"You said you leave when there's nothing left for you to do so what if I gave you a reason to stay?"
View MoreI sat in a small, local diner. For a weekday, it was busier than I was used to seeing. It was a small town so I figured everyone here was familiar with one other. A tight knit community that reminded me of Stars Hollow.
I glanced around, sipping on my chocolate milkshake. I looked at the people surrounding me.
I found it interesting to take note of the people around me, to wonder who they were and make up stories about their lives. My life was one big and meaningless disappointment. It made it much more appealing to pay more attention to others, rather than focus on myself.
A mother sat with her son, he looked to be around the age of nine or ten. She was smiling down at her son, pure adoration in her eyes. The boy was a mess, frankly. He had ketchup on the corners of his mouth. His burger fell apart in his hands, his chocolate shake dripping down onto his white t-shirt. Still, his mother smiled and helped him hold onto the burger. She hardly paid note to the mess the boy was making.
A group of teenagers sat near the back in a booth. Two of them, a brown haired boy and blonde girl sat awfully close, laughing and making fluttery eyes at one other. They were in a relationship, love-sick and very comfortable with PDA. Across from them sat two boys wearing tee's with school logos on them. They all were laughing dreadfully loudly and pushing each other around.
What a happy bundle.
At one table, a boy who also looked like he was in high school sat alone. His head was stuck in a book while a half eaten sandwich sat in front of him. He looked very focused on his book that must've been very interesting. I guess books could be though. Fictional characters were usually better than real people. He looked the complete opposite to the other group of teenagers.
There was also an elderly couple sitting together with their hands intertwined. Wow, who would think relationships last that long? They seemed happy, smiling and laughing weakly.
"Can I get you anything else, dear?"
I looked up. I sat at the counter. The man behind the counter was quite old, maybe sixty. His head was slightly balding and he wore glasses low on his nose. He offered me a kind smile, looking at me with his grey eyebrows raised.
I adjusted on the stool I sat on and shook my head, smiling out of politeness. "No, thank you, sir."
I brought my attention to my chocolate milkshake.
It was very sweet.
The pathetic situation I was sitting in right now, the very one where I sat in this diner and observed people until I had nothing left to think about but my chocolate milkshake - that almost made me want to laugh. How pointless does life have to get for one to spend the night staring at their milkshake?
To leave this planet was a thought that occurred to me often. It was a very tempting thought - a thought I was surprised I hadn't gone through will thus far.
My life didn't offer me anything that made me want to stay here.
The only reason I remained breathing on this wandering star we call Earth was simply because I was convinced there was a reason I must still be here.
Maybe I was desperate to find a meaning behind my utterly lurid existence.
But really, with no family nor friends, no home to go to, a circadian routine that consisted of visually examining a milkshake- with essentially no reason to wake up in the morning, why was I still here? I hardly had any willingness to continue breathing. I was merely just subsisting, floating through life with hardly a thought in my head. Somehow I figure, that if there is a God or any higher power up there, he must be keeping me on my feet for some bizarre reason. Maybe that's wishful thinking but if there is a reason, one day I'll find out what it is.
"Dean, you haven't stopped by in a while, son. Where have you been?" The old man behind the counter, who I was sure was the owner of this diner, was now talking to a man who had just come in. He was standing a few feet away from me. I couldn't see him because of the hood that remained over my head.
"Just busy, Ben. You know the crazy schedules." The guy beside me had a deep and masculine voice. He let out a short chuckle that sounded almost forced.
This man named Dean pulled out a stool that was one away from mine and sat down.
"Would you like your usual?" Ben, the old man asked him with a neighbourly smile. Made sense - small town life made one local familiar with another.
I never had a sense of familiarity and neighbourliness like that in my life. The thought of it made me want to laugh- I could not imagine making small talk with the barista I got coffee from every morning.
"Ah, just a mug of Anne's hot cocoa tonight. Thanks." This time, Dean's voice sounded less tense.
"Right up, son." Ben walked off, going behind into the kitchen.
I continued sipping on my milkshake slowly, letting my tastebuds devour each bit of the chocolaty goodness. It felt nice to take a minute to appreciate the sweetness of what I was consuming as sometimes days would go by without me eating a single proper meal.
The countertop was white granite. I could appreciate how modernized this diner was. If it were retro, I would have already left with a headache.
From the way I stared at the granite counter, my gaze could have burned holes through the surface. As if this countertop were the most intriguing thing to exist.
It really wasn't.
"Here you go, son. Let me know if you need anything else." Ben slid a mug of hot cocoa toward dean. He was about to walk away when he glanced at me again.
"Doing alright? Get you anything else?"
I brought my head up and looked at the man. I forced a tight smile. "I'm alright, sir. Thank you."
