The Eyes That Lost Their Sparkle Options

[wishforhelsinki]

"We could try one more time?" The girl's face showed enough hope to devour Derik's heart. And he felt it really could drown in it at that moment.

"What would be the point?" He hadn't meant to make it sound as bitter as it had, but as the words hit the air all he could do was stop his breath short and wish he could take it back. He turned away from Chassidy unable to see the flash of pain he had caused to jolt on her face. She made a barely audible gasp of noise, before pausing to think of what she should say.

What could you say? Someone had just crushed all of your hope with a single question not even meant to be answered. Why would you even think of something to say? Derik couldn't take the silence anymore, as short as it was. Chassidy sensed he was about ready to walk from that point and said finally, "Does there have to be?"

He turned back to face her and felt colder than ever as his eyes locked onto hers. Their green pools as shallow as a pond now. He found himself still mesmerized by them, the gray and blue tadpole flecks in the pond flickering at him. "Have to be what?" He finally managed to say back.

"Does there have to be a point, a reason for us to keep trying? Why do you keep putting the limits between us?" Chassidy was almost breaking.

"Limits? You think I'm purposely trying to keep us apart? Why should we waste anymore of our lives on trying? We just can't try 'one more time' again, this is something we should have realized as done." He was out of breath. As if by speaking to her all of his feelings about their ending relationship he had lost all of his strength mentally and physically. He couldn't find the urge inside to move anymore. He stood there, staring into those piercing green eyes staring in his.

"You never understood why I loved looking into your eyes," she said softly, the light reflecting off the water escaping the corners of hers, "You used to say they were as dull as autumn and that they could never compare to the beauty Winter brought...like mine."

Derik kept still, in a sentient state, watching her as she fought to control her hysteric breathing. In his own mind, remembering exactly what he'd said to her when he compared her eyes to his. She was crying hard and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around those fragile shoulders, pick that small frame off the ground and take her home. But he feared the damage was done, and whatever move he tried, would fail.

"But I saw gold in your eyes. I saw myself inside them, and I could never forget the look in your eyes when you looked at me. I beg you to differ how dull autumn really is."

With the truth broken out, the two figures conversing from a strange distance in Washington Market Park became one. You could see from where you're standing at a newstand, or sitting on a bench, the saddened girl running away from a boy who's stuck between sorry and broken.


Inspired by 'Salmagundi Salad' by Savannah from Alabama