Te regalo mi cintura y mis labios para cuando quieras besar, te regalo mi locura y las pocas neuronas que quedan ya. Mis zapatos desteñidos, el diario en el que escribo, te doy hasta mis suspiros pero no te vayas mas. Porque eres tú mi sol, la fe con que vivo, la potencia de mi voz, los pies con que camino. Eres tu amor, mis ganas de reír, adiós nunca sabré decir porque nunca podré vivir sin ti
Si algún día decidieras alejarte nuevamente de aquí, cerraría cada puerta para que nunca pudieras salir. Te regalo mis silencios, te regalo mi nariz, yo te doy hasta mis huesos pero quédate aquí. Porque eres tú mi sol, la fe con que vivo, la potencia de mi voz. Los pies con que camino. Eres tú amor mis ganas de reír, el adiós que no sabré decir, porque nunca podré vivir sin ti.
Tú, Shakira
Isabel and Oliver made out for thirty minutes before they said another word. Eventually, Isabel tore herself apart from Oliver. They had a lot of things to talk about, so she went inside tell Daisy what had happened, she dances with Aidan and Josh, and stood for the picture due Daisy's insistence that she needed something to remember prom night, then she said goodbye and ran out where Oliver was waiting for her. All Abby, who was chaperoning the dance, could see was a blur of red as she ran and took Oliver's hand.
They walked in silence, Oliver holding Isabel's hand all they way, they got to the house, and made it to her room. Isabel washed her face and put on her shorts and tank top, and finally jumped into the bed, taking her usual place by Oliver's side, bringing he knees to her chest, looking at her toes.
"We should talk" Oliver said after a long silence
"Okay" she said, not looking at him, fearing the worst, she didn't even had time to get sick as she usually did when she was in emotional distress, so she just stayed there. Oliver couldn't stop watching her, he opened his mouth to say something but the words failed him and she turned to him, Oliver closed his mouth and smiles, before he could talk he needed to get a little distraction out of the way, so he leaned over to Isabel and caught her lips in a kiss; it was meant to be a quick kiss, but things got a bit out of hand, and by the time the kiss ended, Isabel was rather flusher.
"I'm sorry" he said once they both calmed down a bit, it was time for the explanations "for leaving you like I did, I was afraid and I hurt you and…"
"Stop" Isabel said placing her index finger over his lips "I don't need a list" letting her had drop, she added "And that's not what you wanted to say"
"I'm going to be gone before the sun rises again. I have to, but I want you to understand why I'm going it, I don't want to hurt you again. I love you so much but I can't offer you what you deserve: A future"
"I would give it up for being with you" Isabel said all serious
"I know, but I want you to understand what you would be giving up before you decide doing it. That's why I want you to go out and live your life, this summer, you're freshman year at College, I want you to enjoy it. And in a year, I'll be back and we will sort things out from there. I hope you can understand what I am doing and why"
"I do" Isabel said. She finally understood what Daisy meant by saying that she, Isabel, lived in reclusion; In wanting to be with Oliver, she had died a little die herself, shutting herself out the world of the living where she belonged "You can depend in someone else to feel alive…" she said
"Especially in someone that is already dead" Oliver added
"So you want me to learn to live and enjoy without you so I can make a choice that would change us and what we are forever"
"Yes, I'm not leaving because I don't love you, I'm not going because I want to hurt you, though I know I will do it, I'm going because, even for a short time, I lived my life, without giving up any experience (A/N Just in case you wondered. Oliver can't remember anything about the time he dated Abby, no can she. They only remember things from when they were friends. The meet when they both were 10, and were friends till they started to date, senior year. Around that time Oliver went into comma, he woke up shortly after Abby arrived to back to Carmel and died before turning 21. Oh, yes, he is from Napa). But you did, you gave up a lot of things for me and I don't want you to regret it. I know you hate when I'm fath.."
"Don't say 'fatherly'" Isabel said chuckling looking at him briefly before looking to her toes again, suddenly finding them interesting "I just kissed you open mouthed, don't say 'fatherly' it's gross and kind of perverted"
Oliver laughed, only Isabel could make such remarks in times like this, but his laugh died as he remembered what he was saying "You hate when I treat you like a child but I was two years older than you when I died, and I've been a ghost for more than twenty five years, I've seen things, and I know what's a stake her: your life, your future…"
"I understand" Isabel said slowly, her voice wise beyond her years. Then they made a deal, Oliver would go, Isabel would live without him for a year, and at the end of that time, they would sort things out from there. Since it wasn't that late, they proceed to watch a movie, watch a movie as in code for 'Heavy Make Out Session', hands were everywhere but Oliver wouldn't go any farther, he was leaving soon and, in a year, it might be forever.
As the sunrise hour came close, Isabel said 'Goodbye' a million different ways, trying to keep him there another second, lastly he agreed to stay till she fell asleep. So Oliver tuck her in, and hugged her until she made it to dreamland. When she woke up, Oliver was gone, she would have swore he had never existed at all if it weren't for a note she found on her pillow, next to a bright zinnia. In Oliver's perfect script the note read:
"Que dulces pasan junto a ti las horas.
