HIS AND HERS

Girl

After I stopped hearing all the noises, I came out of my hiding spot. I looked around. My house wasn’t as destroyed as I thought it was going to be. I worked so hard to buy it and decorate it just the way I had always dreamt. Photos that had been hung were on the floor. My once white sofa now looked like it was cow-print. Ugh. It would take forever to get those stains out. I felt stupid thinking of this, when more than half of the world’s population was dead. 

I carefully walked towards the door and opened it. I was not prepared for what I saw next. All of the trees were burnt down, most of the houses on the block too. My vision sucks on a good day, so imagine what it is like when I am surrounded by black smoke. There was a grey cloud hovering over me. I walked down the street, shouting. I wondered if anybody could hear or see me. Had anyone survived? I did not want to be the lone survivor of this crazy apocalypse. My parents had died years prior, and I didn’t have any siblings. 

I was on my computer, reading the latest article on Palliative Care for Children with Cancer, when I heard a loud explosion. My power went out. I had no signal on my phone. I heard screams and more explosions. I am still not sure what really happened. All I know is that I hid in my basement. Had it been minutes, hours, days? Who knows. 

I kept walking through my neighborhood trying to step over the debris. And that’s when I saw him. Long hair, extremely tall and handsome. Has he seen me? I probably look crazy. I am in sweats and my hair is in a messy bun. He is probably doing what I was doing. Looking for another soul in this crazy nightmare. 

Guy

I was just walking around when I saw her. She’s got her hair up and she is wearing comfy clothes. She looks beautiful. What was she doing before all of this happened? I had been  messing around on my guitar when I heard all the chaos out there. I had a gig at a pub in a couple of days, but I guess not anymore. 

I walk up to her. She seems relieved to see another living human. 

“Long time no see”, she says.

Girl

I have never believed in destiny, but I am starting to have some doubts. I can’t believe that it took an apocalypse to reunite me with this guy. We used to date when we were 15, and then started seeing each other again when we were in our 20s. But it had never been the right moment for us. 

Last time I saw him was probably 5 years ago. We remained friends even when we were dating other people. We told each other everything. He made me cry, he made me laugh. He made me feel everything and more. We used to sing together in a choir. We used to get drunk all the time. 

I hadn’t realized how much I missed him. 

Guy

We sat down on what was once fresh green grass on my front lawn. I moved here 2 nights ago. What a waste of money, considering how everything looks now. 

“How long has it been?”, I ask. 

“I guess the last time we saw each other was before I moved away for my residency to Scotland. I ended up specializing in Pediatrics, and I work at a hospital nearby now. What about you?”

I knew this question was coming, and I still didn't know how to answer it. 

“Well, you know how my parents never really liked for me to go into the music industry. But I knew I had to follow my dreams and do what made me happy. I finished my degree in Communications and moved to London to get my Music Degree. I just moved back, a couple of days ago. If I knew you had moved back, I would have contacted you.”

“You really would have?”, she asks. She looks at me with those bright blue eyes of hers. 

God, I love her so much. I have never stopped.

Girl

If I’m being honest, I just want to grab his face and kiss him. It 's been so long. I miss his warm touch, his hugs, his smile. 

I guess things didn’t end that well between us. He had a girlfriend the last time I saw him, and he was cheating on her with me. I got tired of that situation. I just wanted someone who chose me, who picked me, who loved me. (Gosh, I sound like Meredith Grey talking to Derek Shepherd). Moving away for 5 years was the best thing that ever happened to me. I made so many friends and met so many interesting people. It helped me forget him. But nobody was like him. Nobody could make me feel like I had butterflies in my stomach. Nobody could spark up my eyes like he did. 

I love him. I still do. 

Guy

The apocalypse had been predicted, but nobody was prepared for it. The Earth had been acting strangely the past couple of months. There had been earthquakes in various countries where there weren’t plate tectonics. Volcanos that had been inactive for centuries suddenly erupted. One day it was boiling hot. The next day we would get 8 inches of snow. 

Humanity ruined the world. Our interference with nature led to these crazy changes in climate. We deserve it. I decided to move back to my hometown to reconnect with my roots. To get back to the place that made me fall in love with music. 

The only good thing about the apocalypse is that it led me back to the girl I love. I used to love her when I was 15. I loved her when I was 20. And I still love her to this day.

