The Breath Of His

8. Hear the baby cupids singing hallelujah inside my head

An involuntary scream escaped my lips while I cover my eyes with my arms with the anticipation of the racks and the items on it crushing me. It was only this morning that I had got myself out of that damned cast and here I was again, probably it was time to get myself a casket this time.

I am hit by something but not the racks, because though it had knocked the air out of me, it didn't crush me to death. I was instead engulfed by it and a sense of motion had taken over me. I feared to open my eyes only to realise them to be the objects from the shelf that were wooshing past me. The loud crash echoed through the space, deafening me in the process only making me snuggle closer to whatever was shielding me.

Finally, the noise had died leaving the store in pin drop silence and that was when I realised that I remained unscathed in the mess that should have rendered me to my deathbed.

The tingling of my skin grabbed my attention and the intoxicating smell that had become one of my favorite fragrance enveloped me making me to whip my head up to find a pair of familiar, beautiful silver-grey eyes staring down at me. The silver in eyes looked like beautiful light emitted by a black sun, it light flickered and danced, entrancingly. His defined jaw line clenched giving it even more of a sharpness and his high cheekbones could make a runway model envious. The golden halo of his hair made him look angelic making my heart pick up it's already fast pace. Might even drill through my chest and take off to God knows where.

He stood a whole foot taller than me as his lean frame engulfed me in it's warmth. Up this close to him, I could hear the baby cupids singing hallelujah inside my head. No wonder why everyone wanted a piece of them, desperately.

We stood like that with time frozen or that was what I thought about the mere two minutes that had ticked by before he let go of me and walked towards the exit, away from the direction people were pouring in. And that was it, I ran after him only to be stopped by Ivan who held my shoulders and questioned me about something that I was not paying any attention to. My ears were still buzzing with the whistle making it difficult to hear any sound and the next thing I know, everything went dark.

I woke to the sound of waves crashing outside the window, the room was dark with the moonlight streaming in as the only source of light.

I found my mom sleeping by sitting on a chair with her head on the side of my bed. She looked tired and I felt guilty for being the major reason to contribute to her tiredness. The alarm clock showed it was a little past two in the morning and I already felt like I had slept for a century.

Slowly lifting the bedsheet, careful to not wake mom up, I climbed down the bed and headed to the window. The cold breeze hit my making me reflexively rub my arms and relax the raised hair on my body.

The same old view came into sight, the moon looked dull due to countless clouds passing. The waves clashed and rose higher. The sand looked grey underneath the moonlight, reminding of a particular pair of enchanting eyes I wished to see once more. The pair of eyes I couldn't seem to forget no matter what I did. The pair of eyes that felt so familiar yet it felt like Deja Vu.

Even now, I could could think about how the scene outside my window reminded me of his eyes, like it was those pair before me rather than the ocean on a dull moon night.

I wanted to meet him and tell him that I had seen his eyes long before we met. Or was he a part of my life that I didn't remember? The dark day of my life? I don't know how but I was pretty sure that he was somehow related to it.

I wanted to know more, and I was going to get those details no matter what.

******

"It would have been better if you took a day off to rest today," mom's worry seeped through her voice as I put my lunch in my bag and closed the zipper.

"It's alright mom, I'm fine. Anyway I have missed many classes, I cannot afford to miss anymore if I want to graduate high school this year," I sighed swinging my bag over my shoulder.

She didn't reply but the worry did not dim away from her features.

Ivan had to face a whole worried family and questions yesterday, especially the screaming and yelling of a scared mother and father. Turns out I might have lost my consciousness due to the shock I had received from the close accident.

The doctors were never sure with regards to me who had put their entire study to question.

I gave mom a tight lipped smile before heading out to the car with my awaiting father in the driving seat.

The drive to school took the usual time, even though it looked longer since my dad had been absent minded the entire ride. There weren't any usual scoldings or lectures, there wasn't any argument between us. He didn't even tell me to put on my seatbelt. Like over night he had aged ten years at once.

It ached my heart to see them like that and made me take a resolve that now matter how troublesome things turn out in the future, I must not let it go to my already worried parents. I couldn't possibly want to add more to their plate than they already have.

He stopped the car by the entrance and I undid my seatbelt, "see you in the evening, dad."

"Snow," he called out when I had opened the door making me turn and look at him in acknowledgement.

"You don't have to force yourself to be normal like other, we want you to know that we love you no matter what," he said seriously making my heart ache more for them.

"Thank you dad, love you too," I gave a little smile before climbing out.

Letting go of a staggered breath, I steeled my nerves and headed into the building. Unlike the rest of the times, people actually turned to look at me even when I wasn't hobbling with a crutch in my hand.

I don't know what made me stand out for getting so much of attention.

Down the corridor I saw the familiar figures of TWPs standing by their usual place. Even before me eyes had sighted them, my senses had picked up their presence, a dull electric current in the air had raised my hair and I could tell from where it was coming. The pressure increased in their presence. As if feeling what I felt, I watched Vann turn to glance at me before turning away just as quickly away if nothing had happened. But I wasn't going to let this slide so easily.

I hastened my steps towards them when suddenly Reed bounce before me out of nowhere making me come to a sudden halt.

"Hi there," he breathed with a smile making me reply back a greeting as my eyes flicked to look at TWPs who were busy with their conversation except for Vann who was now looking in our direction.

"I don't know if you remember me, I'm Reed--" I cut him off saying, "I remember you Reed."

"Cool, I wanted to apologise to you about day before yesterday," he added scratching the back of his neck.

"It's alright, it's long forgotten," I dismissed the topic trying to walk around him to towards TWPs.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," he added dragging my attention at the same time increasing my impatience. Just get this over with alright, I had other things to do!

I tapped my feet waiting for his next sentence. He cleared the throat and took his own sweet time stammering as he added, "if you don't mind can you teach me organic chemistry after school? I found out that you have perfect score in the subject."

"I missed the school for an entire two months, the perfect score you saw was from previous year," I deadpanned.

"Er..." Reed scratched his head while he flushed visibly.

"What my egghead of a friend here wants is to ask you to hangout with us after the school," Mitch came to stop beside Reed and grabbed him in a headlock before ruffling his hair.

Not too behind them was the beautiful and sporty Reese who was Reed's twin sister and now the girlfriend of Mitch's.

"Let go of me, you t**t!" Reed pushed Mitch away who was laughing as he asked, "t**t seriously? Is that the best you could come up with?"

I looked over my shoulder to find TWPs leaving to wherever they were heading to. I didn't have time for witnessing quarrels of others, I needed to talk to Vann.

"I need to get going," I announced as I turned to hurry after TWPs.

"You didn't reply to me yet," Reed called after me making me reply without thinking or even registering the answer I had given, "alright."

I ignored the cheering and laughter that was happening behind me. Call me an i***t because I know that I was one.

But all that mattered right here, right now was to catch up with the TWPs as fast as I could and get the answers for questions I was searching for.