Ocean of Tears

Fate brought them together…

Amelia scanned through back of the book quickly. She was in a hurry to get home. From her kneeling position, she quickly got up and straightened her baby blue tank top. She turned around and her head bumped into another person's chest.

Amelia blushed and dropped her book. She looked up at the guy who was very much taller than her. It was not the fact that he was tall. She was just short. After all, Amelia was just five feet three inches for a fifteen year-old.

"Sorry," she blushed and walked off.

Amelia turned around when the guy grabbed her arms. Then, he let go quickly. His brown hair fell on his stunning green eyes. He smiled at Amelia.

"Thanks. Uh, I'm Amelia," she said, taking the book from him.

The guy looked down. Then, he searched his pocket with his hands and took out a paper and pen. Amelia stared at him.

The guy wrote down on the piece of white paper, 'Nice to meet you. My name's Josh. I can't speak. I do think you should know, I play the guitar very well. Haha' and passed it to Amelia.

Amelia read it and smiled. Josh smiled back.

"Well I'd like to hear you play sometime," Amelia said.

Josh nodded, still smiling. Amelia took his hands and pen and wrote down her phone number on his palm and left.

She found herself grinning the whole way home…

And soon came love…

"Mia, your date's here!" her mom said excitedly from outside her bedroom.

Amelia went out of her bedroom, dressed in a tight red spaghetti-strap dress. Her mother nodded happily as her teenage daughter went out on her very first date.

Amelia went downstairs and standing at the doorway was Josh, dress in a long-sleeved white button-up and jeans, holding a red rose in his hand.

Josh gave the rose to Amelia and she received it with a smile. She felt her cheeks become hot. They linked arms as he escorted her to his Honda.

Josh took her to a hill. He held her hand as they walked up the hill together. Amelia was not happy about the fact that she had to climb up a hill in a tight red dress with 4-inch-heels, but when she reached the top of the hill, her breath was taken away.

From the top of the hill she could see a beautiful night view of the city. There was a table set for two with a golden candle in the middle. There was a guy dressed in a waiter's uniform beside the table.

"Oh my god, Josh, how'd you get them to come here?" Amelia asked as they both sat down.

Josh took out a pen and paper. 'My uncle owns a restaurant,' Josh jotted down and passed the paper to Amelia and smiled

There was no doubt in her mind that he could definitely make her smile. She knew that he adored her. Eventhough Josh couldn't speak, she knew that just being around him would be one of the happiest moments of her life.

Minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, days turned to years. They were happier than ever. Nothing could tear them apart, or so they thought.

But nothing good lasts a lifetime…

19 year-old Josh handed 17 year-old Amelia a framed painting with eight butterflies of different colors.

'For you,' was what he wrote on a stick-it note stuck to the glass of the frame. Amelia gave him a weak smile.

"Josh, I have something to tell you," Amelia held Josh's hands tight.

Josh looked at Amelia, puzzled. Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"I might be moving far away. Dad got transferred to England," Amelia broke the news to Josh.

'We still can be together,' Josh mouthed. The tears fell from Amelia's eyes. Josh held her hands tight this time instead of her holding his hands.

She pulled her hands away and stood up.

"You don't get it, Josh! I love you, but long-distance relationships never last! You know I would die to hear you say "I love you" but I know you can't and I don't blame you, but do you? Do you, Josh?" Amelia waited for an answer, but Josh stared at her, shocked by everything that just came out of her mouth.

Amelia cried harder.

"This could be the ending to our story, Josh. I'm sorry. I hope someday you'll find someone who can love you more than I can," Amelia gave Josh a kiss, took the painting and ran off.

No, don't leave! I love you! Josh thought.

He ran after Amelia, but he tripped over a rock and sprained his right ankle. Tears fell from his eyes. He got up and tried running after her, but he was too far behind and the condition of his ankle was not allowing him to run after her.

"A... a…" Josh tried shouting out Amelia's name, but even with a microphone, she wouldn't be able to hear him.

In just a matter of seconds, Amelia was out of sight. Josh punched one of the trees in the garden as hard as he could. For the first time in his life, Josh cried hard.

'Why did this illness choose me?' he thought.

3 years later…

Amelia sat on her bed watching the TV in her room. It was snowing in Liverpool. Amelia's 5 year-old sister was sitting on the floor, trying to sketch the butterfly painting Amelia hung on the wall beside her bed.

"How's the drawing, Jamie?" Amelia asked, smiling at Jamie.

"It's alright," Jamie replied, smiling back at her sister.

Their parents were out. Their dad was at work while their mom was out with her friends. Amelia was already used to her life in England. She had new friends and a new boyfriend, but one person who never left her heart was Josh. For 3 years, Amelia kept the painting in good condition.

Amelia went to the kitchen to get a cup of hot chocolate for herself.

"Mia! Mia!" Jamie called out excitedly.

Amelia went back into her room and looked at her sister questioningly.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"This sucks!" Jamie sulked and showed Amelia her sketch.

Amelia took it from her sister and compared it to the original painting. She smiled. It was honestly not bad for a 5 year-old.

"It looks great, Jamie," Amelia smiled at her sister.

"No it does not! I can't draw the "I love you" words on the wings of the butterflies!" Jamie answered.

"You can't draw the what?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Look! The "I love you" words on the wings!" Jamie stood up and pointed out the words with her pencil.

Amelia stared at the painting with teary eyes. One each butterfly's wings were alphabets. 8 butterflies was the same number of alphabets in the word 'I love you'.

She dropped her cup of hot chocolate and Jamie's drawing as Jamie stared at her, confused.

"So he did try to tell me he loved me," Amelia said to herself.

At that moment, Amelia would have given anything to turn back time, but even an ocean of tears would not let her return to the past and undo her mistake.

If someone does not love you the way you want them to, it does not mean that they do not love you with all they have.