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“Max and I used to play pirate up here.” Chloe mumbled
She wasn’t sure why she had said it. The words had slipped from her before she even realised what she was saying.
“Hmm?” Rachel moved her head slightly to look up at her. She had been resting it on her shoulder.
Chloe took a long drag of her cigarette and exhaled slowly, before continuing.
“My friend, Max. We used to play together up here. We’d pretend to be pirates, run around looking for treasure.” She laughed weakly “We even marked our pirate fort on the map, it might still be on there.”
She knew it was on there. She’d look to it whenever she made the journey, and ignore the pang in her chest it still managed to cause. When her Dad died, a well meaning teacher had told her: time heals all wounds but even now, years later, it stung. On bad days she wondered if the pain would follow her forever, if she’d live haunted by people long gone until she were old and grey. But today she was with Rachel, one of the few bright parts of her life, so she pushed those thoughts away.
Rachel slowly eased herself up and off the bench they were sat on. Chloe watched as she ran her fingers over the map.
“Found it!” she smiled, turning back towards Chloe. She too got off the bench to join Rachel.
“Oh yeah.” Chloe’s eyes were fixed on the little skull and cross bones “I can’t believe it’s lasted this long.”
“Max sounds like a special friend.”
Chloe was still looking at the mark as she replied.
“She was.”
Something warm and gentle caressed her cheek, bringing Chloe back to the present. Rachel caressed her face, before guiding her down for a kiss. Slightly bitter from cigarette smoke, but tender.
They stayed together as the first snowflakes of the year drifted down upon them.