EVE: A Short Unforgettable Love Story

Chapter Fifteen

Isabella Madden POV



It’s a very long time, twelve years to be exact. I am now twenty-five. I graduated in college three years ago, with a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, and now working as a full-time painter at an art company in Seattle working at home. I went back in Edenton city to spend the holiday with my mom since it’s also been so long since I spent Christmas with her. I walked into the restaurant-my mom’s new favorite place, she said. Polaris Restaurant, a name that felt quietly odd, but felt familiar-my favorite star. A classic, elegant restaurant night sky themed. and then, I saw him, not the boy I fell in love with, but a man with a chef’s coat that fit him perfectly. His curly dark hair-a once messy tangled that I like-now expertly styled. the beard on his jaw, full and neat, so manly. He holds a tray on his one muscular, massive arm with precision, and his posture screams with silent confidence. He speaks with a deep rumble voice, and his dark eyes still focus and present when he gazed at me. When I saw him again, for a moment my heart hammered against my chest, like it once did a decade ago. I have never felt my heart beat like that for so long, until after I saw him again. I realized, even after twelve years he still has an impact to me- not something I just can ignore. But I wouldn’t also forget how he hurt me. Probably, he’s my ghost I couldn’t forget.

It's Christmas. I woke up at my old parent’s house with an early morning stretch at my glass window-tousled hair and with a slightly bloated sleepy face- when I saw him at the window from the house across the street- that I just noticed right at this moment- sipping coffee staring at me, smiling. My morning mind can’t process; I was befuddled for a long moment. What is he doing? What is his up to? Last night at his restaurant, now he’s literally living right across from me?

Intrusive thoughts precede at that morning. I storm across the street in my pink pajamas-my favorite when I was thirteen- and a thick sweater, heart pounding so hard as I doorbelled. The door swings open, and there he is, with his warm smile. “Merry Christmas.” He greeted. I open my mouth to spill out all the frustration, and asked the compiled questions that were in my head just a moment ago-Why are you everywhere? What do you want from me? -but I didn’t. I just stood right there, voiceless. “You still look beautiful even when you just woke up.” He said softly out of the blue. My eyes widened. I realized I didn’t even brush my teeth yet, and yet I had the audacity to confront him so early in the morning. I pursed my lip. “It’s cold. Do you want to come inside. Mom and Mr. Gibson gonna be here later. I’m sure you want to see them.” He spoke. It’ rude to turn out his invitation, but honestly, I’m not ready to face them yet. “I have so much on my plate today. Maybe next time.” I pretended a smile and turn away.

I walked inside my house when I heard a joyful familiar loud noise outside. I sneaked my eyes out at the window, and saw old Mr. Gibson and Mrs. Porter at his porch. A nostalgic feeling suddenly leaps inside me, I missed them. They look so genuinely happy together celebrating this special day-like how we used to celebrate it twelve years ago. My head dropped, and I just walked back at my room with a lonely heart.

After that Christmas, our paths often crossed, but I ignore him like a cold passing breeze of winter. I just stayed rotting in my room. I don’t want to go outside, because everywhere I go, I could see the memories of the past, and it feels overwhelming. It makes me vulnerable again. One Saturday morning, I grabbed my tools and started painting near my window- because I like painting somewhere with a natural light. I was too focused brushing a stroke on my canvas when I noticed a familiar figure from the window across the street-hands in his pocket just watching. I glance out my glass window, just as he instantly straightened up and turned his head like he’d only just happened to be walking by. He kicked at a loose piece of pavement, then looked up as if surprised to see me looking back, giving me that smile again. I closed the curtains of my window, switch on the light and turned my attention back on my work.

The next day, I walked outside to fetch some groceries with my mom, when we catch him reading a book outside his porch even on a cold day. He greeted my mom and they converse leaving me in an awkward scene. I often caught him outside conversing with my mom. They look so comfortable together, like they’ve been friends for years. He smiled at me, I ignored him. It feels really strange; Mom never really mentions him to me for twelve years.

The day after that, while working I was distracted by a loud music outside. I slid my curtains and saw Kellan doing silly dances- I’m quite sure he hates dancing, but now he wiggles his body like an i***t. I watched him longer than I expected. I didn’t even notice a tiny smile tugs at my lips before I forces to gaze back at my painting.

On the following days, my mom went inside my room holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. She said, she found it outside the door-In an instant I already knew whom it came from. That same kind of flowers Kellan picked for me on our first date. Part of me wants to march right across the street and hand them back, and tell him I don’t want anything from him. But another part of me-one I’ve been trying to ignore -the part of me who remembers how much I used to love getting flowers. Mom quietly watches me as I contemplated on those thoughts. I told her to just leave it there on the corner of my table. I don’t really know what he was trying to prove- if he wants me back after leaving me twelve years ago, or he wants to make it up to me as neighbors? if that thing even exists. As badly as I was curious, I chose to ignore it. I don’t resent him even after everything that happened in the past. I just feel like our world rotates different now, we are both spinning on our own different axis. Maybe his was too fast, and mine was too slow, or perhaps in reverse. And I don’t know if there’s a way to bring those worlds back together. But one thing is certain, I’m scared to take a risk again. That thoughts encircled my mind as I gaze hard at the flowers laying on the surface of the table -like a question I can’t answer.

