Suzy slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to ward off the panic attack she knew was coming. She held her head in her palms, slightly pulling her hair while listening to the mocking silence that only a cemetery after nightfall could offer. After a few minutes, she drew her legs up and crossed her arms over them, resting her head there as she out amongst the marred tombstones, ancient trees, and overgrown grass. Not once did she glance to her right, lest she have to repeat the entire process of calming herself down again.
The torn girl didn't notice she was shaking until a familiar warm jacket was draped across the shoulders of her seated figure. The person beside her carefully moved her hair, making sure not to get it caught on the spikes of his jacket, before wrapping a protective arm around her.
Leaning in, Suzy let him pull her closer, until her head was resting on his shoulder. He laid his head against hers, and they sat in a comfortable silence, forgetting the tension that they felt. The two gazed out at the morbidly beautiful scenery, the moon casting a soft glow upon them, stars twinkling overhead. It would have been horribly romantic, had he not just broken her heart.
Silent tears ran down Suzy's pale cheeks as she thought about the irony of her situation, while at the same time tried, and failed, to forget the conversation they'd had moments ago. As if to reinforce the idea, Jayden reached over with hit right hand, turning her face towards him as he wiped the tears away with his thumb. Her blue eyes met his green, and he grinned encouragingly, receiving a meek vestige of a smile in return.
Jayden stood up, brushing the bits of grass and leaves form his bondage pants, cursing the twig that wouldn't remove itself from one of his spikes. He offered his hand to Suzy, who took it, standing and straightening her clothes. Once she'd put his jacket on properly, Jayden picked her up, spinning her around in a comforting hug.
He slowed the spinning gradually, and set her gently back on the ground. He kept her enfolded in his arms as they rocked back and forth slightly for several minutes, soothing their mutual pain. Jayden lightly kissed the top of Suzy's head as he pulled away, taking her hand and nodding toward the graves in the cemetery. Suzy's lips turned up in a small smile as they walked towards the oldest of the tombstones, the moon lighting their haphazard path. They weaved around the graves hand-in-hand, occasionally fixing flowers, or replacing objects that had been knocked over.
Soon, they came upon the familiar iron fence that was rusty from decades of storms and rain, as evident by the massive blackened oak inside its premises. Releasing Suzy's hand, Jayden carefully unlatched the gate, its hinges creaking as he pushed it open just far enough for them to slip inside. One he'd helped Suzy through, he gently pushed the gate closed again, mindful not to destroy the vines that were so lovingly entangled in its bars.
He walked over to where Suzy lay, curled up on the grass. She was wrapped in the blanket they kept hidden there, in their secret place, gazing up at the stars. She tugged on one of the straps of Jayden's pants, and he lay down beside her, letting himself be tucked under the blanket. Suzy cuddled up next to him with her head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. She snaked her arm across his waist, and they lay like that, looking up at the stars. After some time, Jayden moved his other hand to lightly play with her hair.
"It's gonna be okay," he said, breaking the silence that had reigned for so long, "'cause I love you."
"I love you, too," Suzy said, raising her head from his chest to look up at him. He smiled, petting her hair some more, and she lay her head back down. They wouldn’t talk about what had happened- they rarely did- but they would comfort each other, in a bittersweet way that only hopeless romantics can appreciate.
As the night wore on, brilliantly purple blossoms of nightshade unfurled themselves from their dormant state along the fence, while the two lapsed into another comfortable silence. Suzy smiled sadly in her near-sleep state, her thoughts coming together. She was always the friend, never the girl - but she had the best friends she could ever ask for, and that's what was really important to her. This moment, this simple moment in her existence, was something she wouldn't trade for the world.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Jayden pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.
" 'Night, Suze," he said quietly, wrapping his other arm around her and closing his eyes.
" 'Night, Jayde," she returned, cuddling up against him. They drifted off to sleep, nothing more than the best of friends, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, the two insomniacs slept through the night, unplagued by nightmares, simply because the other was there.
