The Wind Blows At The End Of Night

In saving Aspen Reid, I went blind. She said she would be my eyes forever and watch all the scenery that I would not be able to enjoy anymore. She taught me how to read braille and gave me a lot of love. I thought this was the best love ever. That was until my best friend, Liam Anderson, returned to the country. When we were travelling, she held Liam’s hand. I lost her and immediately called after her, but she said, “Ted, you’ve been blind for three years. Liam said you shouldn’t always rely on me. The hike down isn’t too difficult. You should be able to navigate the way out on your own.” She was right. She did not need to take responsibility for me. From then on, I decided that I would no longer need her. Chapter 1 The mountain path was rough, and I was blind. In just a few steps, I tumbled down the slope. The sharp rocks left multiple cuts on me. I was in a lot of pain and could smell the blood oozing out of my body. I stayed put for a while for the pain to ease before I fumbled for my phone to call for emergency services. My younger brother, Dan Smith, limped to the hospital. When he saw me, he sounded really anxious. “Ted, where’s Aspen? How did you end up like this?” His hand was trembling as he held mine. I grimaced and said mockingly, “We broke up.” “How’s that possible?” Dan raised his voice suddenly as he said, “Ever since you lost your vision, she dropped you and picked you up from work every single day. “She placed bumper pads on all sharp corners at home. “She loves you so much…” “Enough, Dan. Let’s leave the country.” Dan was stunned. Then, he said, “Sure. We’ll do whatever you want.” My head was throbbing in pain as tears welled up in my eyes. Very quickly, doctors crowded my ward. I was in a daze when I heard Dan call Aspen Reid. He sounded agitated, and the doctor, Henry Johnson, very quickly kicked him out of the ward. Dr. Johnson asked me, “Mr. Smith, where did you get your eyes treated before?” I was puzzled. “Why? What’s wrong?” “The reason you’re blind is because of a blood clot in your brain. It’s completely treatable, and the blindness will be cured. Why did you drag it out for this long?” I froze. Back then, to save Aspen, I suffered a traumatic blow to my head. When I woke up, Aspen held my hands and sobbed as she said, “Ted, this is all my fault! From now on, I’ll be your eyes.” I was very touched back then and had never even imagined that Aspen had knowingly chosen to delay my treatment. I felt my stomach drop, and I went numb all over. “Dr. Johnson, are my eyes still salvageable?” “Yes, they are. After surgery, you’ll need to rest for a week, and you’ll be able to regain your vision.” On the seventh day, Aspen came to the hospital with Liam Anderson. I had just had my bandages removed. My vision was a little blurry, but I could see some silhouettes. I saw that Aspen was holding Liam’s hand. I could not help but tear up a little. Aspen frowned and stared at me, annoyed. “Why are you so careless? It’s such an easy trail, yet you still fell!” I did not say a word. She sighed in resignation and sat down next to me. She then held my hand. “Are you still mad? “There was a meteor shower on the top of the mountain. It’s a very rare occurrence. You can’t see, so it doesn’t matter to you if you miss it, but Liam really wanted to see it. You understand, don’t you?” It turned out they were watching the meteor shower that night. “Ted, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Liam walked toward me. But I could see that he was looking at Aspen the entire time. I watched him bend down and hold Aspen’s cheeks. Then, he planted a kiss next to her mouth. Aspen flicked her finger against his forehead playfully. I felt nauseated and tried to look away, but ended up throwing up on Liam and Aspen instead. “Ah!!!” Liam screamed and retreated in shock. Aspen also immediately stood up and shouted, “Ted, are you doing this on purpose?!” Chapter 2 I threw up so badly that I felt the acid in my stomach swishing around. Then, I looked up at her when she shouted at me. She stared into my eyes and froze. “Y-Your eyes…” I blinked in confusion. My vision was still blurry. She extended her hand and waved it before my eyes. After making sure that my eyes were not following her movements, she let out a sigh of relief. Aspen took a deep breath and ignored my pale complexion. She walked toward Liam and took out a few tissues to carefully wipe my vomit off his shirt. I shut my eyes because I just could not continue to watch it. I could taste the metallic taste of blood in my throat. “Aspen, your clothes are dirty too. Come with me. Let me help. There are some clothes in the car.” Aspen glanced at me tentatively. “Ted, I’ll head out to change my clothes. You should get some rest.” After I heard the door click shut, I opened my eyes. My phone buzzed. It was a voice note from Aspen. “Liam’s hungry, so I’m going to take him out to dinner.” I impulsively searched for Liam’s social media page. He did not hide any of his posts from me. He had even pinned a post of Aspen down on one knee as she proposed to him. In the picture, she was slipping an engagement ring onto his finger while fireworks lit up the night sky behind them. Liam was smiling brightly. I teared up. I scrolled through his social media account. His latest post was about yesterday’s meteor shower. They were kissing under the meteor shower, and they both looked intimate. As I