Supernovas & Escapism

Chapter Forty-Seven

     When he asked me where I wanted to go, I couldn't fathom the depths of imagination he would have. Just when it was starting to feel like we were pulling away, somehow, we were being brought closer together. Forever, I was a moon caught in his orbit.

     But that was okay.

     Being in the presence of his radiant sun just made me feel so warm and so loved. It made me feel like loneliness was just another word in the dictionary. Each time he reached out to me, the warm rays of who he was as a person lingered for longer than necessary. That wasn't to say I didn't appreciate it. When I was with him, I'd learned to drink in every sun-filled moment and embrace the darkest spots of his dusk.

     "Take me to the place where it all comes together."

     I'd asked him this in the intermittent silence that reigned out when Xavier started up his car again. Not once had he smiled. He didn't even utter a single word, just pulled the car into drive and set off leading us to nowhere in particular.

     Though in my defense, I should have known that he would bring me here.

     The leaves crunched hard under my feet, stones sinking with every footfall. The trees were just now beginning to become submissive to the blossoming of a new season. Streetlamp illuminated all the colors splayed out before us; crimson, green, brown, and a deep grey. They would gain their color in the spring, back when life was due to renew again—until then, most remained desolate and bare.

     The small park where we had spent many of our nights came into view up ahead.

     And I couldn't help but stop.

     Xavier's feet plowed ahead, but I was stuck staring at this place where it had all come together. This was a place of firsts for us; a first interaction that wasn't laced with bitterness; a first mutual longing for each other; a first thought that didn't feel so weak under the mist of everything else. My heart was swelling and I could barely keep it in anymore. The steps I made became more shallow and weaker against the briskness of the night.

     Unlike Xavier, who had been smart to grab a coat for himself, I was out here in a wet shirt, teeth chattering away and hands plunged into pockets. Maybe I could blame my slow lethargic movements on the fact that I wasn't dressed for this adventure.

     But the way he turned and looked at me with deep eyes, I could tell he had clocked me.

     "Fuck you," I said, a grin curling onto my face. Dainty fingers rubbed across the bridge of my nose as I took a few more steps forward. "You are not allowed to be this insightful and shit."

     A wry smile crept onto his own face as he kicked up a few dry leaves off the ground and started walking backwards. I swear, it was almost like he was taunting me right now. Not in a bad way, but more like we were an old married couple that were still best friends even after all these years. "You asked me to take you somewhere, I felt like this was appropriate." He did have a bit of a point. Where else would he have taken me? The Think Tank felt too public for this, and home was just somewhere I didn't need to be.

     Taking each step with an extra bounce, I did my best to match his pace and also close in the distance at the same time. We both made it through the clearing at the same time, the instruments of our folly laid bare for us.

     The swings swayed from side to side with each passing wind, and the merry-go-round creaked ever so softly with every moment that passed. The slide was littered with nothing but leaves, and everything just left this essence that it hadn't been touched in a while. Trees crowded from all sides, boxing us into our own private galaxy.