Chapter Four

 

 

 

Dante walked through the house with Miranda behind him, and Hayden leading the way. The house was more beautiful inside then out. The polished, brown wooden floors were knocked lightly by his shoes. The paint of the walls was peachy and tan. The furniture looked like it cost more than his life.

       Dante stepped inside the kitchen to find two familiar faces that he still didn’t know about. Hayden’s Parents.

        The father was tall, and looked average for his body look, yet looked to be in his mid-thirties. He wore a black suit with a white undergarment, and a loosened tie, and leather dress shoes. His aura of mood seemed enthusiastic and sincere. He had short dark hair; his eyes were a dark brown.

         The mother was beautiful, but not in the sense to date. She looked to be the father’s age, but her features seemed young. She wore a simple light pink dress. Silver earrings were dangling as her long golden-brown hair brushed on them. Her face gave a joyful grin.

          The kitchen was long in width but not in length. There was a long gray counter with a sink near the left side. There were a few cabinets on different sides of the kitchen. Then there was a tall fridge and a wide oven that had silver exteriors.

           Dante could feel eyes watching him.

           The mother walked forward and brought her hand out saying ‘hello’, he shook it, and then with a hand gesturing the house she said, “My name is Novelette, you can call me Nove. Welcome to our house, above, there is a guest room waiting for you. It has a balcony with a great view of the Island. I think you’ll need some rest, so there is a bed made up for you.”

            Her voice sounded polite, but forced with the friendliness she displayed. A lone thought that matched the sound of her voice came in. He better not steal anything.

             Dante ignored the comment she thought, and produced a fake grin, and replied. “Thank you very much.”

             The father smiled and motioned him to come upstairs with him. “Okay, let’s actually show you were your room is.”

              Dante grinned for a short moment. Reading his thoughts and emotions, he found his sincerity was true. At least I can trust him.

               While walking upstairs, he discovered Miranda’s eyes were the ones that watched him. When she saw him look his direction, she looked somewhere else pretending to have no attention to him. Weird.

                 Hayden waved and shouted, “Better get some rest, man, I’ll see you awake tonight… Even though that sounds weird. Bye.”

                    Dante and the father made it to the guest room. Dante stepped in and felt smoothened. The guest room looks more of a living room than a bedroom. It is furnished, big and nice. It has light wood floors and the light blue walls in north of the doorway are all floor length windows.

                “I can’t say much about it but this is it. I hope you feel comfortable.” The father said. He walked back to the door as Dante scanned the room in awe. “If you need any clothes, I’ll just give you my old jeans and shirt. I hope they will fit you’re fashion.” A chuckle sprung from him.

                  A name floated up in his mind. Christopher. “You’re Christopher, right?”

                 “You betcha! I guess Hayden must’ve told you that. But call me Chris though. What is your name?”

                 “Dante.”

                 “Cool name.” He smiles and closes the door.

                   Time passes by and Dante had fallen onto the bed, sheets wrapped over him. His eyes shut, and his body asleep.

 

                  Dante was awoken by the rays of sunlight that traveled from the blinds of the wall of windows to his face. He twisted his body to lie on his back, he expressed a great sigh.

                He didn’t want to wake up. The red carpeted floor was soft, but unfortunately cold for his bare feet. In yawns, he stretched himself as he got up.

                   He walked to the shreds of light to shut the blinds fully. Once he opened it up, just to see the weather, he was in full awe and shock.

                    The view was incredible. Dante went outside on the balcony to see clearer. The weather for what he looked for was clear, hot, and moist and the sky azure as it could ever be. The landscape of the place below was more beautiful. Straight across he could see the vast ocean, and right next to the beautiful sandy shorelines was the vast gorgeous city already live with activity.

                    There were mansions and stunning houses below him as he looked down, they were scattered in spaced rows as the roads ringed around the mountain. Going far off straight was another large mountain, grass and trees filled up the titanic sleeping beast near the top. This must be the Twin Mountains tourists would be astonished about.

