"For darkness restores what light cannot repair." - Joseph Brodsky.

Physical education was the highlight of my day. Running along the tracks with the wind brushing along my face was all I could ask for... and it was my last class for the day. At some point, I'd get carried away, run off course and get scolded by our teacher.

I was alone in this class. Doris didn't fancy sports and Ethan, another friend of ours, preferred arts. Thankfully my classmates for this subject were mainly boys who didn't make much conversation. We just ran laps, stretched and did some exercise routines.

"One more lap!" Mr. Dere called from the bench. One of the girls sprained her ankle, so he sat there with her assessing the injury. I picked up the pace and finished the last lap in under three minutes. "Alright Stone, time to go change," Mr. Dere said once I came to the front. I nodded and made my way to the locker room.

Once I was done freshening up, I proceeded to place my belongings into my track bag. My schedule was cleared for the rest of the day so I didn't rush. I thought about my favourite spot in the schoolyard where I loved to go and sit under the huge willow tree. It's droopy leaves always seemed to sway gently even when the wind wasn't blowing. That was my next stop. I didn't feel like heading straight home.

My ears perked up at the sound of the doors being pushed open. I expected a crowd of students to fill the room since I was the first to finish. But all I heard was the sound of steady footsteps approaching. A familiar head full of shaggy brown hair and grey eyes peered from behind the wall. I groaned internally.

Myles...

"Can I help you?" I asked whilst placing the last of my stuff into the bag. I flung it over my shoulder and turned fully to assess him. He held a playful grin on his lips.

"I thought you might be here," he said as he allowed his full body to come into view. I raised a brow.

"I thought you said you weren't following me," I replied. I hated to admit that I felt a little pretentious that Myles was giving some of his attention, but I was craving some alone time. I tapped my foot impatiently.

"You don't look like the sporty type," he commented, completely ignoring my previous statement. I took a moment to assess my body. Where did the sudden interest in me come from? I rolled my eyes and walked past him. The hallways were empty at this time around. I usually enjoyed the solitary walk until I got home but Myles didn't intend on leaving me alone. I sighed once I felt him looming behind me.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked without turning to look at him.

"You intrigue me." I walked faster. And so did he.

"Go away." I could have seen the weeping willow up ahead, but I decided to go straight home if Myles wasn't going to leave.

"I honestly just want to get to know you better." We were walking side by side. I shook my head and kept my eyes trained at the school exit just ahead. "You can't get rid of me easily." Once we were near the gate I paused for a second and released a shaky breath with my hands clenched at my sides.

"I'm going to tell Doris if you don't leave me alone," I snapped. I thought I saw a nervous look flash across his stormy eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Instead, I saw his signature smug look.

"I doubt you would." I narrowed my eyes. "You know you love this thing." He motioned his hands between the two of us. I snorted.

"This is nothing." I didn't wait for anyone of his snarky responses and quickly walked away. He was so hell-bent on irritating me that I was surprised he didn't follow the rest of the way home. I was thankful. I needed this walk to clear my head.

A few cars drove up and down the streets as I ambled along the sidewalk. Their engines were not the type to startle pedestrians, that is until they sneak up on you on the zebra crossings. Terras was a moderate town all for the next generation lines of transportation that promoted purity of the air. That included softly purring motor engines.

I convinced myself that the vehicles were too shiny for my liking. It's because I'm not vain, I usually told myself. But it was mainly because my mom and I were one of the few that didn't own one.

Before I knew it, I was at my front door. It was late afternoon, but light seeped from under the dark wooden door indicating that my mother was home. She was terrified of the dark and made that a room was lit up, even if the sun was still out.

I walked in and was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. It was a scent that was foreign to me. It took all I had to not peer into the kitchen, but my curiosity got the better of me. The smell of coffee and a warm feeling in the air...

I sighed. We had company. And if my assumption wasn't convincing enough, a string of giggles suddenly erupted from the kitchen. I couldn't take it anymore and made a beeline straight for it.

And there she was, seated on the stool placed near the counter. My eyes fell on the dark-haired man that accompanied her. His dark brooding eyes met mine and a broad smile formed.

"Honey!" my mom cheered. "I'm so glad you're home." She rushed to pull me further into the kitchen. "This is Colton." She was practically bouncing on her heels. Colton's intense stare along with the sophisticated of his expensive dark blue suit was starting to make me feel uneasy.

"You must be Emily," he said with a deep tone. "I've heard so much about you, and now I've finally gotten a chance to meet you." I nodded, unsure of what to say. It didn't matter anyway. Within a few days, he'd be gone and a new man would be sitting here on this very stool.

"Should we tell her?" I heard my mom say. Colton's eyes shifted to my mom.

"Alice..."

"Let's tell her." Something glistened from the corner of my eye. My mom spun me to face her. She looked like she was going to burst from excitement. "Emily, Colton and I are getting married." She then squealed, and Colton let out a deep chuckle from behind me. I didn't notice they were staring until I realized that I hadn't given them any sort of reaction.

I wasn't sure what to do. Should I cry, smile, scream?

"Emily?" my mom said worriedly. I rubbed my eyes.

"Um, wow." I managed to say.

"This is going to be great," Colton said as if trying to reassure me. My mom joined his side and I hated to admit that I'd never seen her this happy. Even when dad was around.

***

And thank you for reading! Hope this caught your interests and that you'd stick around. Don't forget to comment and vote.

Taja D'amore.