Next to Each Other

Next to Each Other

Though her shades were closed, I could see light evading from her room. I opened my window so she would notice I was still awake. It was almost dawn, the sky’s dark blue turned lighter as the sun slowly rose. The cold air smelled of rain.

There was no response. Magali. I whispered her name. I could feel it glow. When we first met, the air was full of sun and smelled of summer. She was a friend of a friend of mine; we sat together in a little café. Soon, she was a friend of mine.

I remember how I used to walk up to her house if I couldn’t sleep. From time to time I’d run all the way to her front door in the middle of the night – because I needed her. She’d stay awake for me.

Sometime past midnight, I walked the two blocks to her house, very slowly. I enjoyed the empty streets. There was no noise, just the stars, the wind, some street lights and me; me and the thought of her. I threw a little pebble against her window. She opened it, and smiled at me.
We wandered the endless city at night, and I couldn’t take my eyes of her. She was beautiful. Magali had red hair, blue eyes and very fair skin with some freckles on her nose. She was flawless, to me, just perfect.

We were the opposite of each other, in a way, and, in another way, we were the same. I was a tomboy, she was a lady. When I was furious, she was forgiving. I was the beast and she was the beauty. We could talk for hours or we could just sit somewhere quietly and watch the stars inhale the cold air.

I remember the day I woke up next to her; I had wrapped my arms around her hips. The feeling of her skin softly spread through my body. A smell of flowers and cigarettes lingered in her apartment. I gave her a cup of coffee - she gave me a kiss. Not a naïve one. A real kiss. Once I had touched her, I never wanted to let go again.

And now, there was no response. Suddenly, I heard a bang. Her voice escaped the apartment one last time. Then, the streets were full of noise. An ambulance rushed by me.

As I walked away, shadows flickered through the night. The streetlights were empty.

Since that night, I sleep alone.