Mend Me? ➸ hemmings a.u

15. Weightless Again.

A/N: 6/8 exams are done. And as it's the weekend, I thought damn, and this story called me. So after an exam hiatus, I am back.

Happy Saturday. If you can't tell, that was major sarcasm. I'd love nothing more than to tell you that last night was just a cruel nightmare. But no, it was very much a reality.

My mind drawer is pretty much destroyed, with all the previously filed concerns a terrible mess all around me. Even though I tried to crumple them all up, they were still here, they just looked worse.

My mum opened my door slowly, and came in with a tray of breakfast. "You shouldn't have," I mumbled but she shook her head. "I know something happened last night, and that Luke lied," she said carefully and I nodded. "I don't want to force you to tell me, but you'd come to me if you weren't okay, wouldn't you?" She asked hopefully. No. "Yes," I assured her and she smiled, "I love you," she said before leaving the room.

I wish I could tell you I knew what I was feeling, but I don't. Michael stood up for me last night, and there was an instant comfort when he held me. The guilt of how I treated him was unbearable, but I shouldn't be expected to instantly forgive someone who did something so terrible, should I?

I rushed out of bed, and in an attempt to clear my mind, I decided to go to Terabithia. The journey there wasn't the best, because as I was passing Michael's house, all I could imagine was him at his window, knowing what that click of a button was capable of. I marched on, and faced the events of last night head on. The park in the daytime is far more beautiful, hardly comparable to the nightmare it was the night before. Luke's tank top was still on the ground, torn apart. I picked it up and tied it around my waist, it felt like sort of a memento now, or a kind of symbol of myself and Luke.

I walked up to the notorious wall and found that the crate was already set up. My heart did around thirty backflips, was Luke here? I used all the power my tiny form had to offer to climb myself over the wall. It would've been a very hilarious and sad sight to see. I looked down and was thankful to to see the crate on the other side still there. I took the small fall off the wall and landed on the crate safely. By safely, I mean the landing looked good, but then my feet decided to be weird and cause me to tumble backwards pathetically into the dirt.

I followed the path to the weightless location from memory. Considering that at the time it was almost pitch black and I was following Luke in a rush of pure adrenaline and nerves, I was doing alright. I was disappointed to see Luke wasn't sitting on the edge of the mini cliff with his legs swinging over the side. I took those few terrifying steps to the edge and forced myself to look down. The water looked closer in the daylight, as at night it was almost as if I was staring down at space due to the reflection of the stars.

The urge to feel what I felt that night with Luke was stronger than ever, and for a moment I wanted to think of nothing but the feeling of weightlessness. Failing to remember that taking my clothes off would be beneficial, I took a few steps back and ran off the cliff, spreading my arms and looking down at the water instead of the sky. The feeling was there, but there was something missing, and that was Luke's grip on my hand. I collided with the water and was instantly submerged. Underwater I could see much more with the sun, and the blue tiger-like patterns that were printed on Luke that night were yellow and alive all around me. I resurfaced and took deep breaths. The water felt amazing against my skin, and I was just about to dive under the surface again before I was almost given a heart attack.

I felt a sharp, cold grip on my ankle, and I went full survival mode. I thrashed my legs in an attempt to escape and started swimming dramatically towards the rocks. "Ava!" I turned around and saw Luke trying to stay afloat, finding it difficult due to his rumbling laughter. "What the hell?" I shouted back and he dived under the water, probably making his way towards me. He resurfaced directly in front of me, so close that his nose brushed mine when he shot up. "You're in Terabithia!" He smiled, swimming backwards quickly upon noticing how close he was. "How'd you get past the sky-high wall?" He asked with a smirk and I shrugged, "the fairies helped me," I replied quickly and he bit his lip. "Give me a hug," he mumbled quietly and I didn't hesitate. He held his arms open and I swam carefully towards him. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his bare chest. I felt him rest his chin just above my ear, and his arms held me steady in the water.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "For not helping you. You had to wait for Michael to help, and I felt useless. I feel useless," he said, his voice breaking. I said nothing, I just held him tighter. "And... He really loves you, you know?" He asked and I nodded against his chest. "And I can't blame him, because I can't imagine the type of relationship you have with each other after all those years, considering how I feel about you just after this short amount of time," he said quietly, I could feel his chest tense as he tried to force the words out. "I admire you, Ava," perhaps his concentration on those words were too much, because he seemed to have forgotten to keep kicking to keep us afloat.

In an attempt to stay steady, my legs instinctively wrapped around his torso, his eyes widened as he continued to kick. "Sorry," I mumbled, quickly detaching myself from him and swimming back slightly. He blushed and looked down, "let's get back," he started swimming his way back to the rocks, and I followed him.

"Luke," I called, "Ava," "I admire you, also," "I'm glad." He took my hand and helped me up. His eyes instantly focused on my waist, "you're wearing..." I nodded. "I saw it, and it looked so sad in the middle of the crime scene. I had to save it," I told him and he chuckled. He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before his next words, "you know how you said I was out of my shackles that night?" He asked and I nodded, sitting next to him. "Well, you're the key, Ava," he said quietly, and my heart nearly melted. "You're my key," I replied, and I could see an Ava of another dimension roll her eyes at my words. He showed his dimples and looked down at his fingers, that were fiddling like crazy.

I placed my hand over them, "why are you nervous?" I asked and he looked up, a worried expression on his face. "Because I've realised I love you, Ava," he murmured, his lips slightly parted. "There's nothing more I wanted to do but save you from her. And I will, I promise, you don't have to worry about anything anymore, because I'll make everything up to you," assured me, and his lips were quivering when he finished. His eyes scanned my face for my reaction, but when he saw nothing he turned away. "Sorry," he mumbled. The hand that was over his snuck under his arm and tried pulling him towards me. Instead of complying, he decided to wrap both arms around me as he lay down. "I'd like to kiss you," he said, and before he had a chance to try and decipher my response, I pressed my lips to his.

I felt his entire body tense underneath me, and his grip around my waist was careful before he finally kissed back. His hand remained on my lower back as his other found its way to my water soaked hair. His lips moved carefully and hesitantly against mine, and my hands cupped his cheeks.

I pulled away slowly, and his lips followed mine momentarily, not wanting to break contact. I watched him open his eyes, and as they locked with mine I smiled. "It seems the whatever-I-am and the barely-human-being make a good match," I mumbled and his brows furrowed. "It must be because we're so awkward," I continued and he blushed, "thanks," he said sarcastically and I laughed.

"Luke," I blurted out suddenly and his eyebrows rose. "I forgot to tell you something," I remembered and he bit on his lip ring. "I love you too," I said and he sighed, looking up at the sky, "I will kiss you again," he decided.