Ben returned a smile before walking off.
"Quiet-but polite."
Dean's voice was inviting, amused.
I looked over, unsure if he were talking to me or someone else. He was young, maybe a year or two older than me. His brown hair was swept upwards, towards the side. His eyes were strikingly blue, slightly grey. Gunmetal. They looked like the ocean. His ear was pierced.
A bemused little smirk laid on his face as he peered at me.
I raised an eyebrow, my face straight. "Would you be talking to me?"
He glanced from side to side before his eyes settled on me once again. "Is there anyone else in the proximity?"
I pulled my hood off my head. I couldn't help narrowing my eyes. "Then clearly I look more inviting than I thought because I didn't know I was talking to you."
He didn't seem offended by my bluntness. In fact, he looked more beguile "Polite one moment, snippy the next. How does that work?"
"Does it work? Doing a psychoanalysis on strangers? If anything, it's a little creepy." Why was he talking to me? I just wanted to finish my milkshake in silence.
He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head lightly. "Well, aren't you charming?"
I looked at him for a moment longer. Then, I pulled my hood back over my head and resumed staring at my milkshake. I sipped the last of it before pulling some bills out of my pocket and dropping them on the counter.
I stood, ready to leave when Dean spoke again. "Are you only polite to elderlies, then?"
Oh, I've seen guys like him before.
They think they're oh-so charming, that anyone will swoon over their mediocre attempts to be flirty. God, I much rather bash my head into the granite counter.
I didn't have time for this.
Or the better way to put it, I didn't have the energy for this.
I turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. "Cancel my subscription. Your voice is giving me a migraine."
Then, I left.
It was a cool autumn night, the wind blowing on our faces as we walked down a vacant street. This late at night, it felt like we were the only people in town. I liked the peacefulness of it. Hot chocolate in our hands, our other hands intertwined and swinging with each step we took.I leaned into Dean's side, his body-heat radiating onto me."I suggest a turtle or something." Dean cocked his head towards me, grinning. "A dog is so cliched. Although, maybe we could get both.""A turtle." I hummed. "That's not a bad idea-but can you buy sea horses here?"Dean let out a breathy chuckle. "Sea horses? You want sea horses as a pet?"I shrugged softly. I peered at him. His eyes held the same warmth I should have been used to my now. Still, looking at him made my heart swell. "What? Wouldn't that be cool though? How many houses can you walk into, to see an aquarium of sea horses?"Dean sipped his hot chocolate, licking his lips. "We may as well buy a couple jelly fish. No?"I quirked an eyebr
LAST CHAPTER It was a cool autumn night, the wind blowing on our faces as we walked down a vacant street. This late at night, it felt like we were the only people in town. I liked the peacefulness of it. Hot chocolate in our hands, our other hands intertwined and swinging with each step we took. I leaned into Dean's side, his body-heat radiating onto me. "I suggest a turtle or something." Dean cocked his head towards me, grinning. "A dog is so cliched. Although, maybe we could get both." "A turtle." I hummed. "That's not a bad idea-but can you buy sea horses here?" Dean let out a breathy chuckle. "Sea horses? You want sea horses as a pet?" I shrugged softly. I peered at him. His eyes held the same warmth I should have been used to my now. Still, looking at him made my heart swell. "What? Wouldn't that be cool though? How many houses can you walk into, to see an aquarium of sea horses?" Dean sipped his hot chocolate, licking his lips. "We may as well buy a couple jelly fish. No?"
