Passionate Exchange

Chapter Forty-Three

Recognition flashed in his eyes. A small smile tugs at his lips but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Oh, hey. Madison, right?" His voice is hoarse. Has he been crying? It's too dark to tell by his face.

I hover in front of him and nod. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms against my chest when a gush of cold air travels past us.

His laughter echoes around us. It rumbles through me, leaving shivers in its wake. That wasn't an amused laugh, that laugh was filled with pain. "This is where I come to hang out. Haven't you heard; all the cool kids come here?" He jokes.

I step closer to him so I can get a better look at his face. His red, teary eyes confirm my suspicions. He's been crying. His hair is swept to the side lazily and the tip of his nose is raw from what looks like wiping it too much. Knowing that he's been crying doesn't stop me from asking. "Oh my god, have you been crying?"

He waves his hand in the air, dismissing my question. "Me? No, of course not." He lies.

His lie is futile. I can see straight through him. "Do you need me to call anyone?"

He doesn't answer me. Instead, he rests his head against the wall and closes his eyes, sighing deeply. "Can I talk to you about something?" My heart goes out for the broken boy in front of me.

"Sure," I take a seat next to him and bring my knees up to my chest.

"Have you ever lost someone you love?"

I think about my mum and the night the police came to the door. The way my dad fell to the floor and held his head in his hands. "Yes," is all I say. It's all I can ever say when someone asks me about it.

He turns to face me now. His eyebrows are raised with what looks like hope twinkling in his eyes. "So, you understand how it feels?"

I simply nod. I understand how it feels. I understand the pain you feel when you're missing your other half. It feels like the light has been ripped out of your world. The love ripped out of your heart. Someday, you feel like the world's going to swallow you whole, that you can't fight it any longer. You become irritated by everyone's apologies. What are they apologising for? They weren't the ones who killed her.

"I, um..." He trails off.

I sense his discomfort instantly as he wrings his hands together. "You don't have to tell me anything," I reassure him.

He sighs, spreading his legs out across the floor. "Thanks." He wipes the back of his hand across his eyes and sniffles slightly. We sit in silence for a few minutes until he asks, "does it ever end?"

I know exactly what he's talking about. "You learn to live with it," is what I tell him.

No, the pain doesn't end. You always feel like something's missing in your life, someone's missing. You'll see things that remind you of them and break down in the middle of the store. But, after a while, you'll see those things in a different light. You'll be glad you got to spend the time with them that you did. You'll be eternally happy that you got to share even just a fragment of their joy.

"Listen, do you want to come back to my house," I'm quick to correct myself. "I mean Archer's house?"

He stands up and wipes the dust off of his jeans, shaking his head slightly. "I should probably go home."

"Are you sure?"

He nods as I stand up. "Thanks, Madison. I really needed to hear that."

I give him a tight-lipped smile. He copies my expression. His smile barely meets his eyes, but it does. That's a good sign. "Don't be afraid to talk to someone. Your friends will understand." He nods and I really do believe he'll tell someone.