                    What a place.

                    Dante headed to take a shower, brush his teeth, and put on some clothes. However, that was the embarrassing part. The clothes were on the dresser. They weren’t fashion friendly for what Dante usually would portray.

                    He was more suited with the dark colored buttoned tees and the baggy jeans and fat/phat shoes for the summer days. He picked up a t-shirt, laid it on his torso and looked in the mirror. Spilt second after, he threw it back from the rest of the clothing. Hell no! He shook his head and walked over to fetch his ripped up jeans.

                     No shirt attracts the ladies, fair enough. He stopped before he opened the door. He heard voices in his head again. He thought they were over but there was no time to think for himself.

                      …It’s almost noon, I better wake him up or see if he stole something and made a run for it. Unfortunately, it sounded like Hayden’s mother.

                          She opened the door; Phasers set to stun. She began to say something until his eyes discovered his exposed body. Like expected, boom head shot.

                          “Well, umm, uhh…” the stuttering occurred. She began to speak fast and unstable. “Well, I see you didn’t like my husband’s attire. I think I can find you a shirt. Even though, I love strong, shirtless men,” Short chuckle, so fake. “I’d like the men in my house to wear clothes.”

                          “Sorry, I just didn’t like the shirt, to be honest. If you want me to, I’ll put back on the shirt.” Dante suggested the option to make it easier.

                          “No, no, no.” She pauses; awkwardness and anxiety are her emotions, soon she returns to speak. “Wait, I’ll just bring you a shirt, that I think will fit your suitable fashion.”

                            Dante nods in acknowledgement.

                           Soon after, he leaves the room, and searches for Hayden. Dante has a few questions to ask, what the day is, and anything about the cruise he was on, a phone.

                          Still, there were more questions that he would supplicate right now to be answered so he can collect himself and know what to do next. Although not everyone he would ask would know them. Even if he wished so.

                         After many massive rooms, he moves to the kitchen. Hayden and Chris are there. Hayden was slurping the Honeycomb with milk, while Chris drank coffee. The seemingly goose chase is over. From the reactions of them both, they were also shocked by his naked torso.

                          Hayden slaughtered the awkward silence. “So, umm are your morning rituals involving shirtless-ness?”

                         “Not all the time.” Dante made another short grin.

                         “I guess he didn’t like my shirt,” Chris said, with a shake of his head. “There goes my sense of up-beat fashion.” A smile after the reassured Dante that showed he was only kidding. Thank God.

                         “Your wife is looking for a better shirt for me, sorry though.”

                         “It’s alright. Anyways, why do you want to get another shirt? Are you going out somewhere soon?” Chris asked with his bushy brow bending.

                       “Yes, actually, I wanted to go out see the town and ask questions.”

                       “Questions?” Hayden asked, looking at his father for a moment and looking back to Dante. “Like as in?”

                       “What day is it, what year or month is it and what happened to the Cruise Infinity on the break of Christmas 2007?”

                          Could see building smiles and feel the rising emotion of happiness at the same time, but it all disappeared when both their eyes, where staring at him. He’s serious, Dante heard Chris thought.

                        “Well,” Hayden slowly rose form his seat, a blank expression of thinking appeared on his face. Hayden’s thoughts of what he was going to said boiled to find an answer. He walked closer to him as he return to finish his sentence. “Today is Saturday, March 14, the year is 2008 A.D.”

                        “The Cruise line Infinity on the Christmas break of last year? I’m sorry but the boat sank. It was a very tragic day when the news was heard, lots of people went missing at sea. Days past, few bodies were found and….”

                 Chris began to make a sorrowful speech about what happened, but the word “sank” was what flashed into the open. Something he predicated but wanted to be false like some weather report. Sadly, there was no happy sunny day to make him feel warm and better.

                        “Is there anywhere were I can find more information about this event?” His voice was cracking as the lump in his throat began to form substance. Tears were fought to be held in a masculine manner.

