by Irish Fleur
This year’s Fictory is for a cause. We donate P100 to a chosen beneficiary for every fic submitted this July. Participate here if you can. Enjoy this one!
Prompt: “Don’t be scared. I just need you to come with me for a minute.”
He’s gone. How many times do I need to remind myself? I wish it’s only a dream but he’s gone. I will no longer hear his voice, his laugh, his corny jokes and lame pick-up lines and those random stories about his work.
For a short period of time, I fell in love with Ryker Smith. He was the most caring and loving man that I ever met. Damn! That illness that killed him.
How can I forget him? Is there a fastest way to recover? Will I ever recover?
How can you forget a person who shows you nothing but care and love? I miss seeing him in his flowery print shirt. I miss caressing his curly hair. I miss pinching his cheeks and kissing his lips as if there’s no tomorrow.
I’ve been in the columbarium for two hours now and the silence is killing me. If only I can see him for the last time but his relatives decided to cremate him right after he died. No funeral was set; they cremated him right away. I didn’t even know he was confined in the hospital for weeks since no one informed me. He didn’t tell me and I didn’t see it coming. He seemed normal and he still called and texted me.
How can they do that? How about his friends? But Ryker never introduced me to his friends and he never was close to his relatives. The only one person that was close to him is Atty. Buenavidez who informed me that Ryker left me a hefty amount of money. I mean hefty. It puzzles me how Ryker had that big amount of money since he worked as a baggage man in a supermarket owned by Aunt Lucie who is also my landlady. But even Atty. Buenavidez didn’t tell me anything about Ryker.
I’ve been doing this for five months now. As long as I have time, I go right away here, in the columbarium. I don’t know when I will stop doing this because what I know is I feel safe and calm here. I know I can’t bring him back but at least I can feel his presence here rather than sulk by myself in my room.
My phone rings and it stops me from my reverie. It’s my friend Carly.
“Why?” I ask as soon as I hit the answer button.
“You should go back right now!”
“Why?”
She sounds panicked.
“You wouldn’t believe it. You have to see it.”
I roll my eyes.
“Just say it, Carly. I have no time for surprises.”
“Ryker is alive.”
“What?”
“He’s alive! He’s looking for you!”
“It’s not a good joke, Carly!”
“He is! He asked where you are and I said you’re in the columbarium, mourning him! Do I look and sound like I’m lying, Kyla?!”
I wish she were, but I have no time for jokes.
“Stop! Carly—” I turn to my left and what I see stills me. This is not happening.
He’s standing meters away from me wearing a black button down shirt and jeans. He doesn’t look sick and he doesn’t look dead. I blink twice just to make sure what I see is real.
He’s Ryker and he is alive.
Carly is still talking on the phone but I can’t understand her. I’m still holding my phone to my ear.
Is this a joke?
“Kyla.” He said looking at me straight in the eyes. “Don’t be scared. I just need you to come with me for a minute.”
This is impossible, how can this happen?
I cross the gap between us and give him the hardest slap that I could ever give. He’s eyes widen from what I did but it does not bother him.
“You’re alive?”
He holds his jaw and grits his teeth.
“Yes, Kyla, I’m alive.”
I try to run away from Ryker. I know it is childish but I don’t want to talk to him right now but he is persistent and even drags me to his car.
Yes, he has a car. I don’t know how he got it but I know I shouldn’t be shocked since he inherited millions. Even his gestures have changed, the way he walks and the way he talks. Gone is the friendly and smiling Ryker, I no longer know him anymore. He brings me inside this five-star hotel.
We just sit in silence inside the suite. He said he will talk to me for just a minute but it’s been an hour and he has said nothing. I want to shout at him but looking at him is already tiring and it’s draining my energy. Even though I have so many questions to ask, I remain silent.
I stare at him. I don’t know what to say. I was trying to move on because he was dead. But now he is alive.
“I need you to come with me.”
“What?”
“Your life is in danger. We need to leave this city as soon possible.”
Danger? As if reading my mind, he explains right away.
“I made a mistake by giving you my money. It was a bad move.”
“O-okay then why don’t you take it back? I didn’t use any of it.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry but as of the moment, someone will fetch us here in the hotel. We have to move faster.”
I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, can you explain to me at least some details.”
His eyes are hesitant. I can see how hard it is for him. It’s like he is showing me half of him. I don’t know but the Ryker in front of me is so different from the Ryker I knew months ago.
“I’ll tell you later but for now we have to leave.”
Suddenly, someone buzzes on the door, Ryker walks toward the door and opens it without checking who it was. A guy suddenly entered the room.
“Hello, Kyla!”
I don’t move or even say hello to the guy who is smiling ear to ear. How come he knows my name?
“Kyla, I would like you to meet Ryker.”
I’m about to say something when everything goes black. ☁️
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