He glances down at it, concern lining his forehead. "You sure you're all right, Luna? Need me to take you somewhere?"
I shake my head. "I'm just going on a walk." Which, maybe I shouldn't have told him, since I don't know if he's a serial killer or not.
He puts up a finger, walking toward his bike. I stand where I am, on the corner of the cold street with my backpack on my back.
With my fiancé’s ashes inside.
He comes back with a pen between his fingers. Without even asking, he grabs my hand, yanking it toward him. Not even a slight hesitation about how I feel about it. He writes on the inside of my wrist, the dark pen slashing across my pale skin. "Here's my phone number. If you're ever in any trouble, give me a call. Even if you aren't in trouble, give me a call." He frowns at his words, like he's unsure why he said them.
I glance down at the phone number and the scratchy scrawl next to it. "Lynx," I mumble to myself.
He nods. "That's me. I hope to see you around, Luna."
I nod, watching him turn around and walk back to his friends. He gives me a small wave, and I give him one back.
Turning back around, I hit the crosswalk button this time, waiting for the miniature person to glow green on the other side of the street.
Once it does, I head across, making my way toward the hidden path.
It takes a while, and my cheeks feel raw, and my fingers are numb, Roman’s pick hot against my palm. But finally, I get to the top. The gravel crunching beneath my shoes as I walk. No other sounds. It's silent, as if the world around me is giving me the peace and quiet I need.
I set the backpack down once I get to the clearing, seeing the ocean dance rapidly before me. In the fall air, the water looks darker. The waves harsher. Unzipping my jacket, I set it on the ground and pull out the heavy urn. The black and gold swirl together in beautiful designs. It’s heavy in my arms, and maybe that’s because Roman took my heart with him, too.
Meet me where the mountains meet the sea.
A tear falls down my cheeks, blowing in the wind as I walk toward the edge. My jaw trembles, my lips quaking as I open the lid.
I love you, Roman.
The white tips of the wave bob and weave in the water. My hair blows back, swaying in the wind as I tip the urn. The chalky sand slides from the black inside, falling into the air, swirling into the wind. Every bit of Roman hits the sky, floating in a beautiful dusting as he falls toward the ocean. Bits of him blow toward me, the wind too strong to carry him over the edge, he hits my skin, wrapping around my ankles and wrists.
I feel him.
I close my eyes, my soul warming as I feel him with me. Tears fall down my face, blowing off my cheeks and into the world. I bend over, setting the urn down. Standing back up, my heart thumps, calming, racing, feeling at peace as Roman blows to the place he always promised me.
Meet me where the mountains meet the sea.
I'm here.
A cry breaks from my throat, bursting into the air and echoing into the ocean. The sand leaves my body, the rest of Roman blowing off into the wind.
Meet me where the mountains meet the sea.
He's here. He's with me.
I close my eyes, clutching the pick in my hands and raise my arms into the air. I listen to the wind whistle, and I swear, I can hear Roman’s low timbre whispering within the wind.
And Ifall.
EPILOGUE
My eyes open.
Glancing down, I see I'm wearing my pink leotard and white tutu.Canon in Dplays softly through the speakers, and looking up, I can't see where the sound is coming from. I'm on a stage, though, from what I can tell.
Turning around, I see a stage full of people.
Every seat filled with anticipated faces, happy, free, with gentle smiles covering their lips.