                Hayden raised his index finger, signaling him to ‘hold on a sec’, he ran upstairs and went to go search for something. Dante already knew it was a laptop, didn’t even need to read his mind. Dante sat down on Hayden’s stool, elbows on the counter, hands holding head.

                 A few minutes past then the rumbling of fast footsteps came, Hayden had come possessing a MacBook and Black buttoned t-shirt. “Dad, Mom says she is getting ready and wants you to start the car.”

                “Alright, you kids watch the house, and if you plan to go anywhere, especially you, Dante, call me and let me know.” Chris rushed to grab his things, and rushed to the door, a thud of it closing echoed into the kitchen.

                “Well, Dante, this Laptop is all yours. If you go on Google.com you’ll find all you’re pleasurable delights. If you need any beverages, I will humbly quench your thirst. If you need any foods of any kinds I will make you’re stomach never vacant. If you–”

                 Dante interrupted him quickly, “Hot Chocolate, please, I don’t like coffee.”

                “Coming right up!” Hayden clapped his hands and his skinny arms went to work. Also did Dante’s fingers.

                  Seconds turned to minutes, and Dante had regrettably found the answers to his questions. On a website there was a list of the people who were missing. Dante’s eyes scanned through the papers until it fell upon Xavier, Vanessa, and Dante Eden. Sadness overflowed him, but he expected it, and he accepted it.

                  There was still someone he had not forgotten yet, but wanted to search about. Jenna. Looking back, he looked for the name of Alexandra, her last name.

                  Hayden in new curiosity, asked “Hey, who you looking for now?”

                 “A friend.” Dante replied; eyes concentrated more on the website.

                 “Name, unless on the list this person is John Doe.”

                 “It’s a she, and her name is Jenna. Her family appears to be not on the list. That’s good news.”

                 “The only good news I see from you today, I guess. I know a ‘Jenna’; could it be her?”

                 “Last name?” Dante still kept his eyes boggled through the list, he knew there were about over a million girls named Jenna, it would be high unlikely for Hayden to know.

                 “Jenna Alexandra?”

                   Dante paused on the scroll bar. Could it really be her? Dante glared at him as he whipped his head around, looking at him in a serious, static stare.

                 “What does she look like?” He was interested, excited and also determined. He would be exceedingly grateful if this is the truth for him.

                 “She’s Latino, dark haired, and has that out-of-my-league exquisiteness. But she has these really gorgeous blue eyes, I think they’re contacts.”

                 “That’s her!” He exclaimed and sprinted to the door.

                 “Hey, wait; I don’t know where she is,” Hayden speed walked to the door, and stopped him there. “When I said out of my league, I also meant she lived on the other mountain. Also, for a girl like her, I doubt she be wandering around her house.”

                 Dante hands where ready to yank the door off and his feet where aching to race all the way to see her. However, these arms and legs needed directions.

                “Then, where is she?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

The air was scorching on the beach. The sun beat down on the golden sand, where salty waters move slowly to the shore. Tanned surfers interlaced in and out of the water, their buff bodies working in opposition to the tides.

        Some Sun-browned young ladies stride on the edge of the beach or relaxed laid-back on their towels. Spring was coming closely, but the atmosphere felt like an eternal summer.

       Why was Dante There?

        He felt not right in such an atmosphere. Reading through the minds as he passed through he could feel the normality of the area was filled with people with dreams of the rich, the happy and the restlessness of joy.

        Dante rebelled against that aroma, he was lifeless. His past of the good memories that bring back his friends and family causes him pain beneath. They must all think I’m dead.

        He was destructed. All his small accomplishments, exceeded challenges, and rewards in life, have been unclothed from his possession. Dante had to start from scratch again. He would have to carry only his mourning past, towards this new undefined future. All my goals gone from disappearance.

         Nevertheless, as he was brought forth into the new; he arrived in it with something new. This gift seems to be sprung out of a fictional imagination and questionable ability. Reading minds.