Si supieras todo lo que tu me inspiras.
Como sufro cuando tu lloras,
Como tiemblo cuando tu suspiras"
(How sweet the hours pass when I'm at your side, If only you knew all the things you inspire in me. How I suffer when you cry. How I tremble when you sigh)
He even had gone through the trouble to write it in Spanish because he knew she liked how things sounded in that language. A slow tear was running down her cheek, but she whip it away when at the bottom of the note she saw:
"I'm always at your side, All my heart… Oliver"
So she collected herself and went on living as she had promise to the man she loved. The summer was spent with her friends, fooling around town, packing and buying stuff for Berkeley, and settling in at her dorm room some 40-something milles north her hometown. And she was truly happy while doing this, Daisy was a fellow Berkeley student and she was a great help when she felt lonely. But still, there were some nights when she was all alone at her tiny dorm room, watching some random TV show, and she would look at the empty spot next to her, Oliver's place, and feel heartbroken. On those nights, when things got hard, she would turn in early, Oliver's not under her pillow and fell sleep, hoping to catch glimpses of him in between dreams. Sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't.
Isabel almost blew Christmas, not wanting to go back home, to her room and don't having Oliver there in her favorite holiday (next to Halloween and Día de Muertos (when you're Mexican, Día de Muertos it is a holiday)). But she went home, in the end, taking that drive south to Carmel. And finally, the last of May came, Isabel had just picked her last final grade and was going to her dorm to pack and be ready to go as soon as Daisy finished her semester too. She was already making plans when a car speeded in her direction, it was too fast and she didn't had time to move, but she felt that someone was wrapping her arms around her, she knew that embrace, and when she hit the ground, she realized those arms were still holding her, she turned a bit to see who it was, and found herself face to face with Oliver. Only that he looked too real, no ghostly glow, and he was bleeding from a bad scrape in his forehead
"Told you I was always at your side" he said half smiling
"Oliver…" Isabel murmured, the last thought that crossed her mind before falling unconscious was 'but ghosts don't bleed'
"You gave me the scare of my life" Daisy's voice drag her out of her half sleep-drug induced-state
"What? Where am I?" Isabel looked around in confusion "where is Oliver?"
"Your lover boy it's ok, they are still patch him up, but he is ok, we are at the hospital, dummy" Daisy said easily, getting comfortable in her chair "I'll already call your parents, they'll be here tomorrow morning. And I talked to your doctor, you got bruised ribs, broken wrist, bruises and scratches. Oliver took most of the hit.
"How is him?" Isabel asked, worried
"Broken ribs, fracture in his elbow, some bad bruises, and cut in the head, but he will survive, oh and something in his ankle" Daisy counted "Oh, and he is alive, as in not-a-ghost anymore" she said ever so casually "Care to explain?"
"I don't know" Isabel said, sting up "You think I could go to see him?"
"I'll go and ask" Daisy said getting up and fluffing her hair "I'm going to find your doctor"
"Must be handsome" Isabel said "Or you wouldn't be so willing to go and find him" Daisy shot her a very dirty look "Ok, I'll shut up"
Later the doctor came with Daisy, he was rather handsome, but Isabel didn't had time to ponder about Daisy's love interest where abouts. Oliver was still asleep when Isabel got to his hospital room. Vaguely listen to the doctor when he said that Oliver would be fine and that they had already contacted his family in Napa. All Isabel could do was watch him, he looked so peaceful, even with the hospital cloths and the scratches in his face, he looked absolutely attractive, with his brown hair and all.
Isabel sat next to his bed, holding his hand with her good hand, the broken one resting in her lap, and eventually fell asleep there, her head in his chest, and woke up when someone squeezed her hand, she looked up, letting go Oliver's hand.
"Oliver" she said softly
"Maybe I banged my head, but I don't think you ever looked as beautiful as right now"
Isabel blushed "How do you feel" she asked
"Mmm… I don't know" he said, looking at her, there was this thing that wouldn't go out of his head and that wouldn't let him be ok until he found out "Come here" he said and Isabel leaned close to him "Closer…" so now she was an inch away from his face and he put his hand in he neck and pulled he even closer as he kissed her, she kissed back almost immediately, happiness overcoming shock. They had waited almost a year to kiss like this.
"I love you" Isabel told him as they paused for air, only to kiss again
"Now I'm ok" he said smiling at her.
End of Chapter Seven
Notes;
Told you it was all Oliver and Isabel.
Maybe a chapter more, I'm working on that
Here is the translation of the song:
I give you mi waist, and my lips for when you want to kiss, I give you my craziness and the few neurons that I still have left, my old shoes, the diary in which I write, I give you even my sighs but don't leave again. Because you're my sun, my Faith to live, the strength in my voice, my legs to walk, You're my love, my will lo laugh, the 'Goodbye' I can't pronounce because I can't live with out you.
If one day you decide to leave again, I would close each door so you couldn't get out. I give you mi silences, I give you my nose, I give you even my bones but stay with me. Because you're my sun, the Faith I have to live, the strength in my voice, my legs to walk. You're my love, my will to laugh, the 'Goodbye' I can't pronounce because I could never live with out you.