June 5th, 2016 7:20 pm
Every continued as normal, and a few weeks passed. To Horatio, Hamlet seemed to have recovered from his breakdown, and, to his surprise, the news about Ophelia didn't seem to be have bothered him to much.
"I'm just going to run down to the supermarket to grab some groceries, okay," shouted Hamlet.
"Alright," replied Horatio, from the other room. "How long do you think you'll take?"
Hamlet responded, "Not very long, I should be back before you leave for work," before leaving.
Before long Hamlet arrived at the store. He entered, only to realize he couldn't remember what he had needed to buy. He pulled out his cellphone, and dialed his and Horatio's apartment phone number, while absentmindedly walking towards the produce section. After a few rings, Horatio picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. Sorry, I've forgotten what I needed to-" He stopped, suddenly. There, standing in front of him, was Ophelia. "I.. I... I'll call you back..." he stuttered, hanging up on Horatio.
He looked at her once again, though she hadn't noticed him yet. Her long blond hair was in a braid, and she wore black yoga pants and a light green tank top. He was sure, she was the same woman he had been engaged to two years prior.
Hamlet couldn't keep his excitement down, rushed towards her, and wrapped his arms around her. "Ophelia!" he exclaimed, "I've missed you so much!"
She pushed him away. "Get away from me, you creep! Who are you?!?"
Hamlet stared at her, bewildered. "Ophelia! Don't you remember? It's me, Hamlet! Your FINANCE, who you haven't seen in over two years!"
"I have no clue what you're talking about. I'm not Ophelia, my name is Hermia, I've been married, to a man named Lysander for nearly four years, and I have never once seen you in my life," she responded, utterly confused.
"But.." he stammered, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I'm sorry about having not seen your fiancé in years. I hope things work out for you. But please, leave me alone." she requested, gentle but firm, and walked away.
Hamlet stood there, in shock, trying to figure out what had happened. His cellphone rang. Hamlet numbly pressed decline, without even looking at who it was. He knew it was Horatio, wanting to know why he'd hung up, but he didn't want to talk right now.
He Hamlet slowly towards the exit, still in shock. When he got to the exit, he broke into a sprint. He just wanted to be alone, so he ran to the place he had gone to last time Ophelia disappeared; the forest. He kept running, blocking out everything else. Eventually, he got to a clearing, so he sat down to contemplate.
His suppressed grief came crashing down on him, for the second time in a month. He sat there, sobbing, not thinking much, just letting the tears fall. She had been right there, and he had only stood there while she walked away. And she didn't even remember him!
Hamlet sat crying there in the forest until his tears had run dry and all there was left to was sit there, wallowing in self pity. He hadn't realized how dark it had become until he heard a wolf cry out in the night, howling at the full moon. That caused him to look up, and he was shocked at how late it was. Horatio would be worried sick!
A cool breeze gently pushed the hair out of his face and swept along his cheeks, where his tears had long since dried. He pulled himself to his feet before loosing his balance and falling back down. His legs has clearly fallen asleep from sitting so long. He rose again, more slowly this time, and attempted a few careful steps forward. So far so good.
He only made it a few more steps when someone came up behind him and pulled him into a tight embrace. He whirled around and was face to face with Horatio.
"Hamlet, I've been so scared," Horatio choked out, tears staining his own face, "I-I love you Hamlet. Please, don't leave me like that again... I thought you were d-dead!" He cried, burying his face in Hamlet's shoulder.
Hamlet felt Horatio's tears against his skin and was again suddenly overcome with emotion. He slid a hand over to Horatio's face and gently tilted up his head so he could see his face clearly in the moonlight. His other hand wrapped around Horatio's back and pulled him closer.
All at once Hamlet was struck with Horatio's beauty. In the pale light of the moon he looked so small and vulnerable, staring up at Hamlet with a doe-like expression. His eyes were like stones under the shallow water of a clear creak, sum merged under a clear layer of shimmering, reflective beauty.
He was caught in an unsolvable problem, but nevertheless he had to make a decision. Should he go chasing after an almost unreachable and possibly dead Ophelia, or will he stay with his beloved boyfriend, Horatio.
Well, wise men say that if you fall in love with two people, choose the second person you fall in love with, because you never would have fallen in love with them if you really loved the first.
With that thought in mind, Hamlet leaned in closer and gently kissed the boy in front of him. Horatio was slightly surprised but soon gave into the kiss and leaned in closer, his whole body pressed against Hamlet. Hamlet chuckled softly against Horatio's lips and relaxed his forehead against his boyfriend's. Horatio brought his arms around Hamlet's neck and gently played with the tuff of hair at the nape of Hamlet's neck.
"I love you," Hamlet muttered against Horatio's lips.
