Night We Met

NIGHT WE MET-INTRODUCTION

"I am not the only traveler

who has not repaid his debt

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

take me back to the night we met"

[song by LORD HURON]

Song is heard in a very frail tone as someone is mumbling the lyrics along. The digital clock shows 3:AM.She was gently touching the flower tattoos in her hand he made. The ones which made her scars fade away. The one who made is the one who made her scars made away.

When she was a dark cloud who's heart was heavy and she rained on him...

took the pain and ceased to be visible

When she was on the journey to capture light to light up her pitch black life, he became the sunshine

and depart

but he mumbled "It's you, It's always been you"

and everything went obscure

then she said to the gods she never believed in as a last resort or atleast to keep her soul from dripping away leaving a living corpse who dosen't have any purpose

" please take me back to the night we met"

and let a silent plea with a suffocated weep as she felt her throat closing up...

an inaudible crying that does not draw attention.

"If someone makes you feel,

let them"

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"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR RAECHEL"

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"knock knock" slight knocking on the door. A gentle and approximately 24-25 looking man. Brunette hair, dark brown eyes , well built figure and stout. He is slowly pacing forward and back waiting for someone to open the door.

"knock knock" now knocking is heard a little harder than before.

"Rae are u still on bed" he leans on the door and is asking to some one.

"Raechel aren't you here" slightly raises the voice in order to make someone who's deeply in sleep to listen.

"That dumbass might still be in bed .I shouldn't have let her go back here" he gently smiles . Slight dimple appears in his cheeks makes him look adorable and gentler than before. Looks like he is recalling some memories.

He raises his hands to knock again. His knocks are just being waste of efforts

Even his knocks are enough to be heard the noises from the air conditioner makes it fade and those faded knocking sound are audible from the inside as it's dark and pixel noise are visible in the visual.

After knocking and wasting efforts as well as 20 minutes from his life he decided to push open the door, but before that mister tries to open the door. He gently rotates the door handle and VIOLA!!! the door opened.

"I should have done this before, this is why Rae calls me baka potpot....... gosh it's been so long since I heard her calling me that." he thought to himself and suddenly a smile appeared in his face and spontaneously it changed into a down face. Can't read the emotion well but I can surely say this that wasn't a satisfied or happy look ,can't even find a bit of happiness from that look .But indeed there's a ray of hope in that face and that sparkle moves this story.

" Will everything go back to the way it was used to be" he thinks and moves forward in order to find the person who he was ought to find there.

He then founds another door and knocks on it.

No response.

Slight air conditioning voice could be heard from that room .He decided to open the door just like how he did with the front door and touched the nob ,but hesitates and thinks for a second.

He called for her "Rae are you in there ?"

Still no response.

"Raechel?"

Silence.

He leans into the door frame touching his forehead to the door and waits for a response. The pain in his eyes are visible but what for ?

He then calls again...

"Rae can you hear me it's potpo- Peter"

No one responded . Not a single sound. The noise from air conditioner and his breath only.

But he was sure that she was here. The silence was the answer. Not the answer that made him happy or the one he wished for. But it was enough for him to feel her presence. He turned away as if he was leaving from there . Took a step forward and suddenly stopped.

"I can't let her be like this anymore, not anymore" He grabs the door noob but is not giving enough force to open it as if something is stopping him. It wasn't something external.

He is stopping himself.

"Am I being selfish?" he asks to himself

"How could this be selfish?" then he touched the door knob

"Should I really leave her to be? with a doubt he takes his hand doff of the knob

An internal conflict has started

"As a civilian I should give her personal space" he stands there

"wait a damn minute, I am not just a civilian. I can't leave her to be like this" he strenuously waves way the wind in his path towards the door knob and grabs it

"No no no no no she will destroy my head with the amazing frying pan me and Aslan decorated for her" suddenly realization hit him like a shock wave and he stopped there for a second. And without thinking he grabbed the handle and pushed it down and the door opened in a whim. Even though he was the one opened it he did not expected it to be so fast.

As the door moved towards the room he stopped it before it hitting the wall and making thud . Sun light emitting from the open window made his eyes shrunk a little because all the other rooms were pitch black.

After adjusting his eyes he looked straight. When he looked forward it wasn't a welcoming view but he was some how expecting that.

A lady figure covered in a cream shade comforter (blanket) and looking towards the window . She didn't even notice a person came into her room and is trespassing. She sat there without any motion as she was thinking of something or was just a corpse sitting in a bed. It was as still like that.

He was sparing some minutes to check if she notices him, but she didn't.

He walked towards her "Rae?"

