"I've missed you," she whispers quietly, her head resting on my shoulder as we sit on the curb of this lonesome road. I'm oddly numb, perhaps too tired to feel things right now.

A dangerous amount of alcohol is in my system, and coupled with the cigarette I'm smoking, I'll feel like shit in the morning. "We need to go soon," I state. But when I turn to Ava, I realise she's half-asleep.

"Hey," I nudge, and she looks up at me.

"I've missed you." She repeats the same words. "And selfishly, sometimes I wish you missed me too."

Fucking hell. "Stop saying things you don't mean." But also, please mean them. I take another drag of the cigarette, blowing the smoke away from her. She laughs a sad laugh, staring at the cigarette between my lips. I hand it to her.

Sitting in her red dress, she takes a small puff of it, her lips puckered against the head. She makes an uneasy expression at first but then blows the smoke in my face. I watch her as she laughs at me, her hair blowing in the wind, and her eyes looking into mine.

God, I wish I could explain how she makes me feel. I wish words could describe the essence of Ava. I wish I could write out exactly how many times her smile has made me smile. How many laps she's run through my mind.

"Make a wish!" Ava suddenly says, pointing to a shooting star going across the sky. She closes her eyes, and brings her hands together while saying something under her breath.

And all I can think to wish for is her. I wish for her.

________