The Paragon Chapter 09

“Peanut butter cup?” Andrew offered, blushing slightly at the sugar plum girl beside him. 

“No thank you” she politely declined, walking past him, down the aisle of the university convenience store.

Yellow. A simple sunny yellow dress, was what she wore the day he had first met her. A blissful yellow it was, inviting him into her warm and comforting presence. Flowered in all shades of orange and soothing pink gems and beads, she smelled of warm caramel that spring.  

“That’s a pretty bracelet” he complimented,

feeling his pulse quicken to her voice.  

“Thank you” the girl replied, grinning up at him, “I like your shirt” she returned, gaining a bright smile from the boy, who only looked away. Feeling naked under her curious gaze, he shuffled his balance under the white light of the convenience store. 

“So you’re studying medicine?” he questioned, eyeing the fat books she cradled. 

“Yes. I don’t like it much though” the girl nodded, tilting her chin up at him, she asked “And what about you?”. 

Andrew was infatuated. 

And it didn’t take him too long to befriend her, for she had burrowed her way into him. A white hare. That was what he’d seen her as. A white hare he’d rescue and keep protected. And as each day passed, Andrew continued to water and nurture his admiration for the girl. Allowing himself to float away in the rapid tides of his feelings, his love soon blossomed into a ripe carnivorous flower eating away at his petty little heart. And as the saying went love did blind him, for he only saw what he wished to see her as. Unlike the white hare he’d painted her to be, the girl was far from it. She was stained. 

“Andrew” Anjali choked out, fear flooding her veins. 

“Anjali” the man greeted in a loud voice, as he pulled her in for a hug, “it’s been forever. How are you doing?”.

“I’m good” Anjali replied, her voice falling flat.

“I… I’ve missed you” he smiled at her. 

Who’s this?” Eleanor whispered, interrupting the now reunited pair. 

“Oh…you remember Eleanor right.” Anjali stammered, “Ellie this is… an old friend of mine, Andrew”.

“Yes of course I remember” Andrew gleamed, “little Eleanor. Erik’s Eleanor”. 

“You knew my father?” Eleanor questioned, feeling uneasy at how he threw Erik’s name out. 

“Yes, yes I did. We were friends” Andrew chuckled, “and who might this be?”, he asked, turning towards the 13 year old boy. 

“This…this is my son Ezra” Anjali stated in a hurry, “we better get going now”. 

“Son?” Andrew peeled up, “I didn’t know you had a son”.

If fate were to ever have been so cruel, this indeed was it. 

Studying at the same university together had always been their dream. From planning out their futures at sleepovers to discussing their higher education plans, Erik and Andrew had always wanted to be together. 

“Don’t tell me you bought that for her?” Erik snorted, pointing at the silver bracelet coloured with variegated gemstones, Andrew caressed.

“When did you turn into such a romantic, Andy?” Erik teased, “you’re acting pathetic, mate”.

“You’re one to talk,” Andrew shot, chuckling back at his best friend, “you’re way worse than me, mate”. 

“Please.” Erik defended.

“Café dates, chocolates, flowers… oh the list goes on” Andrew sang, throwing his arm around his friend as he tackled Erik onto the navy-blue carpeted floor. 

“My bloody foot. ” Erik laughed, pushing his friend away. 

“I’ve got to get ready now” the taller boy stated, as he put on his black leather wrist watch. 

“Great,” Andrew replied “and when do I get to meet the girl you’ve been seeing?” 

“When you tell her” he mocked, grabbing his coat off the coat rack. 

Ezra took in the sight of the man in front of him. His ruffled golden air, walnut shaded eyes and square jaw all resembled the younger boy. Like the welcoming winds of the fall season that sprung up with unfamiliar faces, Ezra felt an odd sense of familiarity. It wasn’t unexpected to see the leaves transcend into their burning shades of orange and decaying brown. But it was unexpected to be greeted by an isolated green leaf. 

“May I hug you?” the boy blurted out, surprising the adults. Ezra wasn’t a bubbly child. He was quiet and kept to himself. But seeing him speak to a man he’d never met, Anjali was astonished. 

