What's wrong, and what's right... [Tag: Cale]

Marina was walking down to the harbor holding the small bouquet of white gardenias, her mother's favorite. It was her death anniversary, the 17th one. She was going to throw the flowers on the ocean, in order to honor her mother's memory. This tradition started when her and Cassim were travelling across the ocean. Marina was 5, it was Regiba's first death anniversary and she was far from home, far from her mommy. So her father told her a little story, about how her home was where her heart was. Everyone in her family just loved the sea, so it was like her second home.

As she reached the beach, she pull out her shoes, and smiled softly at the feelings of the sand upon her feet. Then she closed her eyes and let the salt breeze of the sea filling her lungs.

Cale wondered aimlessly down the harbor, walking in a zigzag line, hands held behind him, and gaze fixed on the ground. His mind was at war with his heart, and whenever he thought he had reached a resolution, the battle started again. His head then slowly turned up and he squinted out at the horizon, deeply lost in his thoughts, until he suddenly spotted a familiar shape and he stopped in his tracks. His hands fell forward to rest by his sides, and his eyes widened a bit in slight surprise, as he watched Marina walk along sand, and then slowly started to follow after her, keeping his movements quiet. "Funny running into you here," he finally spoke up from behind a tree that ran along the edge of where the grass and sand met. His voice matched his face, empty of all emotions, as he stared at Marina's face blankly.

She wasn't sure, but she felt like there was somebody following her. Marina tried to think positively, that it was only her imagination, that nobody was following her. She jumped slightly when someone called for her, but she was glad she recognized the voice, and stopped walking. ''Cale'', she said in a relieved tone and turned around to see the young man. The dark circles under her eyes were still there, and she lost some more weight, but walking on the beach made her look a little better, brighter even. ''C'ere, join me on the walk?'', she asked softly, with a small pout.

Cale sent a nervous crooked smile over to Marina upon hearing her call out his name, but the smile quickly fell and he tentatively held himself back after Marina's invitation, chewing on the inside of his cheek and clenching his fists as he anxiously looked around them with his eyes before letting them hesitantly settle on Marina's face. After standing there, in the same spot, for a while, softly staring at Marina as he contemplated is next move, Cale finally started to walk towards Marina.

As he approached Marina cautiously, Cale casually slid his hands into his pockets, and as he came up along side her, he made sure to keep some space between the two of them. He did end up close enough to Marina though that he could tell she wasn't quite right. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept in weeks and she seemed to be thinner then the last time he had seen her. Seeing Marina like this, his friend Marina, caused a wave of worry to rush through his body. "So what brings you out here this evening?" Cale asked cheerily, straining to put on a bright smile before he looked up to the side at Marina, as he walked along the harbor beside her.

Marina tilted her head and looked at his with narrowed eyes. Seeing he was still glued on hisspot, she gave him a small smile. ''I don't bite, Cal... Well, not on porpuse'', she giggled lightly and nodded to herself as he walked along with her. He seemed shy, more than she rememebered him to be, and smiled weakly. ''You don't mid if I hold my arm around you, do you?'', she asked after a moment, and wrapped her arm around his before he could asnwer. ''I feel safer this way'', she mumbled and looked at the ocean before turning her dark hues back to him.

''Well, I'm taking a walk at the beach right now... So, what are you doing over here?'', she asked innocently and looked back to him. ''You remember you can tell me everything, don't ya?'', she asked and nit her lower lip slightly before smiling sheepishly at him, as she tried to see the old Cale she knew.

Cale froze momentarily as he watched in surprise as Marina linked her arm through his, but he quickly regained his composure. He nodded shyly his agreement, turning his eyes away-looking off at the ground and ahead into the distance-before taking his opposite hand out of his pocket and softly taking Marina's hand that was resting on his arm in his. He smiled fondly down at their hands as Marina reassured him, and then he turned his gaze up to meet hers, his eyes warm. "That's sweet. But you don't really want to know about all my problems," he countered gently, giving her hand a light squeeze, and then turning his eyes down again. "They'd be too much for you," he murmured quietly to the ground, before sending a quick smile up to Marina, and then looking ahead of them.

Marina was pleased by the fact that he didn't refuse her touch, and also looked down when he put his hand upon hers. She felt something warm in her chest, something she didn't felt for many years, when they were still friends. She looked up into his warm eyes and smiled warmly too, it was good knowing he was there for her, almost like before.


As she heard his murmur, she laughed weakly and looked down as she smiled sadly. ''Oh, Cale... You have no idea of how much I had to deal after we separated...'', she mumbled quietly, and looked up to him, her smile becoming a little less sad.