Let the Fire Die Chapter 3
I lay in the cool, green summer grass listening to the chirps of birds and insects as they sang their love songs to one another. In the background, I could slightly hear the rustle of the water as t headed down the trail the river had long since marked as its own. Just as I was drifting out of consciousness, I heard tires going over the gravel of my driveway, and I instantly sat up, bolting straight up. The car was a bright red Mercedes that had tinted windows, and I couldn't see the person or persons inside until she stepped out. She was gorgeous in a word, with long, light blonde hair that flowed well past her shoulders in tight curls. Her long legs were as deeply tanned as the rest of her, and were being shown off due to the teal shorts she was wearing, that offset her tan wonderfully. Her white tank top shone in the bright light, and she smiled slightly when she saw me looking at her.
"Hello Duncan." She answered, smiling larger to show off her perfect rows of teeth, while pulling off her teal sunglasses that had been covering her lightly made up dark brown eyes.
I stared into those remarkable, unforgettable shining eyes, and then in a moment, I knew who she was. I had no doubt in my mind, "Courtney?" I finally spoke aloud, while crossing the short length of grass that separated me from her.
"How have you been?" She asked, as if that was answering my question completely.
"I've missed you." I dodged the question about how I'd been, knowing she didn't want the true answer. That I'd been a wreck since she had left my life.
She looked to the ground while a few large crocodile tears slip from her eyes, and I stood by, helpless. "Please don't say that." She finally said after a long moment, and after wiping the tears from her cheek.
I felt guilty; of course she didn't want to hear that. She was engaged now, she hadn't come here to be with me, but…why had she come? I didn't even know she knew where I lived, so instead of killing myself with the guilt and questions any longer, I asked her aloud what had brought her here.
"I needed to tell you…." She said, trying to think of the words to say after that, but the words weren't coming from here.
"Tell me what?" I asked, reaching over to her.
"I'm getting married. In a few weeks, I just…I felt like I needed to tell you…I know that's so stupid, but god." She answered, suddenly looking as if she regretted coming here at all.
"I already know. You've been in the paper quite a lot, especially the local one after they found out that you were the same Courtney." I said, trying to make her feel better, but instead she just looked sadder.
"I knew I should've just called. Why did I come down here?" She whispered to herself, beginning to pace beside her car, but she stopped after a few minutes, and finally looked back at me, and smiling, "how's your family?" She knew this was a safe question, because I'd always loved them, but it wasn't safe anymore.
"Their all dead." I answered, looking away to stare at the horizon and the slowly fading sun.
"What?" She asked, her face scrunched in concern.
"My mother, brother and twin sisters were murdered one night when me and my dad went out to get ice cream for everyone, and when we got back…the house was empty and cold. Not to mention blood was just about everywhere. After I got back from Iraq, my dad died." I continued staring at the horizon and never looked at Courtney as I told her about what had happened.
"Oh, Duncan, I'm so sorry." She spoke, coming closer to me, and touching my arm lightly I looked down into her eyes, and for a moment, it was as if it was still that one summer, but then I stepped away from her, because it wasn't, and we weren't who we'd been then, and she was engaged now.
"So what happened to you?" I asked, finally looking her over well again.
"What do you mean?" She asked haughtily while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well, look at you; you're defiantly not the same person who left after the contest fifteen years ago." I answered, picking up a strand of her hair and shoving in front of her eyes to show her.
"Well, we all grow up and change." She answered shortly, looking like she might cry again, and her words were clipped and angry.
"What's with you?" I finally asked, grabbing her chin and making her look me in the eyes.
"Was I ever anything to you?" She asked, her eyes blazing like a forest fire.
"What?" I asked dumbly, unbelieving that she might actually be asking me this question.
"God! I'm so dumb! I was in love with you; I waited for ten years for you! Ten years, and I wasn't ever anything to you." She screamed, tears freely flowing form her eyes as she ripped her face away from my hands.
"Courtney, I haven't dated anyone else. You're the one that's engaged." I yelled back, turning away from her to go back to the house.
"At least tell me why you never sent anything, or called or anything!" She yelled, throwing a rock at my back.
"What, are you talking about? I called every night at seven, and wrote every day for three years!" I screamed turning around to face her.
"You…did?" She asked, confusion in her eyes, probably at the reason why she hadn't gotten her letters, or the phone calls.
"Of course I did! I loved you Courtney!" I yelled, covering the ground that separated us in four quick strides, before looking her in the eyes to say the last part.
"You...do?" She asked, her eyes once again filled with confusion, as she repeated almost the exact same question from before.
"Yes." I answered, before kissing her slowly on the lips, and then as we kissed longer, we kissed more passionately. And when we were finally finished, the sun had retired for the night, and we were in the slight light of the full moon, and yet probably the happiest we'd both been in fifteen years.
