arindalee

His house stood there, a sanctuary of memories and whispered promises. The wooden steps bore the weight of countless moments—laughter, secrets, and the echo of our unfinished story.

“He'll come,” I whispered to the rain as if coaxing the universe itself.

And then he arrived, disheveled and weary. His eyes held galaxies—the ones we used to map together. “I thought you'd never wait,” he said, voice a fragile thread connecting past and present.

I stepped closer, the gap between us narrowing like fate's cruel joke. His face—oh, that face—I could read it like an ancient manuscript. Sadness is etched in every line, longing woven into the fabric of his existence.

“I can live now,” I blurted out, my heart spilling its secrets. The words hung there, suspended between us. Was it relief or resignation? I didn't know. But I wanted to wrap my arms around him, to cocoon myself in his warmth.

He hesitated, caught off guard. “Why?” he asked, voice raw. “Why smile when you should be raging against the universe?”

I leaned into the hug, my cheek against his chest. “Because this hug—it's my rebellion,” I confessed. “Against time, against endings. Maybe it's longing, maybe it's farewell. But right now, it's everything.”

And so we stood there, rain baptizing our fragile reunion. His heartbeat echoed in my ear—a rhythm of forgiveness and forgotten dreams. Maybe, just maybe, this hug was our unfinished symphony, the notes trailing into eternity.

“Cry if you need to,” he murmured, holding me tighter. “But for now, let's defy the storm together.”

And so we did—two souls seeking solace in the embrace of a rainy night, knowing that sometimes, the most beautiful stories remain untold.