Chapter 03 : After all these years…
1895 Words
DECLAN POV
Finally, I’m home.
Yet I feel like I’ve never left. My heart has.
He was always in this city, the city where I met Alyanna.
Philadelphia.
The poor boy I was who flew to England to pursue his studies came back as a man and millionaire.
I never thought I would come back here, coming back when she’s gone. Because yes, she has forgotten me and probably married her rich boyfriend of that time and moved to another city because this one is full of memories of us.
But maybe it’s just me taking them too seriously and she still lives here, living a life that we were both supposed to live.
« I can’t wait to meet your parents, my love! » Says Meghan , snuggling up against me.
« They look forward to meeting you as well. » I said, putting a kiss on her forehead.
Meghan and I met a year ago at a friend’s birthday. I didn’t think our relationship would last more than six months because I wasn’t very excited about getting married, but today I’m taking her back with me and introducing her to my parents.
They will be so happy, especially my mother who put incredible pressure on me to find a wife and start a family.
We’re not there yet, but if things continue as they are, it should be possible. But honestly, I don’t want to.
Meghan knows that when I was younger, I deeply loved a woman and she is the great love of my life. She agrees with it since it is my past, but does not like to hear me say that she was the love of my life. We talk about it very rarely because it is always a sensitive subject for me.
This woman has left me. Her silence was more painful than any obstacle I have encountered in my life.
We arrive at my parents' house, a home I gave them eight years ago when my video game broke the sales record. When I was a kid, I always thought that my dream would be to create video games and now it is.
My parents did not believe it and, moreover, nobody thought I could.
Except her.
« You must be Meghan, you’re as beautiful as he said you are ! » Said my mother.
She particularly likes Meghan, she likes all women who are not Alyanna. She is happier that I am in a relationship with Meghan than I am. She hasn’t been stirring the pot since I told her that I was with her.
« You’re also lovely, Ms. Hill.... » She replied, a big smile on her lips.
« But what a nice woman you brought us Declan, my darling! » I look up and let them chat in the kitchen.
I walk to the attic and lock the door behind me.
I like Meghan, but she is very intrusive sometimes.
When I left, I hadn’t had time to pack all my things. My mother took care of it and made sure I didn’t take anything that would remind me of Alyanna.
Unfortunately for her, I have a photo of her that I do not part with and even if I had not, I would have drawn her without any problem because I know her face by heart.
At least, the one of her fourteen years.
She probably became a more beautiful and resplendent woman than I remember. I chase these thoughts from my head and curse myself inwardly to always think of a woman who never loved me.
I take a box of the present things and open it, looking for all the things that I had left. My father had convinced my mother not to get rid of it and to respect my memories, I thank him very much. I take a picture and smile despite myself. I must have been fifteen or twelve. We were in the park and she wanted us to take a picture.
“It’s so that later, I can always remember the smile I have today,” she said.
I had made fun of her, but today I bless the heavens for having this picture with me. I put her down and take this scarf she knitted for my birthday after taking me to the movies.
She was so kind and selfless.
I take another photo of her and me, a week before my departure. She hugs me as if she was afraid I would disappear if she let go of me and had a bright smile on her face.
How can I forget this woman?
« My love? Are you here? » Meghan’s voice comes out of my memory and I close the box before putting it back where it was.
It’s pathetic to continue loving a woman who probably doesn’t remember you anymore. Meghan is an amazing woman and it’s time I let her have the place she deserves in my heart.
I’m going to open the door and drop a kiss on her lips that takes her by surprise. She looks at me strangely.
« I’m glad you’re with me. » I say to her.
And I mean it sincerely.
She smiles and takes me in her arms.
I will erase you from my memory, Alyanna.
******************************************************
Later that evening, my best friend Vincenzo invites me to a private party he has organized in my honor. I would have preferred to rest, but Meghan insisted, so I said yes.
Vincenzo and I met in England. His father was the one who hired me and helped me to start designing video games. Although he was rich, he never belittled me or paid attention to our social difference.
