𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐔𝐬

Part 29 ~ Nostalgia

Michael's Point Of View ~

My name written again on the top left hand side of the paper with a comma beside it, this punctuation tells me that there is much more to come. I'm shocked. This letter . . is written by Anika. This letter that is in fact written for me. My eyes scanning through it, not missing a word. Anika has written it all . . everything. She tells me why she did it. Then, she tells me why she left town so suddenly. 

She saw me, she says. I didn't know this. 

I didn't see Anika. So, how could I have known? But nothing happened. I was trying to move on, to forget what came about on the beach. I was trying my best. But it wasn't working. 

I feel tears beginning to form. All those feelings rising up within me as I read. It's like it's happening all over again. 10 years have pasted now, yes. But that doesn't matter. Those feelings never truly went away in the first place so it doesn't take long at all for them to be felt again. My heart pounding, a tear falls from my eye. She writes that she is sorry. Even asking for forgiveness. But it's what she writes next that completely astonishes me . . Anika never stopped thinking about me? 

She wrote that. Right here. 

Then writing she missed me. 

Anika saw me with Katie. This is what Anika means when she says I hurt her. But, nothing happened between Katie and I. Again, I was trying to move on from Anika after she told me that night on the beach. It must have been the night I took Katie to the movies . . we were holding hands. It was only a few days after the beach. That must've been when Anika saw us together. And that is why Anika left town. I hear the sound of my bedroom door opening. The jingle of the doorknob to the whistle of the door itself as Anika pulls it towards her, to open it. She stops. My eyes still on the letter. I finish reading it, to then look up with my tear stained face for Anika to see. I see her eyes are wide. She is frozen. I hold up the letter in one hand. 

"What is this, Anika? . . " 

Her lips move but no words come out. I feel many emotions - anger, sadness. The shock still of even finding this letter. With all those emotions at once, it's hard to tell which one I'm feeling more. This letter was dated very recently, only a few short weeks ago. Anika still remembers, still thinks about that night at the beach 10 years ago? But why didn't she just talk to me about it? Since she got back to town and for every time she spoke to me, saw me . . she could've talked to me about it. She had every chance. 

But she didn't. Never. 

"Since you got back into town. Seeing me, spending time with me . . " 

"Were you ever going to talk to me about it, Anika? . . " 

"Or did you think I deserved nothing more but this letter? . . " 

She still hasn't spoken, not one word. I'm looking at her eyes. I see as they too, have tears in them. One falling to then glide down her cheek. Anika looks away from me suddenly, looking down. I continue to speak. I have a shake in my voice as I try my best not to completely break down. 

"Were you even going to give me this letter? . . " 

"Or did I have to find it myself? . . " 

" . . and by chance too . . " 

I walk towards Anika. So slowly. Her eyes away from me, still looking down. I feel as if my cheeks are saturated with my tears now. I'm standing in front of her.

"Why didn't you come to me . . " 

" . . to tell me that you were leaving town? . . " 

"Don't you think you owed me that? . . "