The Poppy Field near Argenteuil by Claude Monet (1873)

Devlin's POV

On one of our long bike rides in the countryside, we came across a meadow. It was so scenic that it looked as if it had been taken straight out of a picture book. Tall trees that appeared to reach for the sky were visible from afar. Their green needles formed a barricade that surrounded the meadow, protecting the delicate flowers from the harshness of the wind. Those green giants must have been decades or even centuries old. They had witnessed various wars, plagues and natural disasters, but still stood tall, asserting their dominance on the human kind. I was in complete awe as I ran my fingers against their barks, feeling their toughness under my skin.

Sometimes, I close my eyes and I can still see the way that the green grass shone under the warm July sun like an emerald carpet. It is as if I am there, amidst the white flowers that were sprinkled everywhere. I can smell their sweet scent in the air and feel their soft petals against my skin.

***

10 years earlier...

"We should leave our bikes down the hill. It's gonna be easier that way," my friend, Adrian suggested.

"Yeah," I agreed, laying my bike in the herb next to his.

I beamed as I looked up to the heavens, inhaling a breath of fresh air. That afternoon, the sky was a cloudless canva painted with bright hues of blue.

"This might be the greatest thing we've ever come across," I marveled, looking at the green field that appeared to stretch to infinity as it merged with the horizon.

"It sure is." He smiled, also glancing at the landscape."The last one up the hill is a chicken!" He suddenly yelled as he began running. I immediately lowered my head, realizing that he was already halfway there.

"You cheater! You're supposed to count to three!" I exclaimed, running after him.

He laughed, attempting to go faster, but the more he laughed, the slower he ran. When I finally caught up to him, he slipped against the wet grass, dragging me along with him.

The faint breeze carried the sound of our giggles as we rolled down the hill, landing just where we had started. "I guess we both lost," Adrian said, lying on the greenery.

We remained silent for a while, both carefully listening to the wind and the chirping of birds. "Adrian?"

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting up.

I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling a sudden sorrow take over my heart. I looked down, no longer able to maintain his gaze.

"What is it, Devlin?" He asked, his brown eyes filled with concern.

"I..." I began, feeling my throat get restricted, "I have a secret."

"Okay. What is it?"

"You promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise."

I lowered my mouth to his ear and whispered it to him. I then watched with apprehension his facial expression. His mouth parted as his eyebrows grew closer to one another. The devastation in his eyes as he laid his gaze upon me, made my stomach sink. I knew it. I shouldn't have told him. My secret was too much for him to take in. Nothing would be the same now and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You gotta say something, Adri. If you don't want to be my friend anymore... I get it, but just say something," I murmured.

"No. It's not that, Dev... It's just... I think that you should talk to someone about that. Perhaps your parents?"

"No! I can't- You promised you wouldn't tell anyone," I worried as I began to stand up.

"Wait! I'm not gonna tell anybody. You have to trust me," he assured with a sincere expression on his face.

"Okay," I sighed, feeling a hint lighter.

"We'll get through this together. Like we always do," he reassured me and I believed him. I gave him a slight smile as I nodded.

"Brothers?" I asked stretching my pinkie finger towards him as we always did.

"Forever," he answered, wrapping his finger around mine.

Hey guys!
Feel free to let me know what you think about my book. And if you like it comment and vote, it helps making this story more visible to other readers! ❤️