6 Years LaterI found my reason. I found that bizarre reason I was still breathing and alive on this terrible planet.That reason was Dean.Dean changed my mind.I do believe in love.Love is feeling that first pull towards someone you probably thought you wouldn't like.I raised an eyebrow, my face straight. "Would you be talking to me?"He glanced from side to side before his eyes settled on me once again. "Is there anyone else in the proximity?"I pulled my hood off my head. I couldn't help narrowing my eyes. "Then clearly I look more inviting than I thought because I didn't know I was talking to you."It's the choice of commitment-to continuously make it work. It's knowing almost everything about them without them having to show or tell. Love is remembering and noticing the tiniest details about them."The feeling of love is not having to act crazy over them to know you're indeed in love. It's risking your happiness for theirs. It's something that will save you from your depressio
I was furiously shoving the few belongings I had into my suitcase.I needed to get out of here.Like, now.My mind was spinning, my chest was aching-everything just sucked.God, I am so sick and tired of this stupidly unfair and cruel world.A rapid knocking on the door made me freeze. I blinked.A whole minute later, the knocking didn't stop. I pulled my gun out from under the pillow before cautiously, walking over to the door. I looked through the peephole. It was Dean.Wait.Dean?What the hell is he doing here?How did he even find me?My mind swirled with thoughts and questions, half of which were probably insignificant. My heart was racing. I was frozen in spot, frantic and unsure. Do I open the door? Do I pretend I'm not here?"Elettra, I know you're in there!" Dean's loud voice was slightly muffled through the door.I gritted my teeth, fury taking over every other emotion I was feeling. I swung the door open while shoving the gun into the waistband of my jeans."What do you wa
DEAN'S POV"Dean."I glanced at Ben, giving him a questioning look. He motioned for me to come over."What's up?" I leaned against the counter.He paused for a moment. "You were with a girl," he noted. He was missing his usual playful, teasing tone.I laughed awkwardly. "Uh-yes, that's right. I was."He pursed his lips in thought. He looked far too intrigued by the counter he was wiping down. "Was it a date?"He didn't seem-happy. That was usual. He was the one eager for me to find a wife. He was the one always encouraging me to start dating.I cocked my head to the side. "It was. I met her at the library the other day. We started talking, she was nice so I-I suggested lunch. Her name's Isabelle."I smiled faintly. Isabelle had just left, right before Ben called me over. It was a-fairly decent date, I suppose.Ben peered at me in thought, his eyes slightly squinted. There was something he was not telling me, I could see it on his face. My smile vanished, I stood up straight. "What is
I could feel nothing but conflicted and confused. It was surrounding me like an ocean of water, slowly bringing me further and further under the surface. I couldn't think straight.Days had passed since the night of the party. An acumen behind my perplexity was the loss of why I was still in this town. There was nothing here for me. Under usual circumstances, I would have already moved on to the next best place. No friends, no family, no house, no possible opportunity to win the lottery-so what was holding me back from leaving?Honestly, I didn't really need to ask myself that question.Although, not leaving this town wasn't the only thing taking my mind for a spin. Dean hadn't spoken to me since the party. When I woke up the next morning with my skull feeling as if it were being pierced repeatedly, he was gone. He had left a note saying he had to meet a friend.I woke up in his bed and he left me a goddamn note.The party itself was mostly a blur.I hadn't seen Dean around anywhere-b
"You and Callaway's boy have become good friends, huh?" Ben looked at me with a quirked eyebrow as he handed me my usual chocolate shake.I smiled faintly, shrugging. "Dean-I guess so. A little." Most of the time he would just join me without invitation.But he had asked me to stay.That made me rivet with anxiety and dread.I didn't want to care about Dean.Everyone I had ever cared about had left me."He's a good kid," Ben continued. "Hasn't taken much interest in a girl since high school."I smiled politely, watching as he walked off. My stomach was twisting so much I could hardly look at my chocolate shake. I sighed, pulling my hood over my head. Talking about Dean was not helping my already conflicted mind."It's a Friday night-should I be surprised that you're spending it sitting here, sipping a chocolate shake?"I closed my eyes as Dean sat down beside me. I could feel the warmth radiating off his body. I could smell his woodsy smell. Cedarwood, cypress and pine."Boring town.
I was giggling like a school girl. "Phil, stop it!"Phil tickled my sides, hovering over me as I squirmed around on the bed. He stopped, looking down at me with mischief in his eyes.I regained my breath, shoving him lightly. "You're not allowed to take advantage of my ticklishness."Phil only smiled. His eyes glinted. He reached a hand up, brushing hair away from my face. "Ellie, you are the most adorable sight I have ever seen."I quirked an eyebrow. "You've hardly seen any sights, Phil."Phil rolled his eyes, jumping into bed beside me. He wrapped his arms around me in such a protective manner, it made my stomach flutter. He pulled me closer into his chest. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"I traced circles over his shirt, on his chest, with my finger. "Hmm. I'd go to space."Phil glanced down at me, his eyebrows raising. "Space? What would you possibly do up there?"I shrugged lightly, leaning my head into his chest. "I'd float. I'd be free."Phil kissed
All night, I tossed and turned-and this time, it was not because of the springy motel mattress that usually kept me up."You said you leave when there's nothing left for you to do. So-what if I gave you a reason to stay?"Dean's words rang in my head like a broken record. I didn't know how to make it stop. I hadn't even given him a proper response."You said you leave when there's nothing left for you to do. So-what if I gave you a reason to stay?"It felt like there was a lump lodged into my throat. I gnawed on my bottom lip, suddenly feeling very squeamish. Nobody had ever once cared what I did or where I went. Nobody had ever wanted me-wanted me to stay, for them."Things are-" I exhaled sharply. "Things are more complicated than that, Dean."Dean shook his head, as if he were refusing to listen to what I had to say."You haven't stuck in one place since you were twelve. Just give it a chance, Elettra."I inhaled sharply. My lungs felt like they were throbbing in pain. My entire che
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments