𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ☽

✯ chapter XIV

ELEANORA

   i woke up to the feeling of loneliness, elio's presence had left me as i laid wrapped in the white comforter. despite the throbbing in my eyes when i opened them, that was the best nights sleep i'd had in weeks. i had nothing to get up for, only rudolph's peach, i turned to get up to see the pinky fruit laid on the cabinets next to the door with a note tucked underneath it. meet me at the spot and this is for the bird, don't pull that stunt again.

   i placed it next to the window before going into the bathroom to wash, oliver's red swimming trunks were draped over the taps as usual. he must of already been for a swim, i opened my wardrobe to see oliver's blue shirt hanging there. he'd want it back now, i slipped past it and put on a swimming costume and a pair of shorts on.

   breakfast had finished and the sense of loneliness filled me again, no one was here. it just felt so bare, dad wasn't in the study and mamma wasn't shouting down the phone at whatever telemarketer had disrupted her reading.

   "Ah! Eleanora" Mafalda wrapped me in a hug and passed me a little pot of blueberries with a smile, "i was told not to wake you"

"by who?" i asked gently, my throat was still sore and my voice hadn't fully returned since my screaming fit last night.

"by me" i heard a small voice pipe up behind me as i turned, oliver stood there with a small bouquet of flowers in his hands, he passed them to me and kissed my cheek softly before holding his hand out for me to take.

oliver was much more gentle today, almost as if he was being cautious. i don't want things to be neither awkward or distant between us because i still love and care for him, no matter who he loves in return.

"hi" i smiled at him while mafalda watched rolling her eyes, by coincidence of course, mafalda opened a cupboard behind me and as she bent down to pick up some pots she pushed me forward and into the american.

"i shall see you later" she told us before bidding us goodbye, i held oliver's hand as he lead me to our bikes.

the air felt heavy and was pressing down on my chest as my breaths felt forced and almost painful. i went to pick up my bike off of the floor but was stopped my oliver, "no, you're on the handlebars" he told me and dragged me over to his own bike he must have bought.

he helped me on and steadied the bike as i held the blueberries in my hand and leant against his shoulder, he brushed my hair out of his eyes and began to bike down the long bare roads surrounded by corn and crickets.

the bike wobbled from time to time as my hand automatically reached for his and latched on desperately. it wasn't long before we got to the berm near to elio and i's spot. i'd never shown oliver our secret location which means elio must of at some point, it didn't make me as angry as i thought it would.

   i didn't mind oliver knowing of our place, he'd welcomed me into his heaven and let me stay there for a while. it was only right that we allowed him into ours. i took off my shorts and left them at the bike and walked down to the pond to see elio sat on the bank with a picnic laid out for us. i ran over to him and hugged him before taking a seat next to the curly haired boy.

   i wrapped a towel around my body as when i sat down the layer's of fat on my stomach started to show more than they usually did. i didn't bring any attention to my insecurities but oliver noticed instantly and sort of pushed the towel from my shoulder to show some of my stomach off, "you don't need to" he told me and resumed his conversation with my brother.

   i pushed it off of my completely, caught oliver smile slightly and looked down at myself, then to my brother. we're so different but yet so alike. i'm not slim like him, i'm fuller but he didn't make me feel as if that was an issue.

   "whoever is last into the water is a rotten egg" oliver shouted as i finished my last blueberry, this must be another american term that i hadn't heard before. i sat on the bank confused as the boys dived into the deeper end of the pond, the deepest the water got was to my ears but to oliver. it just reached the base of his neck.

   we spent the whole afternoon in the sun, splashing and playing. mamma and papa joined us in the evening as mafalda had brought us dinner to eat on the berm, i begged her to join us in the water but she shot me a serious but playful glance that only she could do and muttered, "i'm too old for this stuff"

   "you're never too old mafalda" i told her and managed to persuade her to dip her feet in the water. papa sat and read his book and mamma sung while sitting in the glow of the sunset.

   oliver and i were left in the water, he turned to me a few times as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself just as the words were about to edge out of his mouth.

   "i'm not mad you know" i told him as i wrapped my legs around him in the water, "i love you and because i love you i need to let you go"

   a wave of relief flooded his face as he placed his final kiss on my lips, i knew it would be the last because it was longer than our previous connections. "thank you" was all he managed to compose before he ducked me under the water and climbed out, running behind mafalda for protection.

  this was the last night we all spent together, manfedi joined us even later as he brought lanterns and candles. this was my favourite night, everyone together singing and dancing, hugging and kissing.

   and that's when it hit me. i would never be without oliver and oliver would never be without me. our memories of this summer will stay with us for eternity. i caught his olive skin in the lantern as his eyes connected with mine and under my breath i shared a secret with him, "from me to you. forever"