I just hope she feels the same way. 

Girl 

Side by side, we walk over to my house. I told him to bring his stuff over to my place, as it was in much better condition than his. I had a spare bedroom he could stay in. He brought a bag with clothes and food, and his guitar, of course. 

“Maybe we can sing something together later”, I told him, with a hint of hope in my voice. 

He looked at me and smiled. “I would love to. It’s been years since I’ve heard you singing. You stopped posting videos online”.

“You saw those?”

“Of course I did. We started singing together when we were 15. I hoped you would continue.” He paused. “And I also wanted to see what you were up to.”

“I guess I started getting busy and stopped. I also felt insecure. I’m out of practice.” 

“I’m sure you will pick it up again right away. You have a natural talent.”

I blushed. We sat down on my dirty sofa and he pulled out his guitar. We sang just like the old days. It felt so good. I couldn’t stop staring at him. At his lips. He stopped playing the guitar. 

“Do I have some dirt on my face?”,he asked. 

I swallowed. I am nervous. 

I decided to take a leap of faith. I grabbed his face and kissed him. Thankfully, he kissed me back. 

Guy

“Damn it, you beat me to it”, I said, while laughing. She kissed me second before I was going to. It was amazing. It felt like fireworks were going off everywhere. 

“I’m sorry. I let myself get carried away by the moment. It was out of place”, she said. 

She still does that. She apologizes for things that aren’t wrong. I kissed her again and then said, “You have nothing to be sorry for. I have never stopped thinking about you, even all these years we have been apart I have always thought about writing to you, maybe meeting up. I just thought you hated me.”

She sighed. “I could never hate you. I was hurt when you didn’t pick me. We were both young and immature back then. I wasn’t in a great place and I didn’t like going behind your girlfriend’s back. I think about those times and I would never do that again.”

“I love you. I always have and always will. I think it’s destiny that we have been reunited. I am never letting you go.” Her eyes opened wide.

“I guess I thought you had always seen me as a friend who you could hook up with. Like I said, we were kids. You weren’t ready to commit, and that’s fine. I just don’t want to play games anymore.”

Tears come streaming down her face. I start crying too. We hug. For a long time. 

“It’s good to see you”, I say. 

Girl

“It’s good to see you, too”, I reply. 

We made love that night, and slept while cuddling. The next morning, I woke up and the power was back on. I turned on the TV, to see if there was anything in the news. There was only one news channel available. 

“There have been explosions in several countries around the world. 2 millions deaths have been reported. Governments and international organizations are already working together to distribute food and water, and locate people to the nearest shelter.Meteorologists hope that we will see a calm Earth for the next couple of months.”

I woke him up and told him the news. We went downstairs for some breakfast. He made French toast for me and an omelette for me. We sang a little more. 

“Do you believe in destiny?”,I asked him. 

“I never did, but now I do. I think we were always meant to find our way back to each other. We were friends for so many years. We dated other people but still wanted each other. It just wasn’t the right moment. Our paths have crossed again and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

His words really hit me. Tears fell down my face. Tears of happiness. I longed for this moment for so many years. 

It’s him. It has always been him. The man I love. 

EPILOGUE

Guy

3 years passed. No more explosions. No more sudden volcano eruptions. No more crazy weather. I like to think that our unexpected reunion is what stopped the apocalypse. I guess we’ll never really know. Experts don’t have an answer for the calmness that is installed in the world today.  

We got married a year after the explosions. She looked beautiful, in a long strapless dress. Her hair was down. Her blue eyes glistened in the sunlight. My family and all of her friends were there. It was such a special night.

She is now head of Pediatrics at the hospital, and I have set up my own recording studio. I am finally happy. 

We have a 2 year-old girl and an 8 month-old boy. We are soon going to get a dog. 

I believe that our paths were meant to cross again. We have always been great friends, but now we are life partners. My life has begun and I can’t wait to share it with the woman I love.

Girl

Between the kids and work, I have been busy. Non-stop. But I couldn’t be happier. Waking up next to the man I love. That feeling is incomparable. Nothing can take away the smile on my face. 

We are sitting on the couch, watching TV after dinner. The kids are playing with some toys. He gets out the guitar. We sing all night. The kids get tired so I put them to sleep. I go to bed and there he is, with that smile of his. 

I look at him. He looks at me. This is where we were always meant to be. We are meant to be.