scrolled down, I realized that almost every year, whether it was a special occasion or his birthday, Aspen would travel overseas to be with him. In the past, I thought those were just coincidences. His social media account was a place for him to flaunt his relationship with Aspen, and it cut me deeply. As I went through his social media account, tears streamed down my face. I could not stop myself from sobbing. After so many years, Aspen had become an integral part of my life. I was used to her taking care of everything for me, and she had gotten into the habit of treating me with such care and tenderness. However, she had been betraying me for five years. I looked down at the simple ring on my finger and took it off without hesitation. Then, I tossed it into the trash can next to me. I did not want her anymore. Another three days passed before I was discharged. When I reached home, I heard Dan arguing with Aspen. “Get out! You’re no longer welcome here!” Dan threw all the supplements she had bought out the door. “Ted, you’re home? Be careful.” Dan limped over to help me, but Aspen stood still. I pretended as though I was still blind and asked her, “What are you doing here?” She had only visited me once during my long stay at the hospital. Aspen stepped forward and grabbed my hand out of habit. “You loved bouldering in the past. Liam wants to go bouldering. You should go with him.” I frowned and freed my hand. “I’m not going.” “Ted, are you still throwing a tantrum?” I was terrified of heights, and I hated bouldering. Liam was the only one who liked it all along. Her voice turned icy as she grabbed my hand hard in an attempt to drag me out. “Liam wants to make it up to you, so he bought three tickets. Don’t be so petty!” I tripped, but she did not even look back. When we reached the bouldering gym, Liam was already waiting there with his gear on. He immediately approached Aspen and grabbed her arm. “You’re here! “Ted, come with me to get your gear.” Liam kissed Aspen’s cheek before taking me to the changing room. Chapter 3 I stumbled when Liam dragged me with him. Aspen immediately said, “He can’t see! Be careful.” Liam said coyly, “Of course, you only care about your boyfriend! What a good girlfriend you are!” “I mean, he’s my boyfriend after all.” I sneered inwardly. ‘Boyfriend?’ I thought. It was so ironic. Who in the world would kiss their boyfriend’s best friend right in front of him? I did not know how Aspen was this calm after everything. After I changed into my gear, we stood in front of the 20-foot-tall bouldering wall. Liam grabbed Aspen’s hand and said softly, “I haven’t climbed in such a long time. You must guide me later.” “Alright.” They were immersed in their own little world. For them, I had ceased to exist. After a while, Aspen looked at me. “Ted, can you manage it on your own?” I felt like I had no choice at all. She slowly grabbed my hand and placed it on a climbing hold. Then, she said, “I’ll guide you in the right direction. You can feel your way around. “Alright. Lift your leg now.” I could already see clearly by then. But I still followed her directions and slowly climbed upward. I did not know why I was faking it. Maybe I wanted to see just how much she loved Liam. A few minutes later, her attention shifted to Liam. She began taking better care of him instead. “Aspen, I feel my legs are getting weak. Which one should I step on?” “The one on the right. Shift your weight down and stabilize yourself.” After climbing for more than ten feet, the clip on my waist suddenly loosened. I swung wildly, suddenly dangling in midair. I instinctively grabbed onto the climbing hold. My breath hitched as I instinctively called out for help, “Ah! Aspen!” Aspen impatiently looked over at me. She seemed shocked when she saw my state. The next second, Liam gasped. He missed a step and fell. Aspen immediately turned around and grabbed Liam’s hand to stabilize him. Liam leaned against her and cried, “Aspen, I’m very scared. “I feel my legs are weak now. Can we go down first?” “Alright.” Aspen did not spare me another glance. I was still dangling midair, but she ignored me completely. She slowly helped Liam down the wall. I did not dare to look down. At that height, a single glance would have been enough to make me pass out. I tried to reach for the climbing hold underneath my foot. After a while, my arms grew tired. Thankfully, a staff member came over to help me. They managed to help me down to the floor in ten minutes. I collapsed onto the floor in fear and panted. My eyes welled up with tears. I hastily wiped my tears away. They comforted me before I could finally muster the strength to stand up. I was just about to leave the climbing gym when I saw their car in front of the entrance. Liam leaned against Aspen’s embrace in the car. She was comforting him as her hand softly patted his back. She was extremely gentle. When she saw me, she pushed Liam away. Then, she seemed to recall that I could not see, so she threw all caution to the wind. She wiped Liam’s tears away before she got out of the car to get to me. “Why were you so slow in coming out? If it wasn’t for Liam, who insisted that I wait for you, I would’ve driven him to the hospital by now. “You’re always holding us back. “Ted, when are you going to start pulling your weight?” Liam walked closer to me and said gently, “Ted, there are coaches inside. You were fine. We were waiting for you here for so long.”