Hello everyone,

As usual, my apologies for being absent for so many months. I have been busy – great surprise – and am still busy. Incredibly, a lot has happened – yet again – in my life, and although I have supposedly become wiser in some aspects, in others, I'm as lost as a child would be when facing unfamiliar environments. Anyhow, this is just a short drabble I wanted, needed, to get out since I experienced something akin to a "heartbreak," in the romantic sense (it's not that devastating really, but more than being hurt, I'm very disappointed) (sigh). My fault really for believing in sweet words. Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I still hoped. I was too naïve and well, here I am facing the so-called consequences.

Bleh. That's life. You fall, you get up, you fall again, and the cycle continues.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it,

V

Standard disclaimers apply

Patiently Waiting

By Vic'chonn

Finalized April 30, 2008

He counted to one hundred for the second time that night and still nothing. He sighed. It was ridiculous. He had proven that he was a patient man and yet, it seemed that it was fruitless. Patience be damned.

Looking at the clock on his pristine white wall, he walked toward the window and looked at the sky. It had been four days, four days since she had left and still nothing. He was waiting for a signal, something, anything that could confirm her words, her promise.

The first day after she left, he had looked under the couch, under the bed, inside the closet, everywhere around the house to find a letter, a note, a piece of paper that could have something written from her. After all, writing was one of her passions and he was so sure that she would leave something he could read during her absence.

The second day, he had waited for the phone to ring. He remembered her saying that she liked to give surprise calls, to delight people when they weren't expecting anything at all. The call never came but instead, he had wasted another twenty-four hours sitting inside a clean and silent apartment.

The third day wasn't that easy either. He had decided that he needed to go to work instead of waiting for a surprise or something shocking, but nothing happened. He came back home, ate some dinner, checked his email, took a shower, watched some TV, read a book, and when his eyelids seemed to be winning the battle against sleep, he decided that he needed some rest.

The clock showed that it was already twelve and seven minutes and he sighed dejectedly. This would be the fifth day. And nothing. Absolutely nothing. He knew she was very absent-minded (sometimes), but a promise like the one she had made couldn't be broken. No. She had promised and he knew she would deliver.

Waiting for a little bit longer, making a wish as a shooting star graced the sky, he decided that it was getting late, too late to keep waiting. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. He had hope. Yes, he would see what tomorrow would bring.

The day was cold although the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Tilting his head to the side, he considered the white piece of marble standing before him.

"This is funny," he said using a soft tone, "I think this is revenge. I made you wait for a few years and I think you're doing the same now." His eyes, blue like the ocean, read the words that were carved on the shiny surface.

"It has been two years and still nothing," he arched a perfect dark eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "Your dad found your bracelet though. It was under his desk. Would you believe that? And here I thought you had looked everywhere."

He assumed a squatting position and then decided that it was more comfortable to rest his weight on one of his knees. "I need to know that you're still with me." He whispered the words as the wind started to pick. He placed a bouquet of red roses on the ground, next to the marble.

"I love you, and I always will, Sere." He stood up and traced the name on the marble. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Smiling sadly, turned to leave. However, hesitantly, he looked back at the roses. "I'm still waiting."

He ran like he had never run before. He was a desperate man. Doctors and nurses dressed in white, patients and relatives, people around the hospital hallway were staring at him, he knew, but he didn't care.

Stopping at a room that was filled with familiar faces, he ignored the voice of his mother, the voice of his best friend, of her mother and father, and simply pushed through what he considered a mass of people and went to her.

She lay there, pale and fragile, defeated and hurt.

With tears in his eyes, he called after her. She didn't respond. Trembling, he got closer and caressed her face. "Sere, wake up." He called.

"Sere, please, open your eyes." He pleaded two more times before her lids slowly lifted up. She tried to smile but it was impossible for her to do so. She was too tired. She was too weak.

She was dying

There were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many confessions, so many truths and yet, there wasn't any time at all. So he only blurted the first thing that came to his mind – the only thing he had wanted to tell her since he was seventeen and she was fourteen.

"I love you." Her eyes began to water and he felt that his were also in the same condition. "Don't leave me, please." He took slim hand in his.

This time, her small smile was apparent on her face and she closed her eyes. Frantic, he looked at the beeping machine and realized that she was still breathing, if barely.

The minutes ticked and when he though she was probably asleep, she opened her eyes again.

"Don't leave me," he repeated immediately, "promise me. Promise me you will always be with me."

With a soft murmur she replied. "I will."

He nodded his head, and as he placed a kiss on her temple, he heard her whisper again.

"I will always be with you, Darien."

The machine stopped beeping.

With a final glance, he walked toward his parked car. The wind suddenly picked and an orange leaf landed on one of his shoulders. He was ready to brush it off when he felt the touch of slim fingers against his own. Startled, he looked around to find nothing around him but an empty field with silent graves on the ground. The wind picked again and before the leaf on his shoulder could fly away, he quickly held it and placed it on the palm of his hand as he stared at it.

He carefully closed his hand around it and let his eyes drop. The wind whistled as he stood motionless, tears forming in his closed eyes. He opened them again and whispered a 'thank you, I love you' before continuing walking toward his car.