"Rae have you ate anything" as he was not getting any response he moved towards her and sat closer to her.

He knew everything was cold for her, inside out and around her it's cold, may be... that's why she is seeking warmth from the sun as her sun receded from her view.

Peter knew that that's why he was there to lend his warmth for her.

But it isn't that easy as it looks or may be it's not even looking that easy.

They sat there for another 10 minutes without saying a word neither did they both looked at each other. He was waiting for her to come out of her shell.

(flashbacks)

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR RAECHEL"

"OPEN THE DOOR YOU LITTLE WENCH"

Rae was crouching in the ground trying not to be seen. Heavy breaths were coming out of her small mouth but she was trying so hard to not let a cry out because she dosen't wanted to get noticed by her father who was drunk and roaring out to get his hands at little Raechel. His mind was itching to hear her painful scream as he thrusts his burning cigarette butt against her skin. Her cheeks were red and tears rolled down her face. Her nose were running probably because her lacrimal glands were tired, she used the long sleeve in her frock to wipe it down slowly and silently. She crawled into darkness even more. Loud screams and yells from her drunk father is still audible.

But the visual is slowly fading away along with the sound.

(Reality)

"My father was right, wasn't he?" Raechel asked

Peter's eyes opened as in a shock because of this sudden question from his best friend almost being mute for many more days than you imagine. He hesitated for a second but he clearly knew what she meant. But he didn't show any hesitation in his response

"Is he? hmmmmmm" he acted like he is thinking to answer that question for few moment ; and the sole reason was only to mock her. But he didn't got the usual response as he used to. His chest heaved and he took a deep breath and he looked at her.

She looks so different. She looks life less. The smuggish grin she used to have when she ridiculed him vanished.

"No! He was never right. He was never right on his words as well as deeds" he said.

She didn't gave any response.

"Pretty shame right?" he asked.

"hmm?" Rae hummed as in a questioning tone.

"He was blind to see his angelic daughter's goodness but most importantly he missed the chance to meet her amazing handsome bestfriend" as he said bestfriend a part of his panged a bit.

"haaaaaahhhhh HIS LOSS" he continued

A small smile formed in Rae's lips. It's after a month he's seeing that smile. He felt like if he died right there his dead would have a smiling face.

"what!!!!!? I can't die right now, I've to do a lot of things. This is the youth this world have offered me. You only live once Peter" he was thinking out aloud and Rae heard his loud thoughts.

She asked "you haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"How can I change; I an the one and only" He said that with an achieved smile, then he continued with a change of tone "but I can see alot have changed in you"

A small bland smile appeared in her face....can't say it indicates happiness, then she said "yea I can see that too"

"But that's ok.... now that I'm here EvErYtHiNg'S gOnNa Be OkAy" said Peter in an expressive tone and she pulled her close and hugged her so tight that she started to gasp for air to breath under his embrace.

"LEAVE ME YOU IDIOT, I STILL HAVE THAT FRYING POT WITH ME" said Rae with a bit of anger but a little bit of joy could be seen.

"Now that's more like my wild cat" Peter said with an immense amount of happiness reflecting in his face....but then he saw was a pillow flying towards his face.

Peter couldn't control his happiness because the Raechel he knew was coming out from her sober shell. Is this the feeling of euphoria, he dosen't know.

Looking from outside nothing much have happened...

she just threw a pillow at her and even made a hit threat

.....but it was different, for him.

"Where is Joshua? Is he here with you?" she asked

"Um nope I left him at home. He cried a little when I told I was leaving without him to see you, but he's a good kid. After a few seconds he calmed down himself and he said that he's preparing some surprise for you. I wonder what it is . He didn't even show me a glimpse"

"I'm happy that he's doing ok, I wish I could see him right now" she said while looking at his polaroid pictures that are hung on the wall "you should have come here with him"

"We can meet him today if you are ready to come with me to the outside world. I know it's strange for you but it's so beautiful outside...the grass, the clear sky, flowers, fresh air, etc, etc.... haaaa nature is very beautiful" peter said looking at her with a weird face.

"Are you being serious or are you mocking me?" Rae asked.

"which one do you feel like it"

"The latter"

"Then it should be it"

After a session of being at the odds with each other, everything felt warm. Being locked up by herself for months it started to make her feel lonely too. The alienation felt a little bitter as well, so going out was an inevitability too.

"Let's go somewhere" Peter suggested.

"To where?" she inquired

"let it be a surprise"

"I don't think I'm mentally available for a surprise" she replied

"HEY! don't act like an old wart u stupid wild cat" then he threw the pillow at her.