         Mind over Mind powers is impossible and insane.

         Where did it come from? This power? Did someone put it inside him, and if they did this, was it put in for a good reason? Or was it from within himself?

          Did this ability reach out to the surface of his knowing, and became attainable for his use? Did he trigger it? Or did someone out there in the world, trigger it for him?

          Answers and questions. This is more of what he needs and what he is tiresome about.

           Yet, why was he out here with a guy who seems to be clueless to where what Dante needs is, to find her, Jenna?

            He knows the answer for once.

            He really needed to see her. When you love someone the true answer to be with someone is limitless and impossible to explain fully.

            But he remembered before there was a time where he didn’t love her, where he didn’t love anyone, where he was still soft-spoken about his past lovers, and heart-broken of what he did to them and mostly what they did him.

            Yet that all was blurred after he first met her. A weird way to see love at first sight.

 

***

 

It all started while Dante was on the Disney cruise to the Bahamas with my family. At first, He wasn't too excited because no one his fifteen-year-old age seemed to be around and he was afraid he wouldn't have much fun. Dante’s parents suggested he’d go to the meeting for people in his age group to meet with. Most of the kids were younger than him and he didn't find any that he would like to hang out with.

        He looked around. The meeting room was large, and looked like business men were here. There was a smart board with those four different colored markers in four panels. The room was scattered with a dozen round wood-marbled tables, with metal-legged chairs with fading blue seats.

         The conditioner refrigerated the room to close-but-far winter temperatures. However, the sound of it dulled behind the loudness of children chatting amongst their youthful selves.

       Children’s conversations were overflowing with the information of the latest video consoles and games for the boys, then the girly accessories, like the Polly pocket and Barbie toys for the girls.

         Dante was the only kid his age alone with two other twelve year olds who feared him in his non-sociable, cold stare presence.

          The host or leaders or whatever they were called began to start introducing themselves and their Disney-happy plans for the day. The only amusing thing for He was going to take a picture with Mickey, who doesn’t want to do that?

          The minutes became boring and very less amusing. Dante just looked straight at the door, his hands crossing themselves towards his chest as they laid on the table, his head buried in them; eyes left to watch for a hopeless possibility, the possibility for someone his age or near it coming right through that door.

           His eyes grew sleepy, and small imaginary weights pulled them down from the tiredness that drained his unused potential energy. Dante was a goner.

            He was dreaming. A young woman came in through the door.

            She was Stunning.

            Her long hair was dark as the midnight sky that he sees clearly in nature’s fresh wilderness. Fragrances of roses dwelled blissfully into his nostrils satisfying them with more pleasure as she drew close to him. Her body was slender, athletic, and good in all the right places. Her skin was caramel smooth. She seemed to be Spanish.

           She had a glow better than the California Sunset

            Her face was smooth on her cheeks, nose straight and her eyelashes fluffed up and tall. Her were lips luscious with glittering cheery-red lip-gloss. Yet her eyes––those eyes. A contrast of gray and blue. Exquisite.

            Great. I’m dreaming of some random supermodel or playboy chick. Dante thought to himself, believing what he has seen was figure of his imagination.

            “Hey, you with the brown hoodie, Wake Up!” One of the hosts shouted across to snatch him from his status of sleepiness.

             Everyone looked at him, and he jumped up saying. “Sorry, I was just…meditating.” Everyone laughed for a moment, Dante brought up an embarrassing smile. Then, soon everything came back to its original self.

              Except…

               The Hot Girl was still there, in reality. Was he having one of those dreams where you think you wake up but you’re still in a dream? That sucks.

                She was ten feet away. Her cherubic scent was alive and well. Her features were gorgeous and real. Wow, he thought, if I could only find a girl that was that hot.

                 For the rest of the meeting, most of his attention was on her. Every movement she made amused him. The way she would move her hair out of her face so she could watch the stupid hosts. The way her eyelashes would cross into one another when she blinked.

