Return
by Kaelanti
There's nothing quite like the scent of grass freshly mowed, and Gerald Field is always kept neat. She stretches out on the ground, her arms spread and her hair, no longer in the pigtails of her youth, fanning behind her. Her eyes are on the clouds, watching as each fluffy mound of white moves along. There's something about the air here, some quality that makes it easier to breathe here, contrary to the smog that often clouds the city. It is something to do with her youth, but that was a long time ago, and she's a different woman now.
The sounds of the city mask his approach until he can look straight down in her eyes, his hair shorter, but still tall enough to block her view of the sky. "You came back," he says, and there's something in his dark eyes that catches in the pit of her stomach and warms it a little. Helga just leans her head to one side pointedly, trying to look around him, and he takes the hint, moving to sit down next to her so that she can see the sky once more. When the silence between them is broken, it's him talking again. "Why did you come back?"
"Someone had to," is her answer, but not her reason. It will take longer than a few moments of silent camaraderie for her to give that up to him. Within a moment, he's stretched out beside her, his hands pillowing his head and his eyes on the sky as well. There is something comfortable in the way he fits right there. Gerald was in Gerald Field and all was finally right with the world again, or as right as it would ever be.
For nearly an hour, they stay like that, not touching, not talking. There are plenty of words to be said between them, but not just yet. Those words are for later, when he realizes that she's back in the neighborhood for good, and they run into each other at the grocer's, or on the sidewalk. For now, she knows that it's late enough for school to be out, and that soon enough, the sound of childish voices will fill Gerald Field again. So up she gets, dusting off the seat of her jeans and hesitating a single second before holding out a hand to him.
When his skin touches hers, there's a faint undercurrent of electricity in the couching warmth of friendship. He lets her haul him to his feet, and when he grins, she can see that the old charm is still there. She tugs her hand back, shoving both in her pockets and turning away. "I'm headed home," she says, and takes a step away as he laughs softly.
"Welcome back, Helga," he answers. It's followed rather quickly by a promise that teases at the warm pit of her stomach. "I'll see you soon." And as she walks away, she realizes that she's looking forward to it.