Flower Field

The moon shone down, illuminating the field, giving it an ethereal glow. Stars decorated the sky, twinkling merrily. A gentle breeze blew past, whistling quietly, the grass dancing along with it, swaying rhythmically. 

I sighed as I leaned against the familiar oak tree, observing my surroundings. It was a cool and tranquil night, no sound to be heard except for the occasional chirping of crickets and the distant hoot of an owl.  

This was our special place, a beam of light in our lives. I remember all the memories we made here, just the two of us against the world. 

This was where I last saw him, exactly 5 years ago. 

5 years ago 

“Axel!”  

I gave him a playful punch as the sound of his melodious laughter filled the air, warmth blooming inside me as I scooted closer to my boyfriend of 2 years, the both of us sitting under the shade of the oak tree. The sun was nearly setting, colouring the field in a beautiful array of red and orange. 

“What? I’m merely stating facts.” he said, a mischievous grin on his face, and I rolled my eyes. 

“You’re never going to beat me in Biology, so how is that a fact?” 

“Have more faith in me, Evie.”  

Axel sighed dramatically, a hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt. I scoffed, my heart racing, and turned to watch the sun set. 

A comfortable silence settled between us, neither of us saying anything as the sun sank below the horizon, the day drawing to a close. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Axel spoke up, his voice quiet. 

I nodded, allowing a small smile to form on my lips.  

“I’ll miss this place.” I said, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to freeze this moment in time and store it in my head, feeling dejected as I thought of what I would be leaving behind when I left for college. “And I’ll miss you most of all.” 

Axel was silent for a moment.  

“We can still text and call, you know.” he said at last, reaching out to hold my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Nothing’s impossible.” 

“I’m pretty sure the both of us will be too busy.” I replied, exhaling as I turned to look at him. “I mean, with me pursuing medicine, and you, engineering, we’ll be focusing a lot on our studies.” 

“Yeah, but you know I’ll always have time for you.” he said, quietly, his hazel eyes, filled with a hopeful glint, gazing into mine, never breaking eye contact. “I promised you 2 years ago, remember?” 

“In this very field.” I replied, squeezing his hand as I smiled at the memory. 

“God, I was a nervous wreck.” 

“Sweating waterfalls and stumbling over your words.” I laughed as Axel pouted, his ears turning a light shade of pink. 

“I remember being so happy when you told me you felt the same.” 

He looked at me with his familiar boyish grin, causing my heart to flutter. 

“Tell you what,” he said, taking my other hand in his. “On the off chance we do drift apart, how about we meet here, on this exact date, 5 years from now?” 

“Of course.” 

By now, the sun had fully set, the sky gradually darkening. Stars had started to appear, barely seen, blinking quietly. The time where we would have to separate was nearing, much to our dismay. 

Suddenly, Axel pulled me closer, placing my hands on his chest, and I felt his heart beating steadily. 

“My heart only beats for you.” he said, his voice gentle. “Don’t ever forget that.” 

I blushed, looking down. “Cheesy idiot.” 

“But you love me.” 

“Yes.” I chuckled, gazing adoringly at the beautiful boy before me. “Yes, I do.” 

Present time 

As I expected, we drifted apart as we went to separate colleges and universities, but that didn’t stop me from missing him any less. I often found myself missing his company, my thoughts drifting to him, and I wondered how he was doing in his university. 

Had his heart stopped beating for me?   

I would shudder at the thought, my heart cracking at the notion. I told myself constantly that I would do my best to accept it and try to move on if he had managed to find someone better. 

I had finally graduated from med school, with my bachelor’s degree, after toiling away for 5 whole years without rest. 5 years filled with stress, tears, anger, and tiredness.  

Living alone in a new city wasn’t as easy as the movies portrayed it. As a naturally introverted person, I struggled to talk to new people, and as a result, I had barely anyone to rely on in the beginning. Come to think of it, the few close friends I had made in my time in med school were people who had approached me first. Our bonds were strengthened as we struggled to survive together, making new memories and remaining close even after we graduated, regularly meeting up. 

All the same, even with my small friend group beside me, I still felt lonely once in a while, missing my home and my family. I missed my mother’s cooking and my father’s jokes, as well as the long chats I would have with my younger sister. 

I missed the field where I’d spent the majority of my high school days, my young and carefree self seeming non-existent. 

The special promise we’d made to each other was one of the things that kept me going, giving me a drive to fight the stress and the urges to give up and drop out.  

I sighed as I reminisced, watching the grass sway gently. I had been waiting for hours, and it was clear that Axel wasn’t going to come. 

Dejectedly, I stood up, about to make my way back to my car. A figure stood a mere 5 feet away from me, a boyish grin I knew all too well on his face. He had grown taller, the cheeky glint still present in his eyes. 

“Hi.” 

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. 

“Hi, yourself.”