One night, as darkness of the night settles, I stepped outside the balcony for a cold fresh air. And there he is, on his rooftop looking at the same constellation we used to map out together. For an unbeknownst reason, that quiet scene pulls me, and I just silently watched him at my window for hours, feeling the weight of those twelve years between us. Wondering how those years shifted him into the lighter version of himself today, while I completely change onto his gloomy version before. Back then, he carried the world on his shoulder- always serious, so focused. Now he seems to find joy even in little things. Suddenly, I became curious about him again.

The wooden planks of the boardwalk lighthouse creak under my feet. I decided to have a night stroll at one of my favorite spots. I c***k open another bottle of beer, letting the cold night breeze fill my lungs a I gazed at the stars. But then, I saw him sitting on the boardwalk we once claimed as ours, alone in his own thoughts. For a moment, I saw the old version Kellan, the young Kellan I knew, the young Kellan I fell in with. Instead of turning away, I walked towards him and sat down a few feet away. “Why are you alone? aren’t you supposed to be with your wife? “I threw an intriguing joke. He looks at me, then laughed hard. He infected me with his laugh as I took a sip of my beer. “I hope I did have a wife though.” He spoke. “Still unmarried? last time I heard half the girls in town were lining up for you.” I spoke.

He turns to look at me, then, his gaze softer. “I was waiting for you.” The joke dies on my lips instantly. I don’t know what to respond to that. The air goes quiet- so quiet all I can hear are the sound of the wind and the water. The memories I tried hard to locked away came flooding back. Seeing his soft gazes beneath the light from the lighthouse melted me. I want to run away at that exact- away from the truth I wasn’t ready to hear. “I’m sorry for leaving you twelve years ago, Isabella.” He spoke. I dropped my head, and swallowed a heavy gulp in my throat. “You know, sometimes I wished you stayed.” I spoke then took a sip. “I know. I also hope I didn’t. Sometimes I thought what we could’ve been now if I stayed. I blamed myself for years, for leaving you and hurting you, when in fact it was the reason why I left, that is not hurt you.” He said, his emotions that he felt for years are so transparent, I could see them through his eyes. I stared at her harder. Then, it spills out-eyes burn, shoulders dropped. “They why did you still left me?” I wanted to ask him that question for twelve years. “I left, because I thought it was the only way to protect you, after I talked to your father.” He spoke. Dumbfounded, “You talked to my father?” I asked.

“Yes, that very last night.” My chest tightens. “Your father didn’t want you to get hurt. He said that because he knows he couldn’t stay for too long to protect you.” Tears streamed down my face as old memories of my father and Kellan leaving me and all the hidden truths behind that crash together. For a long time, I convinced myself he abandoned me because I doesn’t matter to him. But it feels clear now. “But why come back now?” My voice cracks, as I wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks

“I couldn’t see you, and tell you the truth, because I know I’ll change my mind. I promised your parents I’ll give you the best life you deserve. But until then, I wouldn’t come back here. I have never abandoned you. Not once. You’re the main reason in every single thing I’ve done, every place I’ve gone, and in everything that I have right now. Now, realizing how long it has been, maybe I was too late. But I still love you, Isabella. I have loved you for twelve years. I have come back in this town hoping you’ll be here. I have come to this place every day for years just wish you’ll come back and find your way back to me. God knows, how much I love you, Isabella Madden.” He said, so heavy with emotions, like he’s been wanting to say that for too long. Listening to him, my heart keens deeper. All the bitterness in my heart melted away in an instant. All the confusion, the anger, the hurt-it all makes sense now.

The words hang in the air between us long after he’s said them as tears filled our eyes and suddenly an instant realization clicks me. All those little moments over the years that I’d tried hard to forget and ignore-how I’d still look for his face in crowded rooms, how I’d stop when it rains and he’s the first person I thought of, how I closed my eyes when I heard a classic music and I remember how used to dance to that song, how I’d always feel a pull to come back to this town even when I told myself I never would—it all makes sense now. Now as I look at him, I could everything clear now- the young man who had to make the hardest choice of his life, and the man sitting beside me now who never stopped caring and loving me. Suddenly, the space between us doesn’t feel so big anymore. Slowly, our worlds started to spin together again. My heart surge with so much joy, and the love for him that I buried twelve years ago, suddenly rising up in my chest so strong I just wanted to cling into his arms and embrace him tightly. “I thought… I thought I’d moved on,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “But now staring at you at this very moment, at this exact place all I could feel is the younger version of me who deeply, madly in love with you.” His eyes burned with tears.

I realized, our world rotates differently for years, but those years apart changed us, molded us into who we are now, but the same love brought us together again. It stayed with us; it never left. We stared at each other with so much nuance, and just waited, quietly and patiently for the moment we’d finally understand. “For whatever love is, I love you, Kellan Porter.” I say out loud, and it feels lighter now-like a nail removed in my heart, like a wound healed, like seeing brightness after being lost in a dark tunnel far too long. His tears brim down to her face, and her eyes sparkled with so much joy. He held my hand and bring it up to his lips and kiss it gently I could feel his breathe, as his eyes never left mine. “I love you, Isabella Madden. I have loved you then. I have loved you when I had to walk away. I have loved you in every space between us, and I love you more now than I ever thought possible.” The tears exploded even more in my eyes. I jumped out of my sit, cupping my hands in his face and kissed him. We kissed for like eternity, deep and hard, like we’re filling all the lost time that we haven’t felt each other’s lips.