               Dante had quickly liked her in a matter of minutes and saw she was the finest thing he’d seen in a long time. He thought for a second, the way I observe her, really crosses the boundaries of stalker characteristics. I am not a stalker. But she is really pretty. Very Pretty. But I bet she is taken, hopefully not.

      It was at the end of the meeting and Dante decided he had to talk to her. Everyone started to push back their chairs and started to leave for the door to the dinner hall. He walked up to her.

       He introduced himself, saying, "You must be…”.

      What was her name?! Dante was oblivious to having knowledge of her name. Like a smooth character, perhaps someone like Will Smith from Hitch, he could’ve said something laughable, charming, and smooth as a first impression. Luckily, she had a nametag on so others could know who she is, like what everyone else had. He had to start somewhere.

      “…Jenna.”

      Smiling, she said, "Yes, how you knew?" Right away, Dante noticed her smile and wanted to talk to her even more.

      “Sorry, I am a dumbass, I forgot everyone here had nametags.” He couldn’t help but chuckle about the situation. What a dumbass.

      “The sticky paper on my chest that says ‘Hello, my name is Jenna’, really means nothing.” Jenna said being playfully sarcastic. Is she deeply sarcastic? Dante thought to himself.

      “Yeah I noticed that now.” He looked there for a couple of short seconds, he didn’t want to make it to long, if you understand. He doesn’t want a slap tonight, so, he tilted his eyes back to hers and continued. “Anyways,” he took a step back, and looked at her fully. “You have a nice outfit.”

         She wore a cute, tight, pink hoodie, and a low cut green shirt, and tight jeans. Even though he has seen this casual outfit before, it really looked original on her.

      “You look great yourself….Dante.” She sounded like she didn’t mean it, especially, when she didn’t even search for his name until the last minute. But that smile just blew his quick holy-crap-I-messed-everything-up thoughts all away.

        They began to follow the long line of kids walking to the dinner hall. The halls on the cruise were all in white and had stripes of red, blue yellow and orange. However, in some parts of the cruise they all changed for their theme of the deck.

      “Wow! Look, I’m at the back of the line with children in front of me. This reminds me of my last grade for grade school, where the grade eights were on the back of the bus.” Jenna said after three minutes of silence between them.

         Dante grinned. “I remember that. When I was probably eleven, I would always glimpse in fear at the ‘cool’ grade eights sitting in the back, acting like they owned the bus. Then when I got to that grade, I just relaxed, bored and found the kids in the front having fun.”

        “It looks as if that the people, like us, got older, we got to be less playful and energetic.”

        “It’s probably because our minds were on the opposite sex, our ears where occupied with mp3s, our mouths chatting with other friends, and our eyes looking at also the opposite sex.” He theorized.

        “True.” She stopped talking as they turned to the next hall, thinking. Another gorgeous smile shined. “You know, you sound like you’re really smart. I hope you aren’t just saying this to impress me or something?”

        “Naw,” Dante shook his head, and then poked the side of his brain as a gesture. “I’m just really gifted up in there. But seriously, my educational results are opposite from what you presume I am.”

        “Oh, you’re not a wise-ass in school.” She chortled.

        “I just think school isn’t so important to me. I read books, now and then, and my dad told me ‘if you learn all the information instead of waiting for it to be learned to you. You can see how faster it is to getting a job’, that’s all he wants me to do is get a job and get out of the house.

        “He deserves the ‘Greatest Dad Ever’ coffee cup, huh?” She laughed, so did He. It wasn’t the funniest joke but it was something funny. She had a dazzling, joyful laugh.

          They both entered the dinner hall, and found it intriguing. It looked like an exact replica of the ball room from Cinderella, just smaller.

          Dante remembered on the map for the cruise there was a ball room for every age group, which was enormous and was two stories, and looked exactly like the ball room from Beauty and the Beast. Two movies He has forgotten but only remember small pieces of it.