He also knows about Alyanna and was thrilled to hear I got together with Meghan.
« I have brought a private group of dancers to brighten the evening. » He said as he sat down beside us as the other guests came.
« Courtiers? » Meghan asks.
« Meghan. » I said in a reprobate tone.
The only thing that bothers me so much about her is her ability to denigrate others and those who are not rich.
Meghan is a great fashion designer and makes quite a lot of money. I hate it when she says inappropriate things about certain trades or people and she knows that.
I wasn’t always this rich, and sometimes I wonder if she would have looked at me if I didn’t have so many zeros in my bank account.
« No, they are not courtiers. They simply dance and their dances are not as outrageous as you think. You will see, they are very popular, the "Warriors". » he replied after laughing.
I’m not saying anything, but wait, curious, these famous dancers. Alyanna was good at dancing, she especially liked to show me the dance steps that she invented and always told me that one day, she would press on a big stage.
I wonder if she still dances and has fulfilled her dream.
I curse myself a second time to make the connection with her. A woman, quite beautiful, comes to take place near Vincenzo and I do not need to ask him the question to know what it is. He will never change, that one. I was like him before Meghan so I can’t really blame him.
The show begins and six women appear on stage, each in a different colour.
« I like the yellow one » Vincenzo said, while his girlfriend gives him a black look.
« The most banal of all. » She throws as he laughs at her jealous crisis.
All the women on stage are beautiful, that’s a fact. They start dancing and I have to say it is quite enjoyable to watch. The woman in black suddenly stops in full movement and seems petrified.
It only lasted a few seconds, but I noticed the other dancer whispering something to her. Maybe she felt bad.
« She looks a lot over here, the one in black, don’t you think? » Vincenzo asks me, a smile in the corner.
I see that her eyes are directed towards us, but it is probably because the host of the evening is on our table.
« Hum, my love, would you like me to put on this outfit for you in the room? » Whispers Meghan in my ear with a taunting smile that I return to her.
« Why not. » I replied, a smile on my lips.
She kisses me and I respond to her kiss, taking her head as I draw closer to mine. She passes her hands on both sides of my shoulders to draw me against her and that’s what I do, going down to her neck to put a kiss there before backing away.
« The evening promises to end well for some. » Vincenzo said, a taunting smile.
I say nothing and concentrate on the show. Meghan keeps saying funny things to me and I promise she will have to face the consequences when we get back to the hotel.
The dancer in black clothes is put forward and when she performs her solo, my eyes widen and I lose my smile. The moves she just made, I know them.
It can’t be her. It’s impossible.
The show is over and I am still shocked by what just happened. What if it was her? Or if she had learned this movement at home?
I take Vincenzo apart and keep us away from the girls.
« Do you know who those dancers are behind their masks? »
« No, it’s a mystery to everyone. Why? Would one of them have caught your eye? The one in black, right? » He asks, a smile in the corner.
« I absolutely have to talk to the dancer in black. »
I’m taking a break
« I think it’s... Alyanna. » I say and his smile disappears immediately.
« Your Alyanna? »
« Yes. Don’t ask me why I believe it, but I know it is her or at least she knows her. Could you arrange a private meeting between me and her? »
« I’m not promising anything because they’re very inaccessible, but let’s go. »
It seems as if the trembling of my hand and the beating of my heart are heard throughout the property.
The simple thought of seeing her again after all these years, having her in front of me, looking into her beautiful eyes makes me crazy.
That woman broke my heart, which was all hers, but I can’t help loving her.
I’m still hers, like the first day.
I keep silent during the conversation of Vincenzo and the dancer in red.
« What friend? And why? » she asks.
« I need to talk to this woman. It’s important. »
I can’t help but intervene.
She looks at me attentively, a little too much, as if she knew who I was, but I ignore her look and continue.
« I need to speak privately with the dancer in black. »
« It’s impossible. We don’t talk to the clients who call us. We just dance and.... »
I do not let her finish her sentence that I force the entrance despite her protests, followed by Vincenzo in silence.
She’s right here.
- Writer
