"Darra..." She said lightly as she rushed to him and hugged him tightly as if never going to see him again. "Oh, Darra...I'm so sorry you had to hear that."
"Mum...are you going to sell me off? Get me married to "
"No! Never Darra, you will be the one to choose the one you will marry. Don't make that mistake. Never take anyone's wrong advice when it comes to matters of love. For those matters, only the heart knows the answer." She smiled, wiping off the small tears that were beginning to fall down his soft, pale cheeks. 

"Mum, I-I want to see Grace." He asked softly as he looked down, feeling ashamed. A tear rolled down her cheek, not because of sadness or sorrow, but because she felt happy for her son. Her eyes had that sparkle again. The one that made Darra feel at home anytime he felt sad and alone. "Tell me, why do you want to see Grace all of a sudden? Huh? Huh?" She tickled her son with a big smile on her face. His soft laughter filled the empty sad room, making it seem like nothing ever happened. "No particular reason, I just want to see her." He lied. Even though his mother assured him that he wasn't going anywhere, he had a feeling, deep down inside him that he was never going to see his mother, or his father, and most of all, Grace, ever again.

"But it's so late at night my dear. Do you think her parents will let you in?" She asked with a questioning look, somehow knowing that his son had other ways of getting to Grace. "I have my ways, Mum. So will you let me go?"
"Okay, okay, 30 minutes and you better be back." She said, threatening him with her pointing finger. He chuckled, "Okay mum." He went upstairs to go change and he found himself opening the window, sneaking out as he usually did. 

"Why don't you use the door?" His mother asked, with her arms folded, leaning on the wall beside the door to his bedroom, as a slight smirk appeared on her face. The boy's smile faded and now his mother knew that he sneaks out. "Uhm...uhh I just wanted some...fresh air...!" He said, putting on a big, flashy smile. She laughed and then looked him dead in the eye. "No more sneaking out at night to go see Grace I don't care if she has a thousand flowers on her head and she smells like Jasmine. Ask permission first!"

His mother was pretty and kind when she wanted to be, but when she warns you, for your sake, don't make the mistake again. She can also be angry and furious just as good as she is at being kind. He sighed. "Fine" and he jumped off his bed and walked past his mother with her nodding her head, proud of her amazing parenting skills.

Darra threw some pebbles at Grace's window, if anything, Grace's name was nothing like her. She turned on her light opened her window, screaming at Darra for waking her so late at night. "Sshhh! You'll wake up the whole town!" Darra tried to calm her down, it seemed to work. Reminding her, if she was a hothead, what of her parents. Darra was able to climb the tree that was next to her window. He used a branch as his way in, leaning on it so it could go further down to be able to feel the ground at his feet. Then let it go, the branch storming out the window and the tree shaking wildly.

 "What are you doing here?" Grace asked Darra, tapping her foot on the floor repeatedly. He regretted waking her up, knowing she hated it. People disturbing her sleep was one of the reasons she could blow up the entire town if she wanted. "I just came to...uhh..." He felt a wave of uneasiness and warmth coming up his cheeks. He always messed up his words around her, especially when trying to say something of the heart. Grace noticed his uneasiness and took a step closer.

 "Hey, Darr? Are you okay?" She leaned her forehead on his and looked him in the eye. He was able to smell her scent of jasmine, and a thousand flowers, just like his mother said. Looking at the glint of worry and curiosity in her eye, he saw the smallest freckles on each side of her nose that made her look even prettier. And her lips, pink and plump with a small frown on them. Oh, how he wishes he could see that big smile on her face. With her that close, he got redder, much, much redder. "You look red. And your forehead is hot."

"I'm fine!" He said, distancing himself from her, about to fall over small boxes in her room. She looked angry now. "Darra! Tell me what you came here to do or I'm throwing you out the window!" She whisper-shouted as she didn't want to wake her parents, or they'd throw her out the window. "I came here to say goodbye..." He finally spat out...looking at the ground. "I don't know if I'll see you again, but I just wanted to see you before I leave."
"Wha-what do you mean?"
"I can't really explain it...it's...complicated."

 She took his hand in hers, and Darra looked up to a close-eyed, wide smiling Grace. He was right. She always cheered him up, even in the saddest of times. He wished that time would just stand still, just for a minute or two, so he could stare at her smile, and remember it forever. He felt the uneasiness set free of him as a warmth covered his body. "You can tell me everything you know?" She said, opening her eyes, and her smile not as wide as before. 

"Or nothing at all. I'm here for you." She let go of his hand and moved to the desk on the other side of the room. She pulled one of the drawers and pulled out two small phones. They were old-style, seemed to be from the 19-80's but it still worked. "And I will always be. It's not much. I've always had two of them. My grandmother's gift to me before she died. I've been closely attached to them, now I'm closely attached to you..." She said, smiling softly with her gaze at her feet. Then she raised her head and looked jolly again. "We can keep in touch with these." She handed him one and he took it, lightly smiling, feeling ever so pleased. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart." He said, holding it tightly as he faced the other side, ready to go back home in peace.

He always saw in the movies, things in this situation ending with a hug or a kiss. But to him, just the fact that he was able to see her smile again, was enough. "I have to go home now, it's really late and my mum could be worried." He stood at her window pane, ready to jump down. "Wait..." 

He heard her voice, shaking a bit but still holding a little bit of happiness. He turned around only to see her holding the cell phone close to her heart, with tears in her eyes, threatening to pour down her face, and a sad smile stood frozen on her lips. "I'll miss you." She mumbled, moving closer to him and lightly embracing him as if he would shatter at the slightest squeeze. He stood still, as he heard her soft sobs, unable to think properly on what to do. His heart thumping so loud it was ready to break out his chest. 

"You are the best friend anyone could have and if they ever bully you, there are just pieces of skunk skin in a pepper pot." She said then letting him go. Wiping the tears off her face. She snorted really loud someone would think she was half pig. He smiled, trying his hardest not to show his sadness. 

"I'll have my phone at all times." He said, putting his right hand which carried the phone, at his chest, where his heart lay. "I promise." He said, placing his foot on one of the small boxes in her room, making him look like some sort of Knight. She softly laughed, snorting again and she did the same. "I promise too!" She said smiling at him. And he was the happiest on his way home, with the fact that he was able to see her, one last time. But that pit of unsureness was growing bigger and bigger. He knew he wouldn't come back, that was for sure!