A Splash of Truth

          They walked a far distance apart, near the Danke River, feeling the same connection of awkwardness between them both. She shifted her eyes at him time and time again through the corner of her eye, and he remained staring at the ground before his feet, possibly in deep thought, she figured. He stopped following her, turned to face the river, and sat near the bank. He sat and stared at the water, but she didn’t stop to stare with him. She kept moving on without him, thinking she’d never feel the same after what had happened that day.
     
          He took a stone that sat close to him and dropped it to the river, letting the water splash over his hand. She turned to watch him toss more stones. She had always wondered what his hands felt like. Perhaps they felt soft and kind, like a child’s. Or maybe rough and wise, like a carpenter or farmer. But she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t want to think about his hands, or his face, or the way he made her feel. And yet, just before that day, he was all she could think about. She couldn’t keep him off her mind. She always wanted to be close to him, to know what he was thinking about and how he felt every moment of the day. She began to remind herself of how this all happened and she drifted into her memories.
     
          That morning he had asked to talk to her alone, and she was never so anxious and nervous in her life. She was full of hope and butterflies, and felt so light-hearted. She just knew he would finally ask her out, ask her to be his. She could never get the courage to ask him out herself, she just wasn’t that type of girl.
     
          When they met at the entrance of a small forest, she was hypnotized by his velvet voice. He spoke to her about the weather, sports he’s been playing, but nothing important yet. They decided to wander a bit together into the forest. They began to talk about past relationships and how they each wish to find their own someone special. They talked about their friends, pet peeves, and where they saw themselves in the future. She never felt so friendly and comfortable talking to him before.
     
          Finally, without looking at her, he said her name.
     
          “Coralline…”
     
          Her heart raced, and she turned to him, “What is it, Michael?”
     
          “Well… can I ask you something?” He asked.
     
          Her face was flushed. She stuttered a bit, and said, “Of course you can, but I think
     
          I know what you want to ask…”
     
          Michael looked puzzled, but she continued.
     
          “If you don’t mind, Mike…I’d like to ask you first. I’ve always wanted to ask you,” she explained, with a shy smile on her face as she stared at the ground. She never felt so ready and so happy. Her closest friend, Isabelle, always told Coralline how cute a couple she and Michael would make. Isabelle would give her tips on how to win him over, even though Coralline never thought she’d ever have a chance with him.
     
          “Michael…” she started softly. She looked up at him with wide eyes and a soft smile. She continued, “I feel strange about this…but, will you be my boyfriend?”
      She quickly looked down, as her cheeks turned pink. She patiently awaited his answer.
     
          He stuttered, staring at her, dumbstruck.
     
          “Coralline,” he began quietly, “I think you’ve misunderstood…”
     
          She immediately looked up at her with wide eyes. He continued, “I’m sorry, but the reason I brought you out here, was to ask if Isabelle was taken.”
     
      Coralline’s heart dropped like a rock. Very much like the ones Michael tossed into the cold water of the river. But unlike those stones, her feelings, like water, did not lash back at him with coldness. She kept silent and once again stared at the ground. After what seemed like forever, he quietly said, “Coralline, I—” but she interrupted by looking up at him and smiling. With her throat tight, she said, “It’s alright, really. I’m fine. Just a simple misunderstanding, that’s all. No big deal. It’s nothing, I swear…” He looked at her with concern and asked “Are you sure you’re ok? I really am sorry. I don’t know how I led you on like that. I’m sorry, Cora.”
     
          When he called her that, she used to get butterflies. Now, it just hurt her. She looked at him and shook her head, saying, “Look, just forget it. And yes, she is taken. Sorry, I… I have to go.” She left before he had a chance to stop her. Michael rubbed the back of his neck in earnest and sighed.
     
          Coralline walked slowly into a clearing she knew well. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks. She felt so idiotic and never wanted to face him again. Mindlessly, she wandered to the middle of the clearing, to a large boulder surrounded by an almost perfect circle of mushrooms and wildflowers. That was her special place, her getaway. Coralline had always thought of that spot as her sacred space since she was a child. She went there when she fought with her mother, or when her pet bird flew away. She spent time grieving, thinking, or sometimes she’d go there just to gaze at the clouds rolling by. But at that moment, she just sat at the top of her boulder and cried; reminding herself over and over again of how foolish she thought she was.
     
