Her lips touched mine and they instantly jolted me with a surge of euphoria. They were so soft. For a split second the whole universe ended and started over. It was born from our kiss and expanded. Stars were born and they, in turn, gave birth to the planets. Earth turned green and countless cycles of life and death led to the culmination of its existence that cradled inside our kiss. She put her hand in my neck and slowly ran it up caressing the back of my head. I instinctively put my right hand in her waist. Then, I felt her tongue enter my mouth. Uninvited but certainly welcome, I followed through. Our tongues swayed together exploring each other for a few seconds and then retreating only to come back for more. I felt it. It was the perfect waltz of love. And then… She bit me. Hard. I bled. A lot. She stopped kissing me for a second and I opened my eyes. She had a sly smile on her face. I couldn’t take it. I drove my lips into hers and our souls began dancing again. A small blob of blood formed in the inside of my mouth and I swallowed it immediately. It felt as if I had swallowed a stone. A hefty one. I choked and I reflexively pulled my head back and squared my back against the grass, coughing a few times. When I sat back up, her head was resting on my lap. Her legs were now stretched along the edge of the ravine. I put my hand on her hair and gently caressed her head.

“Arin…” She said with a soft and strangely sad voice. “Yeah?” I was still recovering from that kiss. “Can you do something for me?” There it was again. That sad voice. I met her gaze. “Anything.” I said with a dumb smile. At that point I would actually have done anything for her. Or so I thought. “Can you push me into the ravine?” I instantly felt a fear like I had never felt before. Was she serious? Was she really asking me to kill her? My phone rang and I was jerked back to reality before I could muster the words to reply.

“Hello?” It was my dad. “Hello, dad.” I looked up as if hoping for the sun to tell me the time. It was halfway into setting already. “Where the fuck are you, boy?” I could barely care about his words at that point. “I was walking around.” Short answers. No confrontation. “Well, walk your ass back here. We’re leaving soon.” I was hoping to end the conversation as quickly as possible. I had something more important in my hands but before I was able to reply he started talking again. “Oh. And if you see your sister, tell her to call me. I have to tell her…” He had this horrible habit of over-explaining everything and circling back to the same facts over and over. My attention was diverted by the hand of Ana in my chest and the soothing sound of her voice. “It’s okay Arin. I knew it was too much to ask of you.” She pushed my chest strongly, effectively rolling herself into the abyss. I was paralyzed.

A rhythmic series of thuds seemed to harmonize perfectly with the beat of my heart and my stomach crumpled to the size of a raisin. Tears flowed from my eyes as if they would never stop. “Fucking brat! He hung up on me!” The call got disconnected. A bunch of emotions washed over me and overwhelmed me like nothing else before. Rage, sorrow, regret, fear; so much fear. I rolled back and stood up as fast as my weakened legs allowed. I started running. A few times I considered turning back to see if I could still help her. It was stupid, of course but not a day goes by in which I don’t ask myself what would have been of my life If I had turned back. I was so afraid I could not even think on my way back. Before I knew it the gazebo my family had rented was clearly visible in front of me. I wiped my tears and paced down before my beaten heart could get a chance to give in. “Why are your eyes so puffy, son?” My grandfather asked. “Where you sleeping?” A perfect answer provided in a time where I could not think for myself. I mustered what I suppose had to be the most fake of smiles. “Yeah gramps. I took a stroll and fell asleep on the grass.” My words were heard and after sinking in my grandfather gave me a loving smile. “Well, since you’re well rested and all, go help your father tidy up. He was looking for you.” Just what I needed.