“Ezzie, I don’t think he’d like that” Anjali tried pulling her son away. 

“No. That’s alright.” Andrew cheered up, “I don’t mind”. 

A green leaf that still breathed fresh air. Feeling a flutter of warmth engulf his little body, the boy soaked it all up. That feeling of comfort and security. The very sensation he’d been longing for his whole life. The need to be held, cared for and loved. Ezra had now found it. And he had found it in the arms of a man he’d just met. 

…Are you my father… the boy had dared to entertain the thought that the man in front of him could possibly be his father.

“That’s enough” Anjali said, feeling a rush of panic overtake her, she peeled off the boy from Andrew’s arms. “I’m sorry but we’re running late. It was nice seeing you Andy” 

“Will it be another decade?” the man called after her. 

“What do you mean?” Anjali turned, only to see a look of forlorn painted across his face. 

“It’s been more than a decade actually” Andrew explained, “14 years since you last spoke to me before disappearing”. 

“I…” the woman sighed. Guilt bubbling up inside her, for the way she’d treated her good friend. She knew Ezra deserved a father, and she knew Andrew deserved to know his child. Was it the pride, the fear or the complete lack of sheer will, Anjali had no intention of bringing it up. 

“…I… we’ll talk later” she managed to speak out. 

“I think I’m in love with her” Andrew blurted out in a daze, sitting back up on the bed.l, as he cheerfully grinned.

“She’s incredibly smart and she’s ambitious, and she’s…” he listed, smiling down at the thin bracelet in his hands. A silver chain bracelet, engraved with coloured gems, he’d specifically made for her. 

“I seriously don’t understand you, Andy. You keep daydreaming about this girl” Erik exclaimed, “You know you should just tell her how you feel. Let it out and get it over with, Andy”.

“I will. Just not now. It’s not the right time” Andrew began, “I have it all planned out. I’ll tell her in October, when the trees look ablaze” he continued to preech poetically. 

“Whatever mate. Just give me the book I asked for” Erik sighed. 

Handing over another gift Andrew had picked for Erik to give his date, they exchanged their goodbyes. 

From the dates, to the gifts, it was all Andrew. He’d imagined what it would be like to take Anjali to a quiet suburban cafe, the museum and a flower garden. And he’d written it down, instructing Erik to do so with the girl he’d been dating. Unaware Erik had been meeting up with the very same girl he’d fallen for, Andrew played Cupid. 

October 15th. Crisp. The dry orange leaves were crisp, crying under his shoes as he ran to her dormitory. Salted caramel. The air smelt of salted caramel in the dormitory hallway. Skidding through the glowing orange halls, he neared the lobby and waited patiently for her.

It was then that the rose shaded bubble Andrew had been cuddled up in for so long burst, sending uncontrollable shivers and shocks through him. It was unforgettable. 

The love he had for her morphed into a parasite feeding upon his flesh, as he watched her laugh and kiss another man. All the books, all the flowers, all the dates. He’d unknowingly set them up. He’d unwillingly tethered them together. They were all disgusting chained together, in a knot of blood-red threads. He knew then that she’d remain in his heart for as long as he breathed. 

“How’d it go?” Erik asked, taking his coat off. 

“Not as I’d expected it to. She’s with someone else” Andrew spoke out truthfully, feeling his heart sting at the sight of his best friend. 

“Ugh Andy I’m sorry to hear that” Erik tried comforting, falling onto the couch beside Andrew, “well… she’s lost a good man”.  

“Not really. She looked happy” the boy muttered in pain, “here, give this to your girlfriend” he finished, dumping the Tiffany box into Erik’s palm. 

Pain. Just pain. That’s what he looked like. Pain. His face was drenched in the pain of heartbreak. He loved Anjali. And he loved Erik. And it killed him to see them together, but he knew that he would never be able to tell her how he felt now. She was his. She was Erik’s. 

Seeing her here. Aged and almost faded, his love for her still ate at him from within. Pain. That’s what he looked like now. And that’s what he’d looked like back then. 

Fate had indeed been cruel. 

Chapter 10 of The Paragon will be released next Friday, the 8th of October 

By Kisavi Jayawardena