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I was elated.
Probably a peculiar reason for an 18 year old to be elated. But I didn't care. Oreo was back in my arms after nearly a whole year of being gone. When he had run away last year, devastation couldn't even begin to explain how I felt.
We had spent days looking for him, but to no avail. After about three months of searching, I had become resigned to the fact that Oreo was now happy somewhere on this island. Just not with me.
"He'll come back," Kaylie had told me as we were sitting on her old wooden swing set one afternoon. "What if he doesn't?" I found myself asking. There was that feeling of dread clawing at my heart, and I just couldn't shake it off.
Kaylie leaned back against the swing, turning to look at me. "I actually think he will," she smiled. It was a comforting smile, and it so effortlessly put me at ease. She always had that effect on me. And maybe it was an accumulation of those little things, that made me grateful to have her in my life.
"Because if you love something, or someone, you let them go," she glanced away for a fleeting moment, as if she was reminded of something, "if they're meant to be yours, they'll come back to you."
"It applies to cats too?" I quipped, earning a chuckle from her. She shrugged, that adorable smile etched across her face. And I told myself to believe her.
A few months later we were sat on that same swing set, Oreo bundled up in my arms as Kaylie gently stroked her fur. "Guess you were right all along," I smiled, making sure she saw how impressed I was.
Kaylie flashed me a toothy grin, "aren't I always right?"
And maybe she was.
---
Kaylie stood before the door, staring at it. She hadn't a single clue what she was going to tell Kevin. But she couldn't keep it from him anymore. Not only was the guilt eating her alive, but she cared too much about Kevin to lie to him like that.
She took a deep breath and raised her knuckle, poised to knock. But then the door opened and she found herself face to face with the man himself. "Kaylie," it was he who spoke first, flashing her a small, somewhat strained smile.
Kaylie noticed that. Because never had she seen that look in his eyes. "Kevin..." Her voice trailed off into silence. Was it those piercing blue eyes? Or the way the atmosphere somehow seemed heavier, like a storm was approaching?
Because for the umpteenth time, Kaylie lost her voice again. "I know," he simply said, "it was hard to miss." It was the distinct sensation of her heart skipping a beat as her eyes widened. She was already at a loss for words. But now she was completely and utterly frozen.
"The way you look at him," his hand unintentionally gripped onto the doorknob a little harder than he should have, "you... used to look at me that way."
He couldn't bear to hold her gaze. It pained him far too much.
"Kevin I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't know... what I should have done," she sounded soft, feeble. Like she was picking her words very meticulously and praying her voice wouldn't break while she was at it.
She too looked away at that moment, and Kevin took that chance to glance at her. It was undeniable, as his eyes laid sight on her ever so familiar features, that he was still very much in love with her.
Because the past year of their lives had been filled with nothing but love and joy. Even before that when they were only best friends, there had never been a dull moment in his life with her around. But she had grown to be so much more than just his best friend.
She had become his soulmate. The woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But life could never be that easy could it?
"You know you told me once," he found himself saying, "if you love someone, you should let them go." Her eyes met his and he somehow found the strength not to turn away. "And maybe that's what I'm doing right now."
And Kevin loved Kaylie with all his heart. So maybe it was only right that he walked away from her. Because if they're meant to be yours, they'll come back to you.
An expression passed across Kaylie's face, one that Kevin perceived to be uncertainty. What could she be unsure about? Was she unsure about how she felt? Or about what he said? But then the next thing he knew, Kaylie's eyes fell shut and she collapsed.
She fell unconscious, right into his arms.
---
apologies for the later than usual update! next update will be sooner to recompense 😊
