"One. Two. Three. Four." She giggled and I opened my eyes kissing her palm.
"I don't know why you do that" I chuckled as she attempted to count my freckles.
"I like tracing over them, watching your cheeks heat up.
She smiled laying back into my arms.
"Promise you'll never forget me." She whispered into my chest as she ran her fingers over the faint hairs that I saw no need in shaving.
"Why would l ever forget you when you'll be with me forever" I smiled as I had been with her for so long that it never occured to me that I would ever be without her.
"I promise that I Rohit Gurunath Sharma will never forget you Ritika Sajdeh cross my heart and hope to."
She grabbed my hand before I could fulfill the action or complete my promise.
"Don't say that"
"What?" I frowned but she ignored me and held my face in her palms and kissed me.
"A kiss is a better promise. You hoping to leave this world and leaving me alone is not my idea of one."
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I slowly opened my eyes like I always did, hoping, maybe praying that she would be there. Watching me, Ritika loved watching me whether she knew I was faking my sleep so we could miss our first class we had together on Tuesdays or whether I opened my eyes and stared at her.
She was never ashamed of it. She would just run her index finger down my forehead, the bridge of my nose and snatch it away before l could playfully bite it.
"You have such amazing features, Ro. I'm making sure they are fully observed" she would always say, only it didn't matter how much I tried. I couldn't hear her sweet voice anymore, I couldn't see her brown eyes without it being the ones that haunted me, tried to make me hate her, the ones filled with sadness and anger at the thought of me leaving her behind. I didn't know my Ritsy anymore, unless I was asleep; recalling all our memories together and then I would wake up and forget what it ever was that had made me fall for the girl with the beautiful smile.
I sighed as I stuck some frozen waffles into the toaster.
Whenever I got home, which was once every few months; I tried mostly to stay away. I attempted to have waffles draped in chocolate syrup with hot chocolate. Yeah I felt a bit sick afterwards but it was her favourite breakfast she would make us mostly.
The waffles didn't taste like hers but I couldn't bake to save my life. Its how we would meet each other halfway.
I was the chef and she was the baker...
I sat at the table and stared at the empty seat that I hadn't moved since she last sat in it before the summer she left to never return.
Maybe I hoped that if I saw it had moved it would be a sign that she had come back whether it be a year later or five. I just needed a sign that she hadn't forgotten me like she had promised me not to.
