Regeneration

He saw her standing there, red bandana covering her neck, her raven hair complimenting her pale features and those soft voluptous lips moving in a conversation with a man obviously trying to get somewhere with her and failing. Just like he knew he would. He was only there because his friends had dragged him to this place. "You need this". They said as he began to get dressed. It's True. He Did1

She looked across at him with those precious sapphire orbs her auburn hair falling across her face and down her shoulders. She was the epitome of beauty. She knew it and so did he. He shifted his glance back to the road. Merely seeing it through an amber gaze as he continued to down his beer in one and. His other wrapped around her delicate fingers, steering with his knees he saw those orbs light up with fiery determination. “Stop the car right now or I will never speak to you again!” He smiled back at her and said “Okay”. As he stopped the car she flung forward and hit her head on the dashboard. “Why would you do that?!” She screamed at him. “I just did what you told me to do! It’s not my fault you-”2

“Oh so now you are blaming this on me?! If you stopped drinking once in a while maybe you would see how much of an idiot you’ve become!!”3

He looked at her in the eyes again and saw the amount of hate she had for him at that moment and he apologized.4

That was the last time he spoke to her. Before well… she died... try as he might to suppress the memory or how. He never could5

“Take me home now.” She said finally. So he put his foot on the accelerator and sped off towards her house. He thought he had control. He Didn’t…6

His Eyes slid open. Focusing on the ceiling above he noticed he wasn’t in his car. Jumping up he screamed “WHERE IS SHE?!” but he knew the answer to that. He could hear the beeping of the machine right next to him.7

Beep. He looked over and saw her perfect figure lying there8

Beep. He walked over feeling empty at what he had done9

Beep. He reaches down for her hand.10

Beep. He begins to cry11

Beep. I love-12

Then the sound of nothing, except the constant beep as she flat lines.13

That was the last time he fell for a girl until tonight. When the girl locked eyes upon him he’s heart stopped. Her pale blue eyes emitting a constant aura of non chalance, as she walked over towards him. One step towards him and he immediately broke out into a sweat. Two steps and his mouth was feeling dry. Three he tried to drag his eyes away from her but couldn’t. Four and it was too late. She whispered into his ear “You are might cute.” With a cheeky grin and a wink of her eye. Then her friends turned up and dragged her away. So he was left blushing profusely and trying to discover what to do next.14

The friends decided to turn up as they saw the girl whisper into the boy’s ear. As she walked away they ran up to him. “Why aren’t you chasing her?” One of them said with a punch to the boys arm. “Well… I don’t know what to say” The boy replied almost defeatedly “And she was already with another man.” That was when his friends grinned and said “You let us take care of him. You just go get that girl.” So immediately he set out at a run looking through the club for her red bandana and then he found it. He began to walk over. Heart wanting to wrench itself free from being trapped for so long in sadness. Feeling itself become free.15

He approached her and as immediately aware of a blush creeping across his face as he tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned around her eyes lit up. “Why hello there stranger” She said with the same cheeky grin. Blush. 16

“Hello I was thinking its be stupid to let you get away”17

“Well you’d be right” She said coming closer towards the boy18

“That would have been stupid”19

It was then that the boy through some sudden impulse grabbed her hand and held it. “Well… I don’t think I will let you get away now”20

She smiled at that and said “I wouldn’t have it any other way”21

He was introduced into her friends at that stage Her arm around him and his arm around her. “This is… I actually don’t know…” she laughed “what is your name?”22

“Luke” the boy replied with a smile “Luke Cullen”23

“Well Luke my name is Melissa but my friends all me Mel”24

“Hello” he said politely. She wrapped her arm around his and began to lead her hand down to his and held his hand tight as she led him upstairs to the other room.25

As the music flowed so to did her movements soft and graceful dancing in time. He attempted to emulate the same type of dance but looked awkward against her. She locked eyes with him again and through some act of forwardness he embraced her. Feeling their heartbeats intertwine just as the music began hitting peaking point their cheeks met and then met and with the same act of forwardness he brought his mouth across to hers and just as the music exploded so too did they. Kissing and drawing each other close and giggling in between bursts of air, grabbing each other even closer. Then sighing contently at their first kiss. He had forgotten the feeling a kiss could leave behind. As he had a dumbfounded look upon his face he knew he had this look because it was mirrored by hers.26

He was surprised at how forward he was with her; normally he was the reserved type of boy. He looked at her in the eyes and his words tumbled out before he knew what he was going to say. 27

“Why did you come up to me?!”28

“There was something about you. To be honest I don’t know why.”29

“But look how many others there are here. Why me?”30

“I can always just go again...” 31

It was then with that he grabbed her hand again and drew her in close for another kiss32

“I said I wouldn’t let you get away. And I meant it”33

It was strange he reflected that someone you just meet can effect your entire life. She looked at him in the eyes and asked what he was thinking. He lied and said nothing. He couldn’t let her know how he felt. 34

The night hours transgressed into morning and still the boy and girl were a couple for the night. When they weren’t kissing they were embracing each other. Knowing this wasn’t going to happen again. But as the sun began to rise and the ruby light was reflected in hers their hands separated and they left with a smile.35

His friends walked over to him and asked if he enjoyed the night. He did. Looking at his phone he saw a message from her. I love you it said. It was funny because he knew he was going to reply just the same thing. 36

They kept in contact with each other but it was a week before until they actually met again. The girl turns out lived further then the boy could have imagined. He travelled within the slums of the city. The smog greeting him with an almost suffocating clasp. So he was welcome to the unsoiled country air he got on the train away from the city and into the country. So he took a window seat on the train watching the sky scrapers turn from looming monsters to specks of material dust. As he looked out the window he couldn’t help but this of where this attachment will get him. He was scared the girl was drunk and that was the only reason they met. But deep down he knew he was just making excuses.37

The train later arrived at his destination. He waited until the other people piled off before he left. When the girl got there he expected to see Melissa in a carriage that could only match the beauty she held but as he looked around he saw nothing… no one…38

“Great” he thought. You fall in love and this is where you get. Out in the middle of no where. What a bit-”39

But just as he thought that word she came screaming around the corner in her car. He looked up and her beauty made his jaw drop. He had only seen her at night and what he was now… well he was just left dumb founded. He walked over and opened the door.40

“you made me think it was some elaborate ruse to just lead me out here alone”41

She looked him up and down “And let some other lucky girl have all of that? No thanks!”42

He blushed profusely again and got in the car. He looked over at her and she looked at him. They knew what was going to happen but it was to remain unsaid. 43

“so did you enjoy the trip?” She said after he had just sat there being lost in her beauty. 44

“well yes aside from the whole I don’t know where the hell I am”45

She smiled. So did he. He grabbed her hand and they remained like that until she stopped the car. 46

“I just have to get something from a friends place” After that she shut the door and he was left there again. Alone. 47

He must have fallen asleep because he awoke when he heard her coming back. “sorry about that” she said again. “its fine” he smiled and looked over at her. “I have something to tell you…” Immediately Melissa felt a shiver down her spine. 48

“It has to do with my past, the last girl I felt… well… this strong about”49

He told her everything that happened that night. How he felt. How many breaths he took. Yet even though. After all of that. She smiled.50

“If we allow the past to haunt us then our memories become ghosts. The thing about ghosts is that well… they aren’t real”51

He stared at her in a quizzical way. He had just told her what had been eating at him for years and years and she just solved it. All like that. She continued smiling at him and it was like he was reborn. Regenerated.52