AFTER NEVER (Charlotte's Story)

Chapter 1/73: Missing Memory

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I was falling.

Falling down, with nothing to hold on.

And the whole world suddenly decided to switch to the color of elegancy ─Black.

It had all happened too fast, and lead to the current moment.

What had happened too fast, you may ask? Oh, here's a recollection of the events of the previous four minutes and eight seconds:

"I love you."

It took me a while myself to realize the words I'd uttered, for they'd escaped me with genuine serenity and honesty.

My words were masked with nothing, straight from the heart.

They had come out in the clash of the burning passion and enormous flow of feelings, which had resulted from the simple action of his lips pressing into mine with a weird sensation and desire.

I had confessed, and my eyes were gazing right into his.

His orbs were frozen.

No. Not wide, not a thing to signal a surprise. The freeze of his eyes looked as if someone had just slapped him back into life.

His body stiffened, and all the passion radiating off of it moments ago disappeared.

Rickard Ellington Conway resembled an ice block which somehow by mistake seemed to have been given a body and features.

His expression was also that of a man who'd just been dragged into reality again.

It was like his mind was recollecting every single detail of what was happening, who we were, what's going on, and where we were.

He let go of me, and I fell back into the tree, and down onto earth after I'd been above it because of him.

Literally.

"A-Ahhh!" I slightly whined because of the sudden thump, and held onto the trunk behind me for support.

"Wh-What are you..." I started, and he backed a step away.

His eyes still held that look; it was a look of realization, of disbelief somehow, of freezing coldness.

His eyes suddenly felt miles far, and the ice barriers shielding them appeared again.

His jaw twitched, and his eyes lost me and didn't seem willing to find me again.

I shuddered, and reached my hand slightly out for him.

He stiffened, and almost backed another step away.

My hand paused, and my heart clenched.

"Wh-Why?" I barely whispered, trying to find a string to connect us but feeling like I've failed.

His lips parted, but thoughts which his eyes mirrored were far too much for even him to voice out in some simple sentences ─particularly considering he's not exactly the most talkative person you'll get to know, trust me.

"What happened?!" My voice broke down, and the fireworks were still going on behind him as their lights reflected through my teary eyes.

He reached out his wristwatch, and tightened his grip around it I thought it'll break.