CHAPTER VII: PROVOKING WORDS

Both of us sat together in silent peace for a while. Nothing disturbed it, with the exceptions of the occasional chirps of birds and the waves thrashing against one another. After I had nodded, she had tilted her head to the direction of the place we once occupied before. I silently obliged, focusing my attention on the sun slowly being pulled by the skies. I turn to look at the road on the bridge, the once filled with vehicles with people's heads leaning outwards as they peered to at least see a glimpse of the breathtaking view among their eyes.

Though it was a long time ago, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. Afterall, I was also one of the people who have witnessed how this place became deserted because of a single, inevitable, incident.

I felt a poke on my side. She was staring at my expression, almost calculating. I immediately look away, an uneasy feeling settling on my stomach.

"Did you also watch the view here before what happened?"

"Yeah…" I nodded, fixing my stare on the sunset, rather unaccustomed with other people watching me other than a select amount of people. Moreover, from a gender my age that I am unfamiliar with, in all aspects. "This place was filled with people, with or without vehicles to ride in."

"That's nice…" Disappointment obvious, she sighed. "It's sad that people had to go. This place is beautiful, and even now it still is… just dirty and dusty."

I examined her gestures towards the road in the bridge and silently agree. Long ago, people would hold volunteer projects to clean the whole town, and the place that they gave the most attention to was this bridge. And with the incident, also comes with the complete ignoring and deeming a place non-existent because of a fearful encounter. This caused dust to gather continuously, until it is now easily seen from our distance through human eyes. The bright, vibrant red of the bridge had also dulled into a shade filled with rust and original metal color slipping through its cracks.

I shrug. "It's too late now, this bridge would probably be destroyed if this continues on. This is not the only bridge that people use, so it wouldn't be that much of a loss for them. Heard that they'll probably start on it in the next month or so."

Curiously glancing at her expression, I was slightly shocked to see her frozen as ice. I bring my left hand in front of her face. I snapped my fingers, "Am I talking to a statue here?"

Instantly, as if forcibly removed from her unmoving state, she grabs my hand with both of her hands. A determined expression on her face, she squeezes it gently. As if on cue, the birds and the waves go still with quiet. The two of us look at each other's eyes, blue meeting with brown. She purses her lips, something that I pointedly ignore, and before I could even tug my hand back from her grasp or say a proper response, she spoke. She takes a deep breath and opened her mouth, and out was a surprisingly calm voice, not wavering a single bit.

"Let's do it."

It was if someone took a brick and fling it at us, imaginary glass shattering to bring us back to reality. I could now hear the constant, mildly irritating twitters of birds, and the wild whips of the sea clashing against each other. Embarrassment flooded my body, from head to toe, and the only thought resonating were her words.

"Excuse me?"

She looked at me as if I to tell that I was wasting her time and repeated the words, but this time, pronouncing them more slowly. "Let's do it—"

This time, I was fast to react. "I don't—"

"—Let's save the bridge."

I stop speaking and close my mouth, blinking slowly. "Excuse me?"

"I said exactly what I said." She exasperatedly sighs, like she was telling me how the weather is today. "I want to save the bridge. Destroying it means that people are willing to let go of such a beautiful place. I want you to help me."

"Why should I?" I pulled my hand away from her clasping hands, former embarrassment changing to annoyance. "Do you really think that we can save not a small puppy or a small birdhouse but a whole infrastructure at that? Are you aware that the reason why people strayed away from this bridge is because somebody died here?"

"But why did you stay?"

What did I even expect from a girl who blatantly watched me like a puppy showing her tricks on our first encounter? A part of me regretted letting her sit beside me and entertain her questions. "That's not the point. But to answer your question because I know damn well that you'll bother me into hell of irritation, I stayed here because I want a place to go when I want to be alone, sure that no people will follow or lurk around."

"You're lying." My mouth twitches in frustration at her response. Unlike the amused smile plastered on her face, it was a slight quirk of her lips, astutely studying me. "I know that you have an attachment here, and that a part of you feels—no—knows that this situation is unfair."

"And if I agree… what difference will it make?"

She goes silent at my rebuttal, and my gaze lands on the sun, still slowly settling itself down the river. The wind pricked my skin, gentle but enough to be noticeable. "I know that this line is over-repeated, but I'll say it again, life isn't a movie. You can't just make a statement and solve it using the power of persuasion and friendship. Best case scenario we can talk to the ones doing this project and immediately get dismissed, and worst case would be complete refusal of other people to join us because of fear."

"If I were you, I'd just enjoy the view as much as I can—"

"No."

"Yeah, I knew that—" I repeat her words, "no?"

She jutted out her chin, confident meeting my eyes once more. "You will be making a difference just by helping me. I know that you'll agree."

I place my hand on my forehead, there is a fine line between having a unique opinion and a completely inaccurate one. "And that is because?"

"Because you're a good person."

Heat surged in my cheeks and I avoid her penetrative gaze. The unsettling feeling bursts out in the depths of my stomach, spreading in every direction. I clenched my fingers into a fist and drew a breath. "You don't even know my name."

"No, I don't."

I clenched my fists a little harder.

"I just know the difference between an openly good person and a person who's desperately trying to hide it."

And for the third time, blue eyes met brown.