Red Eyes and Roses

Chapter 3

May it be mere seconds or long hours later, our hands remain entwined. My tears and shaking have ceased. His light and pain have ceased. Yet, we remain here, in this hallway, breathing. Together.

The loud shriek of a bell jolts me out of my steady breathing. A gasp escapes me as I scramble to stand up out of the seated position I was previously in. I back up from the boy beside me.

I put absolutely zero thought into who was helping me calm down from my panic attack. In my head, it was just someone being an angel. In reality, it was a boy with unforgettable red eyes. Red eyes that match the red roses in the flashes of happiness. Red eyes that match the red light that previously surrounded his body.

The commotion of kids walking to their next class surrounds us, yet it's only him that I can focus on. Still leaning on the wall, his eyes continue to hold my stare. No backing down, no turning away. Our breathing remains even and in tune with one another. Eyes locked and breathing the same, we must look crazy to the outside world. Despite that fact, all we can see is each other. Ice meets fire in the inner battles we have created between us. The air is thick with tension and silence. A second bell goes off in the distance alerting us of how long we've been staring at one another.

With no warning, he wraps his warm hand around mine for the second time today. I allow him to pull me off of the wall and into the direction he chooses. Clearly, he has no intentions of returning to class. In dead silence, we walk, hand in hand. Up and down hallways, around turns, past doors, up stairs. Moments later, he pulls me through one last door. The cold interior of my high school is replaced with the warm outdoors of Arizona. Our hands remain entwined as he pulls me out of the doorway. From up here, the entire small town I call home is splayed out around me. Our high school is in the middle of rows of shops and restaurants. I can locate my favorite cafe, my favorite clothing store, and my favorite antique store. I can locate our towns only hospital, our towns only bank, and our towns only gym.

Pulling my hand free from the boy's hand, I wander to the edge of the roof. There is a half wall reaching around the middle of my rib cage lining the very edge. Yet, I swing my body up and throw my legs over, draping them towards the town below. Our school is four stories tall, not including the basement. If I was to fall, I would either die or end up severely injured. Lucky for me, I don't fear death.

On my right, I watch the boy sit down the same way I am. His body seems completely weightless as he pushes himself over the wall with extreme ease. The sunshine glints off of his dirty blonde hair turning it the color of the sun. His red eyes shine like rubies as he turns his head to look at me. Curiosity and worry plague his vision. Despite that, he remains dead silent and continues to stare at me. No words, no movement, nothing. Silence fills the air as we both let our thoughts take over.

I have no knowledge on who this boy is, but he knows so much about me. Even in my dreams, he knew a surprising amount of details dealing with me and my life. In what world does a being that was dreamed up suddenly appear in their english class the next morning? Red eyes and all, this boy is the epitome of the person in my dream. It should scare me how real he turned out to be. Yet, I sit here. The total opposite of fear is coursing through my blood and veins. Comfort. Safety. Quiet. The world around us is put on pause when we sit and think. No worries about school, my mom, Cole. Nothing comes to mind. For the first time in years, I feel at total peace. The horrible thoughts are forced down and away as images of roses pass through my head.

A smile pulls at my lips slowly. Inch by inch, I slide my hand closer to his, letting go of the wall in the process. The cool cement is replaced by the warmth of his fingertips. With a lack of a warning, he takes my hand in his own. Our fingers slide together naturally, like we've been holding hands for years. My always cold hands are warmed by his own as we sit and watch the town together.