Page 64 of Framed and Forgotten
Emerald beams pierced through the darkness, replacing it with blinding light. Despite the overwhelming clarity, I forced my eyes open, every fiber of my body fighting to feel anything but that morbid numbness.
And when I could see, a pair of gemstones anchored me to this world.
“Avril!”
His voice was more angelic than ever, so soft and pure, so…grounding.
As Koen nestled my head in his hands, he pressed his forehead to mine. “You’re okay. You’re alive. You’re here. With me,” he whispered, again and again - I had a feeling the words were meant to reassure himself more than me.
While I tried to recover my senses, he held me even tighter, as if he feared I could slip away. Then, I felt something warm and wet touch my face.
Tears.
“I thought…I…I thought I…” he couldn’t even bring himself to finish his sentence.
Opening his eyes, as if to check that I was really there and not an illusion, he sighed, his body visibly relaxing with relief. “You’re here,” he concluded, savoring the reality that was far more tranquilizing than his recent nightmares.
“I…” I tried, my voice coming out coarse and frail, barely audible. “I r-remember.”
Koen stilled.
I watched his eyes flood with joy, but it only lasted an instant. Almost immediately, shame washed over his face. He backed away just slightly, too guilty to touch me, yet too scared to leave me completely. His eyes dropped to the floor.
“Avril, I am so…” His mouth hung open, but the words trailed off. With a heavy breath, he finally continued, “Sorry doesn’t even describe what I feel…and it doesn’t fix my mistakes.”
All of his emotion laid bare on his face, and it made my chest ache. Even after recovering my memories, I couldn’t recall ever seeing him like this - so devastated and broken. I wanted to soothe him, relieve him of some of the dire pain he had been carrying on his own. Just as I began to gather the strength to speak, though, something in him shifted.
“I won’t apologize, because I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he stated, low and heavy.
A long pause followed as he sat there beside me, battling his own demons, before his gaze met mine again - determined, unwavering. “But I promise you this, Avril,” he started, his voice raw with sincerity. “I won’t ever fail you like that again.
“I understand where I went wrong.” His head dipped slightly with a brief, regretful shake. “Joe was right. I wish I’d listened to him sooner.”
Then his gaze intensified, determination burning in his eyes as he declared, “You are my priority, Avril.” For a moment, he let the silence stretch between us, letting the words echo, giving them room to settle in my soul. “I thought I could be there for you both, and because of that, you almost…I almost lost you, forever.” He exhaled sharply, a sound filled with remorse, as if the pain of what he had done was too much to keepinside. “Because for a second, I couldn’t choose between you and someone else who needed me.”
He leaned closer, voice softening but no less intense, every syllable heavy with emotion. “But I swear, from now on, even if the world is burning, I won’t blink,” he said, his voice thick with resolve. “I’ll always pick you. No questions asked.”
I took a moment to process his sincerity - no, his devotion. It offered my weak heart strength to beat harder, louder, faster. How could I have forgotten him? He was everything to me, the blood running through my veins, the very air I breathed.
As he soaked in his regret, I finally reached for his hand. When my trembling fingers brushed against his skin, he looked up, hopeful, as if my touch was a blessing.
“I…I’m sorry,” I managed to murmur, my voice barely a whisper. He immediately furrowed his brows in confusion. Swallowing painfully to soothe my dry throat, I continued, “I gave up…on you.”
The recognition stung. It made me feel stupid, but I pushed through, saying what I had to. “I knew you w-weren’t…being yourself,” I said, my voice trembling with shame. “I k-knew…something was wrong. But I…I didn’t try t-to…help you. I just…ran...and hid.”
Koen shook his head, pulling away. “It was my fault. I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me. Like you weren’t the most important part of my life,” he countered, putting all of the blame on himself.
That was my Koen - selfless until the bitter end.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, a gesture that only further confused him. “I used to like…the w-way you d-devoted yourself t-to me,” I admitted. “It made m-me feel…powerful.”
A sigh broke through my lips, my smile fading. “But y-ou don’t h-have to be sorry f-for caring…for someone else. It’s what makes you…different…from me. F-from all of…our kind.”
My muscles burned, but I didn’t care. The pain was a mere itch compared to the overwhelming need to bring him closer. I lifted my hands to cup his face, staring into his eyes as I confessed, “I’d hate to see...the darkness...obscure your light.”
At first, the pain lingered in his eyes, a heavy weight I could feel even from where I lay. But with a slow blink, he pushed it aside. He absorbed my words, and after a moment, a faint smile tugged at his lips. Gently, he took my hands in his, pressing a tender kiss to each of them before urging me to lie down. I didn’t resist, too exhausted to argue.
As my senses gradually returned, my eyes scanned the dim surroundings. A wave of confusion washed over me for the first time. Stone pressed in on us, jagged and cold, forming both the walls and the roof. The faint light from the entrance barely cut through the shadows, casting long, flickering shapes against the rough, uneven surfaces.Are we in a cave?
