~~*)3 and a Half years Later(*~~
Wandering around, lasily, they pushed the cart together in the fresh produce section, Amir holding things up to the light and shaking them to test them for freshness, Paige giggled. He grabbed the cart and started to turn it when he saw him suddenly, just a peak over a tower of oranges and apples, pale and ghost like, Paige swore he saw a ghost.
Paige held his breath and paniced, it had been over three years allready, he'd almost forgotten him comletely. He ran over to Amir and squeezed his hand and whispered into his ear.
"It's him!"
"Who?"
"HIM! By the apples!"
Amir was conserned at the reaction caused by whatever Paige saw he turned and the color of his face drained instantly. This time, the person knew that they saw him, he looked straight into Amir's eyes and then turning away sharply.
"Ryan??" Amir asked in shock and suprise
"Quick, he's coming this way! Hide..."
It was too late, Ryan approched them timidly as Paige was pretending to ignore him.
"Um, he-heh-hello..." Ryan he stuttered out.
"Hello Ryan? How are you?"
"G-g-good, h-h-ow are y-y-ou?" He looked at Paige, but Paige refused to look at him, like he were about to jump up and kill him, like he were still scared of him.
"Fine, arn't we Paige?" Amir elbowed him in the side, Paige looked up and fake a smile.
"Fine"
"S-s-sso are y-y-y-y-y-ou two t-t-o gether no-now?" he forced out, the sound of his speech, quite and scared of them as Paige was of him, the confidence that once existed there dead. Paige regarded him once again properly, noticing that he was thin and sickly, Pale as a ghost and his hair croped closly now but there was no mistaking who he was the face was always the same.
"Yes, we are" Paige piped up.
"Oh- t-that's g-g-good..."
"Hey dad! Can we get...." Bounding down the isle Michael rocked up and the pausing suddenly as he realized who his parents were talking to.
"Oh, its you? How was prison?" he scoffed loudly, Amir shot him a look.
"Mike, get out of here for a while..."
"N-n-o th-th-that's fine. I-I-I've goh-goh-got to g-g-go now..." Ryan strated to push his cart away and leave.
"No! Wait! Please Ryan, don't leave!" Paige suddenly walked up to him and touched his shoulder.
"I-I-I-'ve got to... I can't st-stay" Ryan once again tried to leave.
"Ryan please! I wan't to talk to you please Ryan..." he attempted again.
"Please, we can go get a coffee, all of us and we could catch up"
"T-t-t-there isn't that mu-muh-muh-much to say, I'm s-s-s-s-sorry I ever huh-huh-hurt you. I doh-doh-don't deserve y-y-y-you or your t-t-t-t-ime"
"Please?" Paige looked Ryan straight in the eye, his deep blue eyes pleading.
"I'm s-s-sorry.... G-g-goodbye Paige, I've missed you"
That wasn't the last time they met, a year later they met and it was a little more relaxed and casual, they met each other a little more often after that but then, Ryan dissapeared. Paige searched for him, he found him, on the street, curled up with a bottle of drain cleaner. He learnt everything that had happened in a diary he kept, it was found on the body and it was given to Paige, jail, his own rape, meeting him again, living on the street and his suicide...
"Paige, losing you, hurting you, I don't deserve to live for that
I promise never to hurt you, I know Amir will take care of you.
If you can find it in your perfect heart to forgive this wreatch
I promise to go to my hell quietly and thankful
Knowing that you were the only one who ever cared
You wasted your life with me
All I can do is leave and give you back your time
I remember you holding me
E como me abrazo muy fuerte
And how you held me so tightly
You are and angel, Amir you are so blessed
Goodbye, I will always love you
Mi unico amore.
Love
Ryan C. Shuck
1972-2002"