Theme song: "All i want by Kodaline"
"I didn't lose him all at once. I lose him in the quiet, in the spaces he used to fill."
— Mira
---
I stayed longer at the café that day than I intended.
The soft drizzle outside turned into a persistent downpour, painting the streets in silver and shadow. The world moved quietly around me—people rushing in, wiping raindrops from their faces, shaking their umbrellas, laughing into phones.
Life didn't pause. Not for grief. Not for love lost. Not even for someone like Elian.
And maybe that was the most heartbreaking part of it all—how the world keeps spinning after yours stops.
---
The little bell above the café door jingled as someone stepped in, a gust of cold air slipping inside with them. I didn't look up at first.
I was still tracing his name in the condensation on the window, watching it fade too quickly. Just like he had.
Then a familiar voice stirred me.
"Mira?"
I turned.
It was Claire—the old manager at the bookstore Elian used to take me to. She was in her forties, always with a messy bun and a scarf that somehow matched every mood. She looked at me like she'd seen a ghost.
"I heard about… Elian," she said gently, pulling out the chair across from mine.
I nodded, unable to speak.
She didn't say sorry. Maybe she knew how empty that word felt after a while.
Instead, she slid a small envelope across the table.
"I wasn't sure when to give this to you," she said. "He left it with me… a few months ago."
---
My hands trembled as I took it. My name was written in his handwriting.
Sharp, slanted, careful.
I stared at it for a long time before I had the courage to open it.
Inside was a folded sheet of thick paper and a small black-and-white photo.
It was from that night we danced in the rain on the bridge—his favorite memory, he once said.
I unfolded the letter with a held breath.
---
> Mira,
If you're reading this, it means I couldn't keep my promise.
I wanted forever with you. But life had other plans, didn't it?
Don't let the silence fool you—my love never left with me.
It lingers in your laughter, your stubborn hope, your gentle heart.
I need you to live.
Not just breathe. Not just survive. But live.
Write the stories. Chase the sun. Fall in love with the world again.
I'll be somewhere in every chapter.
Always yours,
Elian.
---
My chest cracked open.
The tears came without shame. Big, aching sobs that wracked my body and stole my breath.
Claire placed her hand over mine, and we sat there in silence, with only the rain and the ghosts between us.
---
Later that week, she called me again.
"I know you've been writing," she said. "Would you ever think of publishing?"
I blinked. "Publishing?"
"Elian believed in your words," she said softly. "Maybe it's time you believed in them too."
---
And for the first time since losing him, I saw a flicker of tomorrow.
Not one without grief. But one with purpose.
Maybe my pages weren't ending here.
Maybe they were just beginning.