Happy Birthday Liam

The sun dipped below the horizon—clocking in for the night, and Eve stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast expanse of the ocean. This was the spot she promised Liam she’d visit after his passing, a promise she made seven months and thirteen days ago. Their spot. She promised that every year on his birthday she’d give him this gift; She’d angle her head heavenward and tell him about her life. About how she was living for Liam who no longer could.

Are you sure I shouldn’t angle my head towards the ground instead? She had jokingly remarked that day. She didn’t know how she had been able to joke through the sheet of tears running down her face, but somehow even in the morbid hospital room, humour itself wasn’t dead. It never was where Liam was involved.

If you don’t think I can sweet-talk the devil, you don’t know me very well. Liam’s feisty smile was one thing that cancer couldn’t take away from him no matter how hard it tried. Eve had laughed. She laughed and laughed and laughed. She didn’t know at what exact point her laughter transitioned seamlessly back into tears.

Now, Eve closed her eyes, listening to the sound of soft waves lapping against the rugged shore. A cool breeze tousled her hair and for a foolish moment, she imagined it was Liam, playing with her hair as he always did. He was always doing that—-giving attention to all the parts of her she thought were bland and boring. He touched her straight brown hair as though it were made of the softest silk he couldn’t get enough of. He stared deeply into her pale blue eyes as though they sparkled like the sea. He would tell joke after joke after joke as if her hyena laugh were a classical symphony he wanted to be played on repeat.

“I miss the sound of my laugh.” Was what Eve said now to Liam, head angled towards the sky. Of all the things she thought she’d say, she didn’t expect to make it about her—She never made things about her. But it was the truest thing she could think to say. “I miss feeling beautiful. I miss feeling important.” Her eyes began to sting with tears. “I miss the person I was when you were here. That Eve died with you, and I miss her dearly. Liam you were the lifeline for all things that you made gold. Without you, everything’s turned to rust. I-”

A rustling in the leaves made Eve stop short—her heart racing. She whipped her head around unsure if she was hearing things. But if something was there among the soldier of trees extending as far as she could see, she wouldn’t be able to make it out through the sudden veil of murky fog that descended out of nowhere. She was about to turn back around, when she heard it again—a distinct sound of footsteps on dry leaves. And this time, there was motion—a shadowy figure.

She wasn’t alone; She was sure of it now.

“Who’s there?” Eve’s voice shook, almost drowned out by the wailing wind. She hugged herself tightly—not sure if the shiver was from the cold or from fear. But she got no verbal response. Instead, an action; the shadow moved forward with no hesitation this time.

Eve wasn’t dumb—she knew she should run. She was in an isolated spot after all, alone in the dark where no one would hear her screams. But her only options of flight were forward—towards the person and backward into the tumultuous sea. So instead, she stood there frozen.

Suddenly a figure emerged from the fog, causing Eve to stumble backwards—too close to the cliff’s edge.

Liam smiled at her, but it didn’t look quite right. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.” He quipped.

Eve didn’t laugh. She’s never not laughed at Liam’s jokes but right now her skin was crawling as if a horde of ants had been set loose on her skin, her mind struggling to grasp at the impossible sight in front of her.

Liam took a step closer, and as he did she noticed his eyes. Once bright blue they were now entirely black—like a doll. Bright red cautious signs started flashing in her system, and she knew something was dreadfully wrong.

“I’m seeing things,” Eve mused shakily.

Liam chuckled coldly and made a move to touch her, but Eve raised her hand to stop him. “This is impossible. You died. You’re—you’re dead.”

“Correction, my brother’s dead. Yes, Liam was the only one between the two of you who got what he deserved. You, on the other hand…”

Eve’s body went still. It couldn’t be, she thought. No.

And yet, it was the only thing that made sense. “Anderson?” Her voice was so meek she didn’t think he could have possibly heard it but at the sound of his name, he gave a nod.

She took a step back. She was getting too close to the edge. “No. There’s no way. This can’t be.” She shook her head, closed her eyes, counted to four but when she opened them he was still standing there a deadly expression on his face. No.

“Next time you and my brother murder someone, might want to make sure they’re actually dead.” His voice was so low and sinister that Eve knew right then and there with certainty she’d never felt so strongly in her life that she was going to die.

“Go on then.” Eve was trembling, tears running down her face. “You think I’m scared of death? Try living in my shoes, you’ll see life’s a lot scarier.”

Anderson smiled that crooked smile. “See but it’s not quite fair when you make that choice for someone else now is it?” ”I didn’t want to Andy, you know that.”

“Don’t call me Andy!” He snapped. “After everything you did, you have the nerve to call me Andy?”

“I still-” Eve started, cupping her face with her hand in sobs.

“Don’t you dare say you still care about me. You never did, you never could have.”

“You don’t have the full truth, Anderson.”

“You dated me and then cheated on me with my brother and you two couldn’t live with the guilt so you attempted to kill me. It’s quite vivid actually.”

“No.” Eve said, straightening up. She wiped her face angrily with the back of her palm. “Look, you don’t have to believe me but this is the truth. I cared about you Anderson, I still do. Liam was my best friend nothing more-”

“Nothing more?” Anderson’s voice was livid. “He flipped when you chose to spend the summer at home with me instead of going with him on his trip. So angry he could kill, and he tried!”

“Yes, he got a little jealous!”—Anderson clenched his fists so hard his knuckles were white—” Okay a lot jealous!” Eve rectified. “It wasn’t because we were lovers it’s because we were best friends. You don’t understand, no one’s made me feel whole the way he did. In a way, even you couldn’t. When he got home at the end of the summer he said it was either him or you. I said I would choose him but there would always be a little resentment for making me choose. That a part of me would still always be with you.”

Anderson looked away. “And he couldn’t live with that. So he wanted me gone.”

Eve swallowed and looked down at her fingers. They were growing blue from the cold. “When he told me his plan I thought it was another one of his jokes. But I met up at the spot anyway.”

“This very spot,” Anderson said, looking beyond her to the ocean below. The very ocean they pushed him into.

“When I recognized that he was actually going to do it I meant to stop him. I ran forward, I was trying to grab you but you fell instead. I didn’t push you Anderson I was trying to save you.”

“Bullshit.”

Eve took a step forward, putting a hand on her heart. “Anderson I promise. I’d understand if you don’t believe me but it’s the truest thing I know.”

Anderson wouldn’t meet her gaze. He was shaking his head. And then he was sobbing. Eve didn’t know what to do at first, and so she just stood there and let him.

But eventually, she couldn’t stop her feet from moving forward and her arms from wrapping around him. And by some miracle, he let her. She let his warmth seep into her, reminiscing this feeling of his body with hers.

“I’m so sorry Andy. I’m so so sorry.”

And then in one quick swoop, she turned him around and pushed him into the ocean, his scream echoing all the way down before the splash.

“I’m so sorry that you didn’t die the first time, but Death doesn’t take well to being wronged—no one evades Him twice.”

Finally, she looked down at the ground. “Happy Birthday Liam.” And she laughed and laughed and laughed, for the first time since Liam left, and god it felt good.