It was as if Professor Dumbledore had suddenly taken out his Deluminator and sucked out all the light from his life, leaving him blind. It was as if someone had just slammed a pair of dark sunglasses on his face and left the world in a darker haze. Whatever the reason, the minute his best friend had told him she was moving halfway across the country, was the moment he started stumbling around like a blind man.
There was a time when Isaac Fisher thought he was on top of the world - college scholarships and high praise for his soccer game grades that could get him into any college. But he never thought that he'd lose his fighting spirit when his best friend moved away.
Twenty-two year old Isaac bit back a bittersweet smile. He never knew he could be so weak. His eyes traveled to a framed picture on his bedside table; him, dressed in his old soccer uniform, teasingly using his smaller friend's head as an arm rest. Harper Lawley made a face at the camera, crossing her arms as she tried to push him away.
Harper was President of the Drama club back then, but always made time for him. Every match, every tournament, she had a perfect attendance; a better record than his own parents. She was the most energetic person in their school, the happiest girl around, always dressed in bright colors - which is why he could always pick her out in a crowd.
When she moved away, the result of an ugly divorce between her parents, he knew the true meaning of 'empty'. He never knew that he had depended on her presence so much, never knew how much he needed her until she was gone. The crowd was always too dull for him, just missing one voice, but it mattered to him. Everything seemed so wrong.
His parents talked to him, his teammates and coach gave him a verbal beating, and his own principal wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. His game sunk, he dove into his studies, and eventually stopped playing. He knew Harper would be disappointed in him, but he didn't care.
Emails, chats and letters, texts and phone calls, were never enough. And after a couple of years, it stopped.
Maybe their friendship wasn't strong enough to bridge the gap between two states. Maybe she had realized the same thing he did. Maybe the two of them were too cowardly to admit what they knew they had been feeling for a long time.
'Maybe' was Isaac's least favorite word.
Two knocks on his apartment door brought him out of his reverie. He sighed, and got up, dragging his footsteps. "What is it?"
"Isaac?"
He knew that voice. He knew that voice.
Isaac yanked the door open, heart racing. And there, standing in front of him with a scared look on her face, was a beautiful young woman with unruly brown hair, wearing a sunny yellow dress.
"Harper," he choked out, wondering if this was just a dream.
"I... I'm home," she said softly, biting her lip.
He stumbled forward and wrapped her in an embrace, feeling complete for the first time in a long time. "Yeah. Yeah, you are."
(*)
I'm baaaaack! God, I missed writing these. Expect more coming up. xoxo
