I refuse to see the blue tears trailing at my feet, refuse to hear her whispers of "loves me, loves me not," refuse to accept the dread that slices through my chest like a palette knife slicing through butter.
Garry smiles reassuringly, like this isn't all my fault for losing my rose in the first place, but his hand trembles in mine and I can feel his dread. We run and run and run towards her, and we have to hurry hurry hurryhurryhurry before it's too late.
But her words keep on replaying like a broken record, lovesmelovesmenotlovesmelovesmenot and his hand won't stop shaking and by now I'm practically dragging him by the hand instead of him guiding me.
"Ib, wait..." he whispers.
Nothing's wrong with you, right? Then Garry, why are you stopping?
I stop and turn around, take a few hesitant steps towards him, my legs quivering the dead silence that accompanies his voice.
"...Ib...um...sorry, but...could you go ahead?"
"I'm...uh...I'm sorry. I don't really know what to say."He pauses for a moment and wheezes, his breath coming out in faint gasps but still manages to pull up the corners of his mouth in a mock smile.
Gary, you know what to say, say that you're okay, because I know you are. You can get up right? Right?
But then his smile drops to the ground along with his knees and the truth is so pungent I can taste the saltiness in my mouth.
"...I don't want to lie to you...but I don't want to tell the truth either..."
He grasps my hand tightly.
"...If you need help... I'll come running..."
His hand slides from mine.
"Go on..." he whispers, "ahead."
Ahead he says...go on ahead to a mad-world with no Garry by my side?
I grasp the rose in my hand until I can feel thorns scraping skin.
If only...if only this rose didn't exist!
I take take a heavy step away from Garry, and then another.
"Why...why...why...?"
If Mary didn't exist!"
I hurry up the stairs and to my misery, entering a small room with thorns clinging to the north wall. She's standing there with her loves me loves me nots, bathing in her sickening glee.
"Loves me!" she exclaims, and my hands ball into fists. She walks away and I hurry back to Garry and grab the lighter in his pocket, popping the sour into my mouth and feeling it spread across my tongue. It's sour...and yet sweet.
"Goodbye...Garry."
The flame of the lighter flickers in front of Ib,
How easily such a small light can be snuffed out...
and set the thorns ablaze.
How easily they burn.
Ib enters the room slowly and silently. She's halfway across the room when she hears footsteps behind her.
"Who's there?!" a voice calls out. It's Mary. She sees Ib and starts shouting but Ib simply blocks her out, running towards the painting and feeling the cool plastic in my hand and a small light hovering above my outstretched hands. Mary burns to the ground, only a palette knife left in her wake.
I walk back to Garry and silently stare at his peaceful face. He's sleeping...so very peacefully. I tuck my handkerchief into one of his limp hands and sit besides him, velvet red petals strewn around us.
"Together...forever."
If you enjoyed the angst please drop a review :3 Even a simple "omg that was (insert adjective here)!" review would be appreciated!
