When loves lasts

10

They stood still for a long time, he was scared to let her go. She was so fragile, so vulnerable, in his arms.

"Everything is going to be okay..."he whispered softly in her ear, as he stroked her hair, between his fingers.  "I'm sorry if I never told you anything. No one knows about this besides Ricky. I didn't want anyone to know."

"I'm just glad you told someone, never keep your feelings bottled up. It's okay to tell someone about it" he smiled lightly, touching her hand.

"My dad reached out to give me his condolences about Mark's dead." She said and stayed silent "I called him that night, you know. i wanted my dad's support, and all I got was his lousy voicemail." She laughed with tears running down her cheeks.

"¿Can I ask you something?" He passed his thumb around her soft, warm skin. She felt his touch, how his thumb traced around her hand. She nodded.

"The lady from the spelling bee. The one you left with, who is she? ¿Was she his mom?"

She nodded once again. For weeks, she constantly tried to get Iliana to go back. Iliana was tired of saying she would think about it. She didn't want to go back, there was nothing left for her back there. He was gone, what could she go? She couldn't mourn for the rest of her life. This was her new home. She avoided the conversation when Alma would bring it up. It was a mood killer for both, especially hers.

"¿Is this the reason why you won't accept what I feel for you?"

"It's just not that...it's complicated." She explained with sorrow eyes. She couldn't answer his question, she didn't even know the answer to it herself. "¿Then what is it?" He tried to find her eyes.

She let out a deep breathe she didn't know she was holding in "I don't want to replace him with you. Im not trying to say you are his replacement because you're not. You are yourself and he is himself but I feel like I'm betraying him with you." She played with her fingers. "You know what." He said, catching her attention.

She looked up to him with glossy eyes, waiting for him to say something. "I want to met him." She frowned with her eyebrows. "¿What?"

"Every sunday you disappear. Do you go visit him?" He asked, reaching out to hold her hand. "Yeah... every morning. Why are you asking?" She played his hand. "This sunday I want to go with you. I want to meet him." He smiled. "I still don't understand." She shook her head.

"Iliana. I want to meet Mark. I know I will never be him but I strongly feel that I need to ask him if I can date you." Iliana looked at him different. She never thought Jc would say something like that. He was willing to do that for her?

"I want this with you." He lifted her hand and kissed it. "I don't know Jc...I don't think so." She moved her hand away from him. "¿Why not?" He said looking at her disappointed. "Jc I need to get home, its late."

She got up and started to walk away without him. "Don't walk away from me like that please." He begged her "Meet me at my house Sunday, around 6 in the morning"

He smiled hearing her say that. "you can't walk home, I promised your brother I would bring you back safely" he reminded her.

On their way back, both teenagers were quiet. There wasn't much to say between them, he knew her secret she just didn't know his. That's where he started to think, is it right? For him to do her wrong after she told him a heartbreaking truth of hers?

Seeing her like that tonight brought out a lot of things. She wasn't who seemed she was, now he knew why she acted the way she did. Behind that cold heart of hers was a small vulnerable little girl still mourning a death. He hadn't realized how bad her life was until that night. A girl without a dad and the weight of a lost on her shoulders. He knew a lot about her yet he had a lot to know still.