"Once I found a butterfly's wing on the sidewalk.
I wanted to keep it but I didn't.
I knew there were things I should never find beautiful
Like death
And girls."
-Crab Apple Pirates, Andrea Gibson
x
Her eyelids fluttered softly
the way the wings of a butterfly
flutter against gentle fingers.
I wanted to put my gentle arms around her.
I wanted to hold her close and whisper to her
at night
when she felt alone
that I am still fascinated with her.
(the way she talks, moves, smiles…)
I didn't want to tell her I loved her
(but I did. Oh God, I did)
.
I visited her every day in hospital,
every day since her accident
(the one I try to forget).
Some days, she seemed to get better
like seeing me was a means of restoration.
Her breathing would grow from a
thin, scattered, scarce
to a
healthy, refreshing, crescendo.
I whispered furtive "I love you"s
(but only after she was sound asleep)
.
Far sooner than anyone'd imagined
(all those years ago, when she was healthy –
when she was just a child, though she still is now),
she was slipping fast,
and I knew holding onto her
would become like trying to keep water in a cupped hand:
right when you think you can hold it,
everything falls between your fingers.
I hadn't cried
for years.
That day, I didn't stop
for what seemed like years.
That night, her breathing thinner than ever before,
I whispered desperate "I love you"s
(maybe she heard me this time)
.
They all asked what her last words were.
I was there, I knew
(though I was the only one).
But how could I tell everyone that the last thought
on her mind
was me?
How was I to tell them
how she – my cousin – had pulled me close,
mouth close to my ear and whispered
"I've loved you, too"
before kissing me in a way I'd only dreamed of?
How was I to tell them I'd loved her?
(I never told them)
.
They lowered her into the earth
well before her time.
That day, I cried for more than a lost cousin, a friend.
I cried for a lost lover.
One I'd never have again.
(It was our little secret)
x
For Camp Potter Week 2 (Arts and Crafts using the prompts scattered, butterfly wings, and crescendo). Also for the I Kissed a Girl Competition (pairing: Molly/Dominique)
This will be a drabble collection of (at least) 10 drabbles centered around Molly/Dominique. I'm open to prompts/inspiration for future drabbles as well, so if you've got suggestions, you can leave a review to let me know! Thanks for reading.