#emvanced

TOWARDS HER. the only direction he once thought he’d knew. does he remember about how it felt, being fourteen? no. he remembers how it feels, when mary forgives him and can’t seem to focus on the pain but on the possible pleasure that emmeline’s forgiveness would be. her only letter tastes like it. meet me, it says. come back to me, it whispers, like she’s the shore and he’s the ocean. he would be lying once more if he said he hasn’t wondered about why the blankets. ---- what about food? em always chooses the best flavours. there’s a smile hiding on his features when he crosses the astronomy tower’s door’s arch. even a giggle, when he sees her, freezing, staring at the stars. she seems pissed off, because he’s somehow late. it takes him a lot to put himself in the way, even though it is something he really would love to do. nobody but them to notice how his hands, once he’s murdered the distance between them, gently touch her shoulders with a blanket to cover her. “ --- one is never late, the rest is simply earlier, my grandmother used to say. ” the boy sits next to her and all his confidence runs dry. he suddenly looks so scared that all he’s dreamt of this is a lie he’s written for himself. “ i got your letter. ” a voice inside him is asking him to tell the truth, part of him is telling him to follow its lead and the other part just thought about something that could work: “ food convinced me ” be the boy she thinks you are.