           The dinner tables were scattered around the large center of the room. Instead of a blank surface as the flat, there was a white elaborated, designed cloth over it with antique-looking utensils, plates and dishes around it.

            All the kids rushed to tables with there new friends, girls with girls, boys with boys. However, Dante and Jenna sat alone on the far right of the hall. He felt glad she sat next to him, alone with themselves.

             Though, he thought she only sat with him now because he was the only person her age here, not because she liked him they he did. Who wouldn’t?

            The directors of the meeting announced that there are menus on the tables; they said ‘pick whatever you like and we will bring it to you’.

            “Look at the back of the menu, there is a great special there.” Jenna was already holding the red menus.

              Dante held them and scanned through it. It was very childish. They had simple food constructions like, chicken fingers with fries, hamburgers with milkshakes. He checked the back, and read out loud: “Mickey’s broomstick servant fries and Magical hat double cheeseburger. Sounds very magical to me.”

               Dante and Jenna have a very good laugh.

               The waitress and waiters accompany each table. They wore white and black outfits that you see top five star restaurants would use. They asked very politely, and both of them ordered what they wanted. After, they continued to talk.

             “You like rootbeer?” Jenna asked curiously.

             “When I go to somewhere special and it involves food, I must have rootbeer.” He said, joking with his seriousness.

             “So, where you from?” Jenna asked, adjusting herself to be more comfortable to listen.

             “Canada.” He answered, though he thought twice because to himself, he thought Canada was a boring country to him.

             “Oh really. I hate the cold.”

             “Me too, but I get use to it,” He paused and then chuckled, disagreeing with himself as he shook his head. “Actually, the cold doesn’t bother me, because I lived there forever, so I live with it. Yet, I hate it when other people from other places say they hate Canada is a cold country.”

              “Sorry, but I live in California. I love where it’s always warm, I can’t be in the cold, it is just not normal for me.” Jenna started to show her hateful passion against the winter. “You will never see me in a million years, in a foot of snow.”

                Dante laughed. “You hate it that much.”

               “I hate it pass my limits.”

                 Dante caught his attention on the waiter approaching their table, with trays of food. He ordered the magical special, Jenna laughed when he say it came with a small blue hat with stars around it. Jenna dared him to wear it but He plead for her to stop and saying he would not do it.

               “…put on that hat.” Jenna said, her voice trickled by the laughing that escaped her.

               “If this Pinocchio thing turns hip-hop related I will love to wear it in public. But not now.” Dante couldn’t help but grin when he spoke.

               “Dante, this hat is will look very sexy on you. I swear when guys see you wearing this they will be ‘hating’ on you.”

               “Jenna, please, just stop.” He tried to make his tone and facial expression serious, but her joyfulness and radiating smile made his grin unyielding.

               “Alright, let’s just eat.” They both matured themselves to their eating manners and began to devour the food.

                 After they were done, Dante retained back to their conversation. “So, how did you get on this cruise? You do something special for someone? Is this a surprise? You’re parents win the lottery?”

                “My Parents are just rich. A friend told them that they should go on the Disney Cruise again this time of year.”

                “You have been on here before?”

                “Yeah, this is my third time. Last two times I went I was about as old as those kids, and I was enjoying every second, but now–”

                “The youthful moments are losing their taste.” Dante interrupted, already knowing what she wanted to say.

                   She draws a milkshake to her lips, “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” She gulps some of it down, and asked the same question. “How did you get on the cruise?”

                “Well, to start off, this is the first time I have ever been on a cruise, but not any cruise, a Disney cruise.”

                   Jenna claps for a moment, “I’m so proud of you.”

                   Dante gurgled, and then continued. “Anyways, my Dad won a free family trip at his workplace; he works for a big company, so, they have connections to almost everything. I wasn’t the happiest child alive when they told me and my mother the news, because I’m too old for Disney. However, it was a cruise, so I had to go. Because I knew this would be a once and a lifetime opportunity. And like a good opportunity. I took it.”

