All That Remains by Barrera Al

Author:Barrera, Al
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Al Barrera
Published: 2015-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11- Kyle

They sat under the apple tree, sunned and warm. His dark skin made a sharp contrast with her alabaster complexion as their bodies glistened in the afterglow of sex. The clouds overhead bore mute testimony to their tryst, paying it barely a glance as they swept by. They had more important things to do than bother two lovers in a perfect world. No blight reached here. It was a sanctuary. A Garden of Eden tucked away in the Smokey Mountains.

Karen kissed his chest, making an outline of his heart. “I love you.”

He smiled one of his biggest and boldest smiles, the kind he reserved for lovers and bartenders. “Oh yeah?”

She stopped kissing him, turning her face up to look into his eyes. She wore a dangerous expression, the kind a woman scorned might have before slapping a mouthy lover. “That is not the correct response, Professor.”

“Professor?” His smile widened. The ray of sunshine that illuminated them didn’t shine as bright as that smile. “Am I to profess my love for you then?”

She slapped his chest. “I suppose I could find another man to kiss softly under an apple tree.”

He erupted into laughter. He took her in his arms and lifted her gently to his face, kissing her for a long, tender moment. He loved her. He loved her so much it hurt, even if he wasn’t sure why. “That would break my heart.”

She pulled back and gazed at him. The apple tree. The mountains. The clouds and the sunshine. All of it highlighted her perfectly, but none of it could touch her.

There was more than love in her eyes though. There was sadness, deep and old. A pain she’d kept inside endlessly. It brought a frown to her lips. The sun hid behind the clouds as if to be spared her misery. “You’re breaking my heart, Kyle.”

He sat up on his elbows, taken aback by her serious tone. “What?” Those words didn’t make sense here. This was a safe place. A refuge from the storm. A spot to contemplate one’s next move.

“Watching you hurt so much breaks my heart. Come home. You don’t have to suffer anymore. It’s okay.”

The air turned cold and sour. This wasn’t the Garden of Eden, just another chilly mountaintop. Aches and pains sprouted all over his body. Or maybe they’d been there all along and he’d forgotten.

“Don’t.” He set her aside. They weren’t naked anymore. He wore the same ratty shirt and pants he had for weeks. She wore that blue shirt she’d died in. The holes from the bullets remained, but the blood was gone. “I don’t like that song you’re singing, Songbird.”

He knew the words were wrong the moment he’d spoken them, but she pointed it out anyway. “I’m not your Songbird. That’s the other lady in your life. She doesn’t need you anymore. None of them do. Come home.”

Karen reached for his hand, but he pulled. He didn’t know what she was talking about, but it felt wrong. Everything off this mountain was remembered through static.

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