"So, what was it?" Alice has asked her as soon as they reached the previous day's spot.
"Just give me a minute" he said as he started dribbling stuff on the paper she nodded in response.
He continued writing for a few minutes and then folded the paper.
"I found this today" he took out the mobile phone and handed it over to her.
"A phone?" She questioned and he nodded.
"My mother's phone" he said with a heavy heart.
"Wait. Where would you even find this?" She said as she almost jumped out of her sitting position.
"The roof, I went there today" he said and she stared at him confused.
"Wait, you went to the roof?" She asked again to make sure.
"Yes, I did. And that's exactly where I found this" he said and tilted his head to the mobile phone now in Alice's hands.
"Um Fletcher, there's something you need to know" she said as she gulped, looking nervous.
"What is it?" Even he was getting worried because of the way she was speaking.
"The roof hasn't been opened in months. The door was locked with chains" she said and looked at him.
"But there was nothing when I went there. I just pulled the door and it opened" Fletcher said getting confused of the whole situation. His hands went into his hair and he held them.
Alice took a deep breath as if she was calm. As if she knew what was happening, and the thought hit him.
"Do you know something Alice? Something that I don't?" He looked at her with caution. He was trying to scan something out of her which he couldn't.
"I don't know anything more than what you do Fletcher. And trust me this is as confusing for me as it is for you" she said. She looked anything but confused when her eyes met his but he thought about ignoring that.
If she was hiding something, he will get to the bottom of it, but he trusted her when she said she doesn't know.
"This is exhilarating for me" he said as turned his face to the lake, and so did Alice.
"I can understand that" she said in a warm voice.
They kept on looking at the lake for a few minutes, getting their peace from the water body.
"I used to come here you know. I always loved coming here." Fletcher said. "And do you know why?" He asked more to himself than to her.
"Why" she asked in response.
"Because my granna always looked over here when we were chilling with her on the intsitute's roof. She used to express how much she wanted to come here" he said and exhaled a long breath that has been hitting his chest hard for long.
"That's why you're calm here right?" Alice said and turned her head to him. She has folded her legs and rested her head on them.
"I don't know what it is, but even before talking to her about coming here, I always felt something here I can't explain" he said. He wondered what it was in this lake. Maybe it's the silence. Maybe it's the feeling of peace and death the lake gives him, but more than death, this lake says after life and second chances.
He doesn't know the reason but all he knows is that this lake means something for him. He can't place his finger on what that something was, but he can feel it.
"What about you? Why do you love coming to this lake?" He asked her as thoughts entered his mind. She was as affected as him. This means she has something about this lake as-well.
"I met Archer here" she said. A smile spread along her lips but tears betrayed her face. "He used to be a fisher here. Although that's the last thing he wanted to do" she said and gulped.
"What did he wanted to do then?" He asked.
A small laugh left her lips as she spoke "well he wanted to be an archer."
"Did he name himself then?" Fletcher said as he joined her in the laughter.
"No" she laughed again. And Fletcher could've sworn he heard bells when she laughed "he used to loves stories of great archers when he was a kid, he used to feel like a hero as he heard the stories. Then he jumped as he said hey, that's my name. It's me!" She said with a sad smile.
Fletcher kept his hand on hers and felt like the world has stopped.
"So as he was growing up, all he was practising was archery. But a fisherman's son always became a fisherman" she said and looked down. Something had changed in her eyes, they have gone black.
"This world has never been fair with anyone of us" Fletcher said as he thought about how he used to love coding but after turning 18, all he could think about professionally was to make enough to feed his family.
"It never is" she spoke. She gulped away her tears and another smile formed on her lips "he used to sing to me and we danced on it here" her hand pointed to a spot in front of him.
An idea came to his mind. "Well, you still can" he said as he jumped to his feet.
A giggle left Alice's mouth and she looked at him. "You're not serious are you?" She asked as she chuckled.
"As serious as it gets. Now come on" he offered her his hand and she looked at him shyly.
Fletcher doesn't know what took over him but when she held his hand, he pulled her into him.
He took her hand in his and laced then around his neck.
The shy look in her eyes were changed with a sorrowful smile as she looked at him. He was suddenly nervous as his hands held her small waist. They moved their body left and right as if trying to dance in harmony.
He rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. He wanted this moment to last forever, he wanted it to never end, but just like all the other good things in life it will.
Alice started humming to a song Fletcher has never heard, but he loved it. He swayed their bodies to her pitches.
He pulled his forehead back and looked into the beautiful eyes of the beautiful woman in his arms. His breath froze and he gulped.
She will be the death of him.