A Forbidden Love

Here is a short story I wrote a little while back. Hope you enjoy reading it, and constructive criticism is more than welcome!


A Forbidden Love
By J. Gould

The skies were gray in the sunless dusk. The ocean foamed at the shore, its voice like that of a purring lion. A breeze slipped around the slick rocks, embracing them. It was the same breeze that kissed the stones that also kissed the girl's cheek, gently lifting her hair behind her.
The girl's arms clung tightly around a boy; his arms were around her. Tears she wished would disappear pushed out of her eyes, sliding down her cheeks silently. The boy stroked her cheek gently.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, wiping away several tears. They were quickly replaced. There was a moment before the girl could find her voice.
“Reku, this…” She sobbed again. “…This is wrong. We can’t be together.”
Reku stared at the girl in his arms. His face revealed his confusion.
“What do you mean?” he asked, “Your father doesn’t know about us. It’ll be okay.”
The girl shook her head, a fresh wave of tears washing down her face. “That’s just it,” she said, “He doesn’t know. Reku, I-I… I’m betrothed.”
Reku took a step back in the sand, speechless.
“I’m sorry…” the girl stuttered. Reku drew back, eyes wide. His shock turned to anger and he grabbed the girl’s shoulders.
“YOU’RE BETROTHED AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!” he shouted, shaking her violently. The girl shook her head, looking down like a child being scolded. Her tears dripped into the water around her ankles, quickly dragged into waves.
Reku paused. “Anna…” he finally said. All anger had left his voice.
In one motion, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her. “I love you.”
Anna hugged him tightly. “I love you too.”

The couple embraced for a few moments more before Anna finally took a step back. Her tears had stopped, but her body was shaking with the effort of keeping them in.
“Our time together has been wonderful, Reku,” she finally managed to say. Reku was silent, his eyes full of disbelief and sorrow. “…Goodbye.”
Anna turned, staring at the sand with cloudy eyes. Slowly, she walked along the beach. The water was coming closer and the tide now left her a small strip of land between the ocean and the cliff.
Reku watched helplessly, his arms limp at his sides. His heart pounded for hatred and love for the girl in a strange mixture only a lover could understand. He gazed at her until the incoming tide finally forced him to turn in the opposite direction and walk away before he was trapped against the cliff wall.

-- 4 Months Later--

Anna’s wedding went smoothly. It was a sunny day full of laughter and food. The bride was by far the happiest. A smile shone brightly upon her face for the entire day.
From behind the front lawn’s bushes, Reku sat and watched the ceremony. His heart ached terribly for the girl who was now married to another. His heart seemed to stop at the “I do’s” and his eyes filled with tears as the newlyweds kissed. A kiss that should have been his. His mind began to wander as he imagined what life would be like if they had stayed together.
Shaking the painful thoughts off, he stood up and walked away. Anna was happy; that was all that mattered.

The next morning, the groom leaned over to wake his wife with a kiss. He stopped; her skin was cold. Her body was still; her eyes open and lifeless. Her gray hand grasped a knife plunged into her chest.
The groom looked around restlessly, pulling his eyes away from his dead wife. A paper on her nightstand caught his eye. The handwriting was loopy and elegant.

I love you, Reku.