Too Late (Steve)

          "Steve? Hello? It's me." I turned around. The voice sounded familiar. It was Caitlin! I didn't know what to make of seeing her again. She smiled sweetly as if this were just another day and we weren't on some floating island with golden trees. "I want to talk to you. We have much to catch up on." Caitlin made her way to the edge of the island. No no no. Don't jump. Too late. Caitlin took off and hovered. She had large lavender wings that were at least twice the length of her body. This place gets weirder and weirder with each step. "I need to fall off the island to fly, but you can climb that tree and jump off." She gestured towards one of the golden trees.

Hand over hand, I found branches. How did I not get scraped up? When I reached the top, I looked down, which was a terrible mistake considering my fear of heights. Caitlin looked at me patiently. She came down and stood next to me.
          "It's okay. Wings take some getting used to." I looked behind me to spot a pair of blue wings on my back. They shimmered like diamonds. "Just fall forward and you'll know what to do from there." I wasn't so sure about that. Caitlin's gleeful expression turned to a concerned one."You seem a little apprehensive. Is something wrong?"
          "No." I could actually speak. It's been a while since I've heard my own voice.
          "Then follow me." Caitlin fell, spread her wings, and soared...well...like a bird. I spread my wings. Flapping frantically, I felt as though I had no control. I corkscrewed in random directions and struggled to stay aloft. Eventually, I caught a glimpse of Caitlin soaring. As the wind blew in my face, I realized that I shouldn't to fight it. I should ride it.

Emulating her technique, I got the hang of flying. I looked around to see flying pigs and whales. The biology department should get a load of that! Weird cloud things occasionally dotted the islands. Eventually, Caitlin found an island where we could land. She folded her wings gracefully while I tumbled to the ground. She opened the small basket she was holding and handed me a foil-wrapped bowl and a fork. I peeled the foil back to find a bowl of steaming hot katsudon. I took a bite of the pork and the rice. As Caitlin took a bite of her teriyaki chicken, I decided it was best to be direct.
            "I've...recently found another lover."
            "Can you tell me who she is?" Instead of being angry like I had expected, Caitlin's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
            "Well...'she' is a he...."
            "Then can you tell me who he is?"
            "It's Landon." I felt a strange sense of relief after saying that. I thought I was insulting the relationship I had with Caitlin when I first recognized the way I felt about him, but Caitlin seemed to think otherwise.
            "I think very highly of Landon. He is an excellent man and your relationship has my blessing." Caitlin looked to the side. "By the way, there's something I need to tell you too." I took another bite of rice. "I never told you that I was autistic."
            "Why not?" It was strange for Caitlin to keep something like this from me, especially when it made so much sense of some of her baffling antics. I thought the hand flapping thing was another one of her quirks. To be honest, I was better able to read her hands than her face.
            "I didn't know what you'd think of me." She averted her eyes. "I was afraid that you'd leave me to die or use it against me." Now, why would I do that? Had I known, I would have invested in therapy, reducing sensory strains, and, well, anything I could do to help. Now that it was too late, I felt a more intense regret than I've ever felt before.  "I'd love to stay forever, but my time here is limited. I have one last task for you before I go."
            "What is that?"
            "Tell Landon that Rachel forgives him." Who's Rachel?

Just like that, I woke up back in my own bed as tears started forming in my eyes. Blinking them back, I realized again that I was too late. I could have saved Caitlin if I had been more attentive and moved quickly enough. I've had scads of girlfriends in high school whose emotions I've played with for my own pleasure, but I missed one shot I had at a meaningful relationship. I didn't deserve Caitlin's affection, so why should I pretend that I deserve Landon's?