Refined Love

part 11

TW // choking, cuts

"Ralph?"

It was late afternoon. I had just gotten back from talking to Jack.

He looked up to me, his eyes swollen with tears.

"Ralph, what's wrong?" I knelt down besides him.

"Everyone's leaving me." He sobbed softly, "Two more people just joined Jack."

"I'm not going to leave Ralph. They're just scared if they stay here, the beast will get them." I comforted him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah but, why do they hate me? I've tried everything to help us. But they leave." He lowered his head.

"They don't hate you. They only went with Jack for protection." I tilted my head to look at his face.

"Why does Jack have to do this?" He whined.

I slowly huffed. He was right, everything was fine before.

"Because Jacks just self centered. He thinks everything has to go his way. He only cares about himself." I said directly.

Ralph looked up slowly, and nodded. He cracked a little smile at my words.

I smiled back at him, and lifted him up by his arm.

"Come on, let's do something fun!" I tried sounding excited.

"What is there to do on an island?" He laughed.

"Are you kidding? A million things!" I said, pulling him into the jungle.

"Like what?" He asked.

"Like.. rock climbing! Or.." I looked around, "Hiking!"

"Okay, okay." He chuckled.

"Come on!" I pleaded him.

He gave in as we started walking around.

It was the most fun I've had in a while.

We walked through the dirt as the twigs snapped beneath our feet.

We saw so many beautiful things. Back in New York, my father would take me bird watching from our balcony in our apartment. I even have a little book under my bed of birds we took pictures of, and discovered their species.

"Look up there!" Ralph pointed to a yellow bird, with black wings and a touch of dark fur on its forehead.

"That's an American Goldfinch. One of the most prettiest birds ever." I looked up to it with a smile.

"It's very pretty." He looked at me slowly.

It started feeling awkward.

"Well-," I started, picking up a clear looking stone.

Ralph quickly turned his head away from me, looking at the stone I picked up.

"What's that?" He asked me.

"Goshenite. I wonder how it got here?" I questioned.

We stepped back, and sat on a fallen log on the ground.

I slowly started to look at the rock, almost like I was investigating it. It was beautiful.

"Fay?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a boyfriend back at home?" Ralph wondered.

What?