Stay with me (SHORT STORY)

The Gift

Some people come in your life and paint it anew, losing them feels like losing ourselves......

Mike drives us up a hill, a little far from where the carnival is. I haven't come here before, so I have no idea where he is taking me. He stops the car in a deserted area, at a dark corner, near the woods. He gets down and I follow him. 

"Where are we going?" I ask as he comes around the car and holds mt hand

"No questions, just follow me" he says

He takes me in the woods, among the tall trees. After walking for a while, I see a small clearing. It is absolutely beautiful with the lush green grass covering the land.
There is no one here except us. The sunlight doesn't reach here quite as much and the sky seems to be glowing with the rays.

"It's beautiful" I say

"I know" Mike says, but when I turn to look at him, I see him staring at me instead of the clearing. 

"How did you find this place?" I ask with curiosity

"Tumbled upon it one day" he says casually. "I remember you saying that you like quiet and peaceful places, so I thought of bringing you here. I was afraid you might know about it already but I was hoping against it" he says with a shy smile

"Hm... it's amazing, thank you for showing this to me" I say, my eyes wandering from tree to tree.

"I have something else for you, close your eyes" he says and I obey him without question.

I feel his fingers slightly brush the back of my neck and then a thin chain being clasped around it. When he finally says to open my eyes, I see that he has brought me a necklace. A very beautiful necklace.

It has two hearts with a blue diamond in the middle. The diamond reminds me of his eyes, it reminds me of him. I hold it in my hands and cherish it with all my heart.

"Do you like it?" he asks, still standing behind me.

I find myself unable to speak so I turn around and place a soft kiss on his lips. He looks surprised, but then he gives me a small smile and wraps his arms around me. I fold my arms over his neck and hug him tightly.

"I love it" I finally say.

The realisation suddenly hits me and it wouldn't be wrong to say it wrenches my heart.

"You're....you're leaving, right?" I ask, still wrapped in his embrace, though I already know the answer. Mike doesn't say anything, he just tightens his grip around me and nuzzles his face at the side of my neck. I can feel tears in my eyes and eventually I let them fall. I cry as quietly as I can, hugging him as close to me as possible.

"Don't cry Lucy, please. I cannot bear to see you upset" he says, his head still buried in my neck. 

"We'll stay in touch, right?" I ask

"I'll think of you every second Lucy. How your smile lifted my spirits, how just seeing you made my day, how your eyes made me see the beauty in everything, how your voice set my soul free of all worries, how the blush of your cheeks calmed my anxious heart and how in your presence, I found the love I always thought was just a figment of fantasy" he says and finally looks up to meet my eyes.

I can't say anything, I'm rendered speechless. I just stare in his eyes as he slowly, with honesty clear in his voice and love filled in his words, says,

"I love you, Lucy"

"I love you too, Mike, I love you too" I say and hug him again. At that moment I realise that love is not always evident. Sometimes, you never realise that you love someone till the time you are about to lose them. Sometimes you have to fall apart to realise how mch you belong to each other. 

I realised that I didn't even know what love was supposed to be like.

I heard people say that love is when you get lost in someone's thoughts, but with Mike, I felt like someone has finally found me.

I heard people say that love is when you see someone's face in everyone, but with Mike, I felt like I will always identify him among millions of others.

I heard people say that love is when you can't spend your time apart from someone, but with Mike, I was sure that even if we spend our whole lives apart, my love for him will never waver.

He looks at me and places a kiss on my head, and then we walk back to our car and we drive back home, our hands never leaving each other.

                  ................................................................

When we reach my house, we find it empty. 

"Wait here, I'll come in a moment" I say and rush to my room. I open my drawer and bring out my sketchpad. Tearing the sketch of Mike and keeping it safely in my purse, I sling it across my shoulder and go back downstairs.

"Sam called and asked us to come over" Mike says once I reach him

"Okay" I say and we walk towards Mike's house, most probably our last walk together