"Ok then, I think I am ready for an adventure"

"Let's go then"

"Can we meet Joshua on the way or better take him with us"

"May be we should pick him and go for a shopping or something "

"Why can't we take him with us" she questioned.

"It's wiser if it's only us like the good old times" he said. She was still inside her blanket shell "Don't just slouch there MOVE YOUR ASS IDIOT"

She slowly removed the blanket making her collar bone visible. It's not only her attitude everything has changed, looks like she reduced to half... dark circles underneath her eyes, veins pop outs in her arms.

She suffered a lot her whole life but he never saw her being hopeless but now the story is different.

She grabbed her phone. Time shows 3:13pm. LOW BATTERY. She puts it on top of the wireless charger besides her closet.

He leaves the room giving her space to change her attire.

Peter looks around the living room. Every thing looks the same but it doesn't feel like that. In the mean time he tries to clean up the table which is filled with books and some pottery stuffs. He smiles and said "he surely did invested a lot of time and effort for it" grabbing a cup from those he smiles down looking on it " some times it feels like you are still here" saying that he puts that cup down and moves towards the couch to sit.

She came back wearing a pastel purple long dress. It matches her slender figure well.

"Shall we go?" he asked

She hummed yes and they moved outside the room. She locked the door from outside. She opened the left door as he asked "aren't you gonna drive?"

"Don't feel like driving today. Be my charioteer today" she slightly smiled.

It didn't made him feel any easier "I was the one who told her to cry out loud, not to bottle up the pain; But was that a mistake" he thought to himself "I shouldn't have let her mourn alone"

He starts the engine as the car started to move forward. The journey was pretty tense. She wasn't being active, even though there was some attempts from Peter to cheer up the mood it was futile.

He pulled up the car to a parking lot.

As she opened the car door and jumped out the car it felt like spring, the fragrance of prim rose was every where, sunlight, warm breeze. Can't lie it made her feel a little better soon enough memories started too flood through her mind. She stood there as time stopped there.

(flashbacks)

Laughter, kid's playing sounds, more laughter, the image of pure joy...

The scenario of lot's of kids playing, laughing and chatting. They are in a garden with a lot of plants and it's filled with many colourful flowers. Kids are seen plucking flowers, some watering, some planting new ones.

Among then some well dressed nuns are also visible as Chaucer described they look modest and looks like people with well manners. Looks like an orphanage.

"Look what have I got" a young lady said " primroses "

"you've got a lot" said a young boy

"yeah Peter I've got a bunch for everyone. i have colour coded each one for everyone, I heard from head sister that each colour have each meanings"

"That's cool" said a double braided girl, then she enquires "did u go alone to pluck all these?"

" No Annie I wasn't alone Ash was with me"

"Here I got yellow, lilac and yellow coloured ones...Yellow is for Peter, lilac is for Annie and Purple is for Ash"

"Ah kids what are you doing here" A woman who looks like a Nun from the kirk came in between those friend group and asked " OH! aren't these primroses; such lovely flowers with holistic symbols"

"Sister do you know what what each colour symbolizes?" The blue eyed brunette boy asked

"Ah yes Aslan.....Lilac signifies Confidence while yellow symbolizes Optimism and purple means young love or means 'i can't live without you' Oh Aslan got purple onw whom are you gonna give it?"

Peter started "Aslan didn't pluck it's Rae-" before completing the sentence Aslan kicked on Peter's foot a little hard that he started to whimp a bit.

"what was it Peter?" Sister asked

"Oh it's nothing ma'am...it's just a stinging bee" Aslan replied

"Yeah a bee stung on me ma'am" Peter said as well

The novice turned to go away" be careful kids, I'm going to the Cathedral for special prayers"

"Have a nice journey ma'am"

"ohhh! Purple primrose seems like someone can't live without you Aslan" Annie mockingly said. Raechel simply smiled to brush off but it was hard to hide her pink cheeks

Aslan started " If I knew this before I would have done the same"

"Me too" peter said with an enormous smile in his face.

Everyone laugh and the visuals are fading away as a person's voice amplifies

"Raechel!!" "Rae" "hey" suddenly she came back to the where reality witnessing Peter is shouting her name looking worried

"hey are you ok?" she stares blankly for a second as a freshly woken up person from a goodnight sleep

"Rae are u good" Peter continued

"Huhh?"

"i said are u fine"

"oh yes yes, I was just thinking about some old memories"

"do you wanna sit inside the car?"

"No no, I said I'm fine you big little baby"

"Hey then who was day dreaming a little while ago?"

"Peter do you remember our primroses?" Rae asked

"how can I forget those?"

"even if it was momentarily we used to be happy there"

"yeah.......we used to be"