Never Stopped Loving You

Lance decided to thank his neighbors the next day. If he hadn’t heard the two of them talking, he would have thrown himself over the balcony.
 So he walked over, and knocked on the door. No one answered. The apartment was quiet- too quiet.  Lance shrugged and walked back to his apartment. He’ thank them later.
 He went over there three times, but still got no answer. He watched for one of their cars, but they never showed.
 The next day proved to be just as futile.
 Finally, on the third day after he’d heard them talking, he searched out the manager and asked him about the people who lived next to him.
 “Apartment 4D?” the man asked. “Well, sir, I hate to tell you this, but no one lives there.”
 “You must have the wrong apartment, then. A family lives next door to me. Their father died about a month ago. There are twins, they’re about 19; very good-looking. And they have three younger brothers and sisters.”
 The man stared at him like he was crazy. “No one lives in the apartment next to you, because it has a few murders associated with it.”
 “What do you mean?”
 “The people you were just talking about- they lived their two years ago.. The Vaughn’s. Debra Vaughn died of alcoholism, then three months later, David died. Committed suicide. AJ and Kali, they were the twins, they decided to raise the kids themselves. Doing an excellent job of it, too. But then there was a robbery- it was before this place became a gated community- and the three kids were killed. The twins survived. But Kali, the girl, she blamed herself for the death of the kids and tried to kill herself, by throwing herself from the balcony. Luckily for her, she survived, but it left her in the hospital, unable to walk. For all I know, she’s still there. They moved to California after Kali’s attempt, so they were away from all of this.”
 “Thanks,” Lance said, walking away as though automated. Then all of those times he’d seen them, it had only been his imagination. Or he had been the only ones to see him.
 They were still alive, so how could they be his guardian angels? It didn’t make any sense.
 Lance walked back to his apartment, and spent the night thinking about what seeing them meant.  It was the first time since Amaryllis died that he didn’t think about her.
 He slept deeply that night, but still remembered his dreams. Or actually, dream. It was of Amaryllis. She looked happy, content. She was surrounded by a glowing white light, and her very body seemed to be made of the light.
 “You know what you have to do, Lance,” she said. “I sent you those visions for a reason.”
 “Why, Ary? Why did you leave me? I need you?” Lance reached out towards her. “Please come back to me.”
 “Lance, I can’t. I’ll always love you, and I know you love me, but you have to move on.”
 “What do you want me to do? I can’t seem to do anything but think about you.”
 “You know what you have to do, Lance,” she repeated. “I sent you those visions. Now it’s time for you to do the rest. I’ll be watching over you.” She smiled one last time at him. “I’m happy, Lance. You need to find your happiness, too.”
 She disappeared, and Lance bolted upright in bed. “What did she mean?” he asked aloud. He remembered the dream in vivid detail. He could still see the white light, smell the fragrance that entered the room with her. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that his dream wasn’t a dream, but had actually happened. “I need to figure out what she meant.”
~*~*~*~
 “Lance has seemed preoccupied lately, don’t you think?” Joey asked Circe. It was a few weeks after Lance’s dream. He had become obsessed with finding out what Amaryllis meant in his dream. What was up to him? Why did she send him those visions. To show that other people were worse off? Or for some other reason. He knew there had to be another reason, one that was probably staring him straight in the face, but he couldn’t see it.
 “I wonder what’s up with him,” Circe said. Her arm was still in a cast, and it hurt her every now and then. She tried to avoid Lance as much as possible, because it had been her suggestion to go get ice cream. She didn’t know how Lance felt towards her.
 “I would ask him, but I don’t think I’m going to get an answer,” Joey said.
 “He isn’t talking to anyone?”
 Joey shook his head. “Maybe you could have a better chance of getting him to talk,” he prodded.
 “I guess I’ll try to talk to him.” Circe stood up and walked over to Lance. “Hey Lance.”
 “Hi, Circe.” He glanced up at her. “How are you feeling? Take a seat.” He pushed the chair next to him out with his foot.
 “My arm still hurts a little, but I’m okay. How about you?”
 “I’ve been better. I’m not sleeping well, some things are bothering me.”
 “I’m sorry to hear that. Lance, you’re not mad at me for Ary’s death, are you?”
 “No, no of course not, Circe. I could never blame you. I blame myself more than anyone.”
 “Lance it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t kill her. You can’t blame yourself.”
 Blame yourself... blame yourself... Those words echoed in his mind, mixed with words from others. She blamed herself... he blamed himself... can’t play God.... Lance’s eyes widened and he drew in a breath.
 “What is it Lance?” Circe asked.
 “You’re right, I can’t blame myself.”
 “That’s what I learned when we got back to California after the fiasco last year.”
 California... They moved to California.... “Thank you so much, Circe,” Lance suddenly exclaimed, leaning over and hugging Circe. “God, I love you so much right now.”
 “Don’t let Joey know that,” Circe laughed.
 “I won’t.” Lance stood up. “I’m going to California,” he announced.
 “Why?” Joey asked.
 “I have some business to take care of.”