Song of the chapter is
Waves by Dean Lewis

-00-
-Veronica D'Rosario-
-Present-

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D'Rosario Residence
28 February, 2020
9:30 am

2 MONTHS LATER

It has been two months since the incident.

To say that we have gone back to our normal lives would be a  half-truth. It isn't something we had hoped to do when the reign of terror had ended two months ago. We all knew that no matter how much we tried, we could never go back to how we were before everything.

And perhaps it is a good thing that we can't. Because then I may have never got the most incredible friends I could ever wish for.

The days after the incident had gone in a blur. Kartik's surgery was successful.  Siya was well and fine. And the rest of us were feeling much better and our injuries were better too.

We talked to Detective Gomez a few times, explaining the details of that night together with sharing everything that we had been keeping a secret for all these months. The truth was out and all of our parents knew about our secrets.

We were the talk of the town. Reporters  were all over us, asking us questions and snapping our pictures whenever they got the chance. Kartik was a major source of interest for them for obvious reasons.

Speaking of him, he had decided to reconcile his differences with his family and forgive them. When his father had come to know about the truth, he had broken down in front of Kartik and asked for his forgiveness. His parents decided to get a divorce anyway. Kartik stayed with his father while his mother moved out.

The truth had shattered yet another family ----Siya's family. Nikhil had left town immediately after learning the truth. He had stated that he had absolutely no idea about Sanchi's intentions and had apologized to Siya before leaving. As for Siya's parents, they were simply spellbound by the truth. They could not imagine in a thousand years that their daughter could actually do such a thing. While they mourned her loss, they also redeemed themselves for their other daughter. They accepted her relationship with Kartik and even talked things out with the Malhotra family. Siya and Kartik were very happy.

As for Zoya, she still struggled with the nightmares that the night had scarred us with. Her parents had rushed to her aid when they had come to know about the truth. Maybe after all they really did love her more than their work. She and Saina had grown closer than ever. They almost behaved like childhood bestfriends. It was funny to me because not even two months prior to that, they had been on each other's throats.

But I guess, there was a silver lining to everything.

Just like Himanshu was mine. He was the best thing that had happened to me because of this entire fiasco. I was aware of his feelings towards me very well. And I can't really say that I didn't reciprocate them either. But it was much more complex than that.

Everything was complex when it came to me.

There was a darkness in me. No matter what anyone else tried to convince me, I knew myself very well. It overpowered me at times. And I was scared to subject anyone to that.

The town of Delmore is a black hole, a source of dark energy, a place that will go down in infamy. The memory of what happened might fade away after a while, but the scars will always be there. The high school hallways are doomed to be haunted by the students who had died.

In the same way, I'm ruined forever.

There may be hope for me to recover in the distant future, but for now, I was tarnished by the darkness residing in me. I'm no saint; a large proportion of it still resided in me, but there was also a little proportion that was marred by the horrors that had taken place in my lifetime.

And so for my last act, I'm leaving town, and everything else behind it too. It hurt me immensely to do it, but I knew it was the mature thing to do. For me and for everyone else. I'm leaving behind my friends and the one person I care about the most to go reside in a place where no one knows my name and where I could start over again. Just like I had done ten years ago.

As I finish packing up every item of clothing I posses into my duffel bag, I sit down for a minute and observe my room for the last time. It hurts my heart to leave this town behind. It hurts my heart that for me , Jen has to give up her house for sale and move to somewhere else. She had been so supportive of my decision, considering it the best for me to move on. She had sold Paper Lantern to Mrs. Arora (Saina's mother) and put up our house for sale within the last two months. It hurt my soul to see her let go of the last things that Fred had left her with. But she did it anyway, for me. She had said that she loved me more than anything else.

I loved her more than anything else too.

Footsteps echo underneath. All my friends are here to help me with the moving. I smile slightly and glance back at my room one last time before exiting it. As I travel downstairs, I'm met with Zoya who is carrying a heavy box . She stumbles a bit but I get hold of her arm and steady her.

" Thanks." She smiles.

" Where is everyone else?" I ask, as she puts down the box for a second.

" Kartik is out helping Jen with the loading. And Siya and Saina are probably getting snacks for your journey." She replies.

I nod and then look at her to continue. When she doesn't, I disappointedly look down.

" Your Moose is sitting on the roof, just in case you were wondering." Zoya says with a chuckle. I look up at her questioningly.

" On the roof?"

" Yeah, he is pretty upset about the....you know, the love of his life leaving." Zoya teases.

" Shut up."

"What? Ask anyone. He's been down ever since you told us the news two weeks ago." Zoya says.

I know that she's saying the truth. Moose was pretty upset when I had told him about the whole moving thing. He had refused to talk to me for the last two weeks.  Sometimes he did act like a total child.

I know it hurt him to see me leaving. It hurt me too to let go of him. But it was the good thing to do. For the both of us.

" Talk to him. God knows if you two will ever meet again." Zoya suggests, picking up the box. I look at her once and nod positively.

As she exits the house, I put down my duffel bag on the couch and go upstairs again. I climb out the window to the roof and see Himanshu sitting near the edge. His back is facing towards me. I slowly make my way towards him and sit beside him.

I don't look at him. He doesn't look at me but he shifts with my presence.

" Are you seriously not gonna talk to me before I leave?" I ask, breaking the silence. The question hangs in the air before settling down on us like a  soft drizzle.

Moose's expression doesn't change. He looks ahead of him without batting his eyelids once. I sigh, "Okay, Moose, this is getting ridiculous-"

" Why are you here?" He asks me. I pause mid-sentence and look at him for the first time.

