Laughter Lines

4.5 | universe

universe

as told by everest

I  didn't know what to do. I didn't want to leave. I didn't know what was happening.

So I placed my hand on the doorknob and I turned it slowly, pushing it open as quietly as I could. It was silent, and in that moment I suddenly noticed how loud silence actually is. It's louder than anything else. It booms in your ears and you really can't make it go away. It mocked me as I stepped inside, Charlotte, as if it was saying, "Silly boy, you actually think she's here?"

I ignored it, though. I wasn't going to leave until I was sure that the voices were true.

All the lights were off, but I flipped them on as I made my way through the house. It was dull, Charlotte, and I hadn't noticed that either because whenever I was here in the past; I could never take my eyes off you. The walls weren't painted bright colors like my house was. There weren't family photos or knickknacks or framed quotes on the walls. The furniture was all black and brown, as if your parents wanted it to look antique and somewhat frightening. I didn't understand how such a rainbow like you could come from such a hurricane like your parents.

There was no one anywhere, and the house was completely set perfect as if it hadn't been touched in years. Somehow, I felt like in reality it actually hadn't, considering how often your parents were away, and how toxic it was for you to even be where they once were.

I headed up the stairs and went straight to your bedroom. Your bed was made flawlessly and your desk was empty as always. I opened your closet and saw all of your clothes hanging there. They were color coded from light colors to dark, and it made me smile. Of course you had done that, Charlotte Marie.

On your bedside table was your cell phone. I remembered that you had told me that you left it here while you were at my house because you didn't want to get distracted. I pressed the home button and the screen lit up- full of notifications from myself. I scrolled through them all.

missed call from Everest Logan (17)

voicemail from Everest Logan (8)

text message from Everest Logan (6)

I almost shut it off, but then I realized one last notification at the bottom. It wasn't from someone else, or an app, or something that you could predict. It was an alarm that you set for yourself.

Be happy. Focus on today. There's always the sun beyond the horizon.

But you didn't see it, and I wondered if that was one of the things that fueled you during these hours. Maybe something so simple and seemingly meaningless could mean the whole universe to you. Maybe it made you smile as much as I tried.

I had to find you. Because you were my universe and I wasn't going to let you fade.