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“Please don’t cry…I can’t stand seeing girls crying,”he said softly,peeking at me.
His gentle words cracked my walls,unleashing years of pain.
I clung to him,sobbing uncontrollably.
Little did I know that on that rooftop ledge, we'd saved each other from our own personal abysses.
He chose me over death,but I betrayed him,over and over.
His name was Caleb Reed,a renowned art prodigy.
I’d stood in his gallery,mesmerized by his paintings—dark,lonely,a vortex swallowing all,with waves of red.
Yet in sunlight,his face was soft,hair falling over his brow,hazel eyes sparkling,the mole beside his eye made him look endearingly like a fluffy puppy.
“When I’m feeling down,I come to the beach,”Caleb said,sneaking me out of school.
We kicked off our shoes,splashing in the surf,collecting clams.
The waves playfully tickled our calves, their cool touch a refreshing contrast to the warm sun.
Exhausted,we sat on rocks.
As dusk fell,clouds churned,the briny breeze mussing Caleb’s hair,his eyes bright.
I hugged my knees to my chest,staring at him.He looked away,blushing.
He asked if I’d like to hear a story about the sea.
There was once a butterfly that dreamed of crossing the ocean to find its waiting lover.
It endured hunger,storms,its wings torn,body battered,flying until it fell,exhausted,and died.
Everyone called it foolish—it crossed the sea but found no lover.
But what no one knew was that its lover had been waiting, and in the end, had turned to stone from the pain of longing.
“When I was little,my mom left,”Caleb said softly.“I’ve been waiting,but I think she’s gone forever.”
His voice was a whisper,mourning the past,fearing the future.
That night,Lucas burst into my room,locking the door,his eyes dark.
His shadow loomed like sludge in the moonlight.
He pinned me down on the bed,choking me.“Lily,I look away for one day, and you're already throwing yourself at other men? You're such a slut.”
His voice was raw,predatory,as if he’d devour me.
“Without my permission,you can’t be with other men.You owe me everything.”
I gasped,dizzy,suffocating.
After,I don’t know what he told Mom,but she stormed Caleb’s classroom,accusing him of seducing me,ruining my studies.
Her screams were shrill,hysterical.
Caleb sat,head bowed,expression hidden.
