Counterfeit

-sixtynine-

—sixtynine-

It feels like there's oceans between me and you once again.
We hide our emotions under the surface, and try to pretend.
+ Seafret +

-

"HE'LL FORGIVE YOU. Just give him some time."
"How much? A week? A few days? We might not even be here, then."
"Hey," Charleston stopped me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Don't think like that."
"I thought you wanted me to be prepared? Worst case situation?" I reminded him.
"He's going to forgive you. I don't doubt that for a second."
"You don't know him like I do."
"No, but I know you." He answered, pushing my loose hair behind my ear. "And I know he'll see how incredible you are."
"Incredibly stupid." I scoffed, standing up from my seat.
He grabbed my wrist as I walked past. "Incredibly brave." He spun me around to face him. "He won't be mad at you forever."
"You mean that? You really think he'll come round?"

He nodded, smiling down at me. "You'll see. But, we got to go now. The ceremony is starting soon."

I breathed out, readying myself for the change of events. "This is it."
"This is it." He echoed.
"The 'Last' Harvest... Feels like only yesterday I arrived here."
"You say that every time." Charleston laughed, leading me out the Grey Range.
"I do not!"
"You so do." He laughed.
"I don't!" I insisted, my voice lost somewhere in my laughing. I cut myself off, my eyes meeting with a pair staring back at me from a distance. MiKinley.

I stopped walking, lost in the moment, Charleston becoming aware of what was happening now. "It's gonna sort out." He leaned nearer to me, whispering whilst keeping his eyes set on him.

"He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you-"

"It's okay. Just leave it. There's nothing I can do." I dismissed him. Regretful at how rude I had been, I sighed, correcting my words. "I'm sorry. I'll see you after the Harvest. Good luck with it all."
"Pip-"
"I just can't do it at the moment, Charleston. I'm sorry. I should go." I walked away from him, and away from where MiKinley was standing, feeling the weight of both their gazes on me.

As I made my way over to the group, the Harvest began, initiated by Marvis walking onto the platform.

"Where's MiKinley? He's missing it." Thea asked me, Patrick in waiting for an answer.

"He's back there," I replied, looking over my shoulder to see him at the back of the ground, leaning up against one of the cabins. "I think you should go see him, Patrick."

"Thanks Pip." He responded, grateful for my advice. I didn't want him to be alone.
"He's in an awful mood so I'd be careful if I were you." Ava called out.
"Yeah, but he's always in an awful mood with you, so..." Patrick teased, shrugging his hands up, laughing as found his way over to MiKinley.

"Everything okay between you and Kin?" Ava wondered. It was impossible to hide anything from her.

"Not really. I... I tried to touch him."
"Pip..." Her voice was cautious, her uncertainty of how to address the situation, playing out. I feared there was a disappointment in her heart at how I had chosen to interact with MiKinley.

"I know. I'm completely stupid." I told her, worried that she would say it first. "And I believed Charleston when he told me MiKinley wasn't really here, but I just wanted to understand it... To try and comprehend the possibility of it. Now I've lost him."

"You haven't lost him. He may be stubborn as heck, and ridiculously unwilling to listen at times, but he'll get over it. He's probably just, I don't know, scared with everything that's been going on. We all know why it's been happening. We all know the truth, but he doesn't. I'm sure if he did, and I know that when you tell him, everything will be fine."

"But there's another truth, Ava. And I can't compete with it."

"What is it?"

"That I'm running out of time."

-sixtynine—
Sorry this wasn't so good.