                 “Well-spoken. At least I’m not fully alone. I’ve been all around this boat for the whole day searching for anyone around my age. Luckily, you are exactly my age, right?”

                    Dante nodded, and looked intently into her glamorous ocean eyes. Exactly.

                 “I envy you.” He sighed.

                 “Why?” Her brow arched, a smile opened like a half moon.

                 “You got to go outside; I’ve been outside only once.”

                 Her voice decreased to a lower standard, her upper body bent over to reveal the message secretly and clearly. “Well, how bout me and you ditch this kiddy land now?”

                    Dante slowly got up and nodded. He left and asked one of the leaders if he can go the washroom. Walking to the washrooms, he stopped, and waited for Jenna. In less than three minutes, she came.

                  “Let’s go!” Jenna shouted, sprinted past him.

                   Dante followed her pace and path and soon they were on the high floor, at the rear part of the ship.

                  Opening the door, He was swatted by the pleasant ocean breeze. The lanterns around the area were lit. The moon and the starry sky became a vast dim brightness around them. The view was magnificent.

                  Jenna told him to sit on the lawn chairs bringing it closer to sit next to her, and they watched the beautiful night sky.

                   They talked, laughed, and spoke about themselves. Their past and future dreams were shared. Here and there, they sometimes flirted with each other. Sometimes, they shared secrets and unbelievable stories.

                   Dante soon become conscious of similarities she had of him, and he found her comments and opinions were funny and also thought-provoking.

                  He felt that they acted around each other like they were already boyfriend and girlfriend.

                 “You know what, Dante?” Jenna said; her eyes stared as a resolute on his. Her gaze was dreamy and in a state oasis.

                   Dante smiled, and try to make an effort to become serious as she was.

                “If I didn't have a boyfriend, I would go out with you if we lived near each other.” Jenna proclaimed gleefully.

                “Oh, you have a boyfriend.” Dante was surprised by the news.

                 Dante wasn’t totally surprised, he was shocked because everything was going smoothly, and he anticipated someone as beautiful as her would never be dateless. However, Dante remembered they lived in different countries so even if it was possible, it would never work out. Guess this would be a summer fling.

                “So, how are you with you’re boyfriend then?”

                “Me and Steven? Not the best.” She looked away, hiding her reluctant and ashamed feelings from what she answered.

                “Oh, what’s been happening with you two?” Dante asked, his eyes concerned and his mind eager to make solutions.

                “Well, before we dated, we really were good friends. We laughed, talked and did things a lot together, so soon we realized we had to date to go further. When we dated, I was in heaven, but then a few weeks after he just started to talk to me less, ignore me at school, hang out with other girls. It just became…”

                “Horrible?” Dante interrupted, putting a word in her mouth, but probably did not want to say.

                  Tears were swelling in her eyes, and the aroma of sadness filled the open deck. Dante wanted to make it better as much as he could. He loved her smile not her sad face.

                  Dante had an idea. He grabbed her hand softly paced it on his shoulder. “You feel this? This is my shoulder, if you want to cry, this shoulder is a perfect shoulder to cry on.”

                   She smiled again. “No duh?”

                   Dante moved his hand to the center of his arm. “This is my arm. If you ever feel lonely, my arm will come around you, bring you close so I can give you a big hug.”

                    She giggled for a moment.

                   “This is to show I am here for you.”

                    She adored his speech and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m not going to cry, but I’m doing this to say thank you.”

                     They both looked at the sea, and from his digital wristwatch it was almost two o’ clock in the morning. Dante laid back and replied, “No problem.”

 

What a night that was, Dante thought, as he re-lived the first moment he met Jenna in his head. Meeting her again, would she still be happy to see Dante, a ghost from a short memory with a tragic ending? Time will tell.

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Author Guidance for This Story

It was written in swirling calligraphy.

excerpt from The Impossible Waters   by moonwalker