" What do you mean? I came to say goodbye." I say.

" Why? It's not like I'm important to you or anything." He says.

Shock and guilt battles in my head as I look away from him. My mouth grows drier by the minute.

" You don't think you're important to me?" I ask.

" Doesn't matter what I think. " He answers.

" Moose,"I drawl. I don't have the strength to do this. "You're more important to me than anyone else in this entire world. You know the reason I couldn't bring myself upto talk to you was because it was too damn hard. It hurts my heart to think of not seeing you everyday. It makes me not wanna go."

"Then don't go." He says.

For a painful second, I consider listening to him. I consider giving up my battle , taking the easy way out, and taking him in my arms. Things would feel so much better that way. But it's unrealistic and I don't deserve it.

" I'm sorry." I admit, looking at him.

The tension in the air is thick and heavy. I feel claustrophobic even though we were sitting under the sky in free air. I hear Moose laugh shortly, without humour and run his fingers through his hair.

" How is it so easy for you to do this?" He asks.

I look at him, bewildered. "You think this is easy for me?" He scoffs as I continue, "Moose, leaving you guys is the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. But I have to do this for myself. I need to."

" Who says so?" He asks.

" I do. This is a decision I'm making for myself and even if it has bad consequences, I'll be the one facing them." I say, determined.

He looks at me for a moment, his face stone cold and then looks away. I had not wanted to fight with him on this day.

" Fine then." Moose says, looking at me. " Who am I to say anything when you've made up your mind?"

He then looks away and says the words that I had never wished he had.

" Goodbye, Veronica D'Rosario. It was great getting to know you."

Tears well up in my eyes but I compose myself with every muscle and vein in my body and rub my nose.

He gets up beside me and traces his steps back, and climbs out the window. I sit there for a minute, embracing and understanding the atmosphere before making my way downstairs.

The bags are packed up in the back of truck. Jen and my friends stand in the front porch waiting for me. Moose stands in one corner as I approach them to say my goodbyes.

I hug Saina as I see her almost in the brink of breaking out in tears. She hugs me tightly and tells me to call her immediately after getting to Kerala. I nod and say I will.

Zoya hugs me tightly and gives me a cross-pendant as a goodbye present. I smile and thank her for it.

I hug Kartik and Siya after, each of them asking me to stay safe and in touch with them. I smile and say I will.

As I look at Moose, he looks away. I look down and swallow the lump forming in my throat.

Perhaps it is better this way.

I swing my duffel bag over my shoulder and open the passenger side door to get in when Zoya's words suddenly echo in my head,

' God knows if you two will ever meet again.'

She was right, wasn't she? What if I never met Moose again? I would have to always live with the thought of what could've happened if I had told him my feelings. And I didn't want to live with that guilt.

I look at Jen as she gets in the driver's seat. " Just one moment."

I close the passenger door and look back at my friends. All of them are looking at me with a sad smile. My eyes searches for Moose. He is standing at the gate, looking at me.

If I don't tell him now, I'll never be able to him ever.

I trace my steps back to the gate, where Moose is standing. I see my friends giving me a puzzled look, but I don't care anymore. I run my last few steps to Moose and stop inches away from him. He gives me a puzzled look.

And then I do the unexpected. I kiss him.

Time felt nothing more than a mere concept in that moment. In those few moments, I could smell the heaven and the halo that burned in his mouth. I threaded my fingers through his soft curls.

After a moment, he pulls away, leaving me breathless and my pulse racing. A soft smile graces his lips as his thumbs traces my jawline. I look into his softest green infused with caramel eyes and smile my greatest smile.

" Thank you.....so much... for loving this broken weirdo. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I was scared to tell you this because I knew that no matter what I did or what you convince me, I'll always believe that you deserve better than me."

He says nothing, just stares at me.

" And I know that you do deserve better than me, Himanshu. You deserve the entire world. But I couldn't leave without telling you how I feel once because heaven knows if we'll ever meet again. I hope we will because it truly does break my heart to leave you. But I must do it. For my and your sake."

Moose opens his mouth to say something but I shut him down.

"Don't say anything. Don't ask me to stay. Because I won't. And it would only end up breaking both of our hearts even more."

He stays quiet and looks into my eyes like he is afraid he would never see them again.

" I love you, Himanshu Arora." I finally say those words and stop for moment before continuing, "I've loved you since we were thirteen. And I will always love you."

Moose extends his hand and it grazes against my left cheek. I try to savour every moment of it, considering how it being the last time his hands would ever graze against my cheeks.

"I won't ask you to wait for me. But I'll play the long game. I know you're out there, and I'm out there too. Someday, maybe...if we are meant to be.... we'll be together."

I pause for a moment.

" And even if we aren't meant to be, I'll still love you forever."

Those words slip out of my mouth and I don't regret it for a single bit. I feel contempt , almost happy in this moment. I wish it could last longer.

He laughs his sweet laugh and says, his words coated with sugar and honey, "You're an enigma, Veronica D'Rosario. And I love you."

I smile again, a contempt smile. "See you around." It comes out as a whisper as I feel my heart shatter into little pieces.

And with that, I turn on my heels and travel back to the truck. Everyone else gives me teasing looks which I ignore and I open the passenger seat and get in. Jen smiles at me, her eyes proud and happy. I smile back.

As she starts the engine, I look out the window back at my friends. They are all waving their goodbyes. I smile wide and wave at them. Moose waves at me too. I smile and wave at him.

I don't know what the future has in store for me. Perhaps for the first time, I didn't even want to know what the future had in store. Because for the first time in my life , I am genuinely experiencing happiness.

And in that moment, I wished for nothing more.

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THE END
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