Eclipse

you don’t have that choice, huh?" He seemed to speak from experience.

"Well, not... Really. You?"

There was pain evident in his eyes. "I had no home to go back to. It’s a long story."

"That's... Unfortunate..." Unlike Florian Phillip was at a loss for words. "Yeah, I don't think I could ever go back."

"Do you think you’ll spend the rest of your life here?" he asked gently.

"I hope not, but there really isn't anywhere else is there? I could get used to it here eventually though, if I had to.

"Nowhere else? There’s a whole other continent out there! You ever wander what it would be like to live just for yourself? Go wherever you wanted to go, do whatever you wanted to do, with nobody else to please?" He poked at his food a little vehemently for a second, but then seemed to calm down.

"Florian, was it? That would be nice and all, but a place like that isn't somewhere for a person like me. You talk as if you're grappling with the same decision?" Phillip looked at Florian.

"Me? I’m stuck in this cesspit for the rest of my life. Plus, I’m already living for myself. You? You’ve got people to go back to, don’t you, if you were to choose a new direction for your life? I lost everything once upon a time. Have you? At least there’s a small chance for you to get things back still. It’s a matter of choosing to take that chance."

Phillip was silent for a moment. "I-I..."

"May I offer you a bit of advice?" Florian asked in such a genuine way that it was clear he’d listen if Phillip said no.

"I guess so." He stared down at the table.

Florian put a firm hand on Phillip’s shoulder and said in a low voice, "If you love someone, by far the stupidest thing you can do is let them go." He patted his shoulder once and then went about cleaning up what little mess he’d made with dinner, preparing to leave Phillip be.

Phillip went slightly pale and shook his head a few times. "Why should I listen to you? Everyone who I ever cared for has either left me in some way, or I've disappointed them past the point of ever looking them in the eye again." He seemed to be talking about someone in particular, "The only two people who I ever wanted to... One of them was a long shot, but... I'll never get over the guilt. And I don't deserve the other one."

"No one ever truly deserves anyone else, but it’s still worth a shot. Wouldn’t you think you’d be miserable the rest of your life, not knowing if it could have worked out or not? It’s just advice anyway, I never said you had to take it. I’m just trying to offer something from experience." Florian stood up, and he had a somewhat miserable look of his own.

"Nope. Just leave me alone. After what has happened I never want to be in a relationship with anyone ever again." Phillip groaned.

Florian grinned involuntarily, knowing all too well the girl they were talking about. And the by things she’d said to him, he knew she at least would try until the last drop of hope was absolutely gone—maybe even a little after that.

"Good luck with that," he told Phillip with a slight chuckle, revealing (if Phillip were paying attention) that he might know more than it seemed.

"Yeah, thanks." Phillip said sarcastically, "What's so funny?"

He chewed on his lip for a second, not at loss for words, just debating if they were the right ones to say. Finally, with a sigh, he sat back down. "You know how I lost my home? It sunk. Yep, let that sink in."

He slowly nodded as it dawned on Phillip. "It’s funny because I know just how stubborn that girl can be."

Phillip looked beyond confused. "Wait, so you knew-that doesn't make any sense though! Or does it..." He stared down at the table again.

"Of course it does. She was like a sister to me, you know. I’m guessing she never mentioned me?" It was a rhetorical question, laced with fake offense. "Understandable. Anyway, I just… thank you, I guess—and I know that’s strange to hear right now, but she probably couldn’t have gotten through things without a good friend."

Phillip looked a little guilty. "Yeah, but... I could have done better. An no, she didn't mention you. She didn't mention a lot, but then again, I didn't either."

"Is she still brash and boisterous and… like herself?"

Phillip smiled a little. "She was. Annoying at times, but never too much."

"Never too much?" He gave a quiet laugh. "She was the most infuriating person I’d ever known! Very headstrong, that one."

"Oh really? Huh, she was never that bad." He stood and took his bowl.

Florian did the same. "Tragedy can really change a person," he lamented. "But... for the better, maybe."

"Maybe... I'll see you around." Phillip turned and started to walk away.

"See you around," he echoed. "And I mean it, sincerely, just… good luck." He elbowed into the crowd of people leaving the dining room and disappeared.