it be till the next day...

"Amy," Kelvin spoke after a short silence, drawing my attention back at him.

"Hmm?"

"I don't hate you, you know," he smiled.

"Then?" I asked with a shrug.

"Let's keep that a little secret," he said with the same smile.

"I've got a little secret too, you know," I whispered.

"Do I know it?" he asked in a subtle manner.

"Do you? I replied, wondering whether his little secret and mine were the same.

Our communication was so strange, so different than the ordinary.

Well, I hoped that at least deep inside our hearts, we knew what we meant.

Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share if you enjoyed reading this chapter!

- Love,
Your dear author <3