          From another entrance to the clearing, Michael walked in. He wondered to himself how this whole mess could have happened. He felt so bad for hurting Coralline, so much so that he nearly forgot about his feelings for Isabelle. All he knew at that time was that there was a young girl who he had hurt, and that he needed to do something to fix things. Too busy thinking of ways to reverse time; he hadn’t noticed that he was walking right up to Coralline. He looked up, and saw her hugging her knees, her shoulders shaking. He never saw her in such a pitiful state, and that made him feel terrible. He walked a little closer, quiet as a deer.
     
          “Coralline…” he started. She looked up suddenly and saw him. Surprised, she quickly wiped the tears from her face and tried to act as if nothing was bothering her. She started to climb down the boulder, and Michael offered his hand to help. She completely ignored his offer, and jumped off on her own. He hesitantly put his hand in his pocket. She got to her feet and looked Michael square in the eyes.
     
          “Is there something you want?” she asked him, with a slight tone of annoyance. He looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet a little in the soft grass. Scratching the back of his head, he looked up at her and took a deep breath.
     
          “Well, yes,” he began, “There’s something I want to say. I know you’re upset, so don’t hide it.” She avoided his gaze and stared off to the side, at the ground behind him.
     
          He continued, “I really am so sorry, I had no idea that you like—,” she looked right at him and frowned, “—liked me.”
     
          She also took a deep breath and after a few seconds of silences she said, “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, now does it? You like Isabelle, and who can blame you? She’s smart and beautiful and—,” she stopped. She simply turned around and began walking. Michael followed her. Knowing that she probably wouldn’t listen to reason, he trailed behind her, silently. This is how they came to the Danke River, one tossing stones into the cold water, the other just walking in awkward silence.
     
          Coralline snapped back to reality. She was about ten yards from him now, and decided to rest under and comfortable looking tree. She kept her head facing him, watching him as he absentmindedly continued his pointless task. It was getting harder to look at him, and all the crying had tired her out. She closed her eyes and let the scattered sunlight warm her up. Each time Michael dropped another rock, he thought harder and harder about how much he hurt Coralline, and how he could possibly fix things.  He leaned back and rested his hands behind him to balance. He turned his head to the side to glance at her. At that moment, he had never been so speechless. Michael saw the gentle sun light set upon her body. The way her ebony hair settled perfectly over her shoulders hypnotized him. Her long black eyelashes, her pink lips, her rosy cheeks, the way her sundress fit her petite figure just right. She was beyond beautiful and only now, after breaking her fragile heart, had he realized how much he needed her to be his.
     
          He noticed how her hand fell from her lap to the ground. She was asleep.
     
          A sleeping beauty, he thought to himself. She stirred then, and opened her eyes. He broke his stare and looked back to the water. Coralline, knowing not of how long he was watching her, got up and walked over to him.
     
          “I’m going home now, alright? The sun is setting and it’ll get dark soon,” she said plainly. Michael didn’t reply at first, and so she began to walk away. He got to his feet and watched as her hair flowed behind her. He snapped out of his trance and decided to apologize one last time. He lightly sprinted until he caught up to her. They were already entering another, smaller clearance. The sky began to grow dark as nighttime approached. He touched her shoulder to get her attention and said her name softly.
     
          “Cora…”
     
          She turned to him with a blank look on her face and coldly asked him what he wanted. He quietly said, “I’m sorry…”
     
          She sighed, “I know. You’ve said that already, remember? And I said it’s alright.”
     
          He hesitated for a moment, “That’s not why I’m sorry.” Now she was the one with the confused look on her face.
     
          “Then what are you sorry for now?” she asked, looking a little annoyed. She didn’t want to spend any more time with him.
     
          “I’m sorry,” Michael began, “for not realizing it earlier.”
     
          She tilted her head to one side. “Realizing what?” she asked.
     
          He took a deep breath and smiled at her. She became even more perplexed. He finally spoke,
     
          “I don’t love Isabelle,” he said softly, as he wrapped his arms around Coralline’s waist and pulling her close to him. Her heart began to race.
     
          “I love you, Coralline…” He leaned in and gave her the sweetest kiss she ever experienced. When he pulled away, he saw a tear rolling down Coralline’s cheek.
         
          He brushed it away with his delicate hand.
     
          Soft as an angel’s, she thought. She looked up at him with soft, watery eyes.
     
            “Are you sure you know what you’re saying, Michael?” she asked quietly, as another tear of happiness and uncertainty ran down her cheek. This time he kissed her tear away and said, “I’ve never been surer about anything, Cora.”
      She smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss with a longer one. He held her as close as he could. They both felt the sun set completely behind them. Fireflies arose from the trees and danced around the young lovers.
     
          Coralline looked up at the boy who had stolen her heart, affectionately touched his jaw line, and whispered to him, “I love you, Michael… and I always will.”