My love is A WHAT ???

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When I woke up, it was already night. I was tired of being in the room, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. I decided to go for a walk in the yard, at least to breathe in some fresh air. I had always loved swimming, so I felt like swimming even at night. I put on my swimsuit and pulled a short black summer dress over it. Then I went downstairs.

There were 12 pools in this hotel, and I went to the biggest one. I sat down on a lounge chair, my head spinning with countless thoughts. What would happen now? Maybe they hadn’t even seen me, maybe they wouldn’t kill me. One thing I knew for sure — I would never forget that moment, how that boy fell to his knees, how mercilessly they looked at him, as if he were some animal whose killing required no effort. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I lifted my eyes to the sky and looked at the stars. I had always believed that everyone who died became a star. Maybe that boy was watching from above right now. I wondered what happens after death. When the time comes, when only our name remains in this world, where do we go? Maybe something really exists. Maybe there’s nothing at all. Maybe we fall into emptiness. Maybe people invented all of it just so we wouldn’t be afraid.

“You’re crying again. You’re always crying.”

I heard that voice beside me, the one that was already getting on my nerves. His ego irritated me.

“Are you spying on me?”

He laughed.

“Of course.”

He pulled a lounge chair closer, sat down next to me, and wiped away a tear from my cheek.

“What’s such a big problem that you’re always crying?”

“Nothing.”

“At least tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“How to get rid of you.”

He put his hand on his chest and made a hurt expression.

“Now that really hurt me, you know. No, really — what are you thinking about?”

For some reason, I wanted to tell him everything. I don’t know why, but Valerio had something that pulled me in. Not his looks — something deeper, something inside him.

“I’m thinking about death.”

He frowned, looking at me in surprise.

“About death? Is something wrong with you?”

“No, I’m healthy as an ox.”

He chuckled.

“Then why are you thinking about death?”

I wiped the tears from my eyes.

“I was just wondering what happens when we die.”

He turned toward the pool, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together.

“You know, I thought a lot about that when I was a kid. I used to believe we became stars.”

My eyes widened. This boy was either spying on me or reading my thoughts.

“But I think the universe alone isn’t enough. Something eternal has to exist. I believe in heaven and hell. What do you think?”

“I think nothing in this world should remain unexplained. Everything must have an answer. Maybe something exists, but we’ll never know what it is

I stood up and slipped the dress off my body. I turned back.

“So now I’m going to swim. Are you just going to sit here and watch me?”

“Why not?”

I smiled and jumped into the pool. I grabbed the edge with my hands, leaning against the rail. Valerio was staring at me with wide, astonished eyes. I turned around to swim away when something huge suddenly splashed into the pool right in front of me.

I froze in fear and backed away. When it surfaced, it started moving toward me. I kept retreating until I bumped against the edge of the pool. He looked into my eyes, and somehow, I was afraid of his gaze. His eyes were dark and dangerous, yet within that darkness, I still saw a spark — a hint of warmth glowing through.

“You’re a very different kind of girl. You still haven’t told me your name.”

“Elena. But my friends call me Eli. You can call me Elena.”

He laughed, tilted his head back, and shook the water from his hair.

“So, Eli.”

I chuckled, grabbed the edge, and tried to climb out of the pool, but I slipped and fell back in, laughing again. I decided to move to the rail to climb out from there, but before I could, Valerio grabbed me by the waist, lifted me onto the edge, and pulled himself up right after. He came so close that his head was between my legs, looking straight into my face. My cheeks burned red with embarrassment. Then he climbed out and sat beside me.

I stood up and wrapped a towel around myself. I was getting cold; my lips had turned a little blue.

“Go to your room before you freeze,” he said, wrapping his jacket around me.

Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. I didn’t understand what was happening to me with this boy, but I hardly recognized myself anymore. I picked up my things, said goodbye to Valerio, and ran upstairs to my room. It felt like I was flying, though I didn’t even know why.

I took a shower, then sat out on the balcony with a cup of tea in my hand. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door