Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Nadia said again, "I am going. Sorry I am leaving you behind" "What do you mean?" Rahman asked. "My power isn't stable. My power is decreasing." "I will lend my power," Hope said. "No, sister, don't." “You already use more than enough power; if you use more power, then you will die." "But, you -" I want to say more. "Please, sister. This is my last request." Hope has a runny nose, and her vision got blurry due to tears. She nodded. Nadia smiled. She looked at Val and said, "Please take care of her. Moreover, please forget about your past. I am sure your family wants you to move on and be happy." Val nodded. He could not seem to find a word to say. He side-hugged Hope. And she cried in his chest.

Finally, Hope looked at Rahman. He was looking at her hand. "Won't you look at me?" Nadia asked in a soft tone. Rahman slowly looked at her. The eyes of his lover. The first thing he falls in love with. Nadia's lips turned upwards. She said, "I love you, Rahman. I wanted to marry you. I wanted to have a child with you though not eleven but at least two." Rahman remembered he said that he wanted to have eleven children. Nadia continued, “I want to go to Greece for my honeymoon. And after we turned forty, we would travel the world." Rahman saw all the future she was told. Nadia said, "I wanted my children to be like you, strong but kind. I wanted to be a strong luna for your pack." Rahman held and said, "Then do it. Don't go." Nadia hugged him and said, "I am sorry that I am leaving you behind. If God wants, we will meet again." "No, I don't want to wait for the future. I want you right now." Rahman stubbornly said. Nadia smiled and said, "Silly, do you think I want to leave you. However, my work is done. So I have to leave." "Then what about me? Didn't God send you for me but only for the world?" "He sends me for you. As you see, we both fall in love. And you have enough memory to live your life. But promise me one thing." "I won't promise you," Rahman said. "Please, Rahman, It is my last wish." Rahman nodded. "Promise me you will be happy." "No one can force happiness inside themselves," Rahman said. "I know, but at least you can try. So promise me you will try your best to find happiness without me."

"Okay," Rahman said. Nadia's pulse again slowed down. Hope's power was depleting. Nadia took a deep breath and said, "Rahman, won't you say that. You said that you would kiss me and say goodbye each night when we will go to sleep. I will be sleeping for eternity. Won't you kiss me and say goodbye." Rahman felt like Nadia asked him to do the cruelest thing in the world.

Nevertheless, he did. He bent down and touched her lips. Her lips were the same as before. The softness was the same. The fresh lavender smell was there. But today, when he touched her lips, instead of warmth, he felt the coldness. Nadia felt tears fall on her cheek. He looked and saw Rahman was crying. She touched his cheek and wiped his tears. She said, "I will always love you—no matter where we are in this world or another. I will find you and love you. I promise you." Rahman touched her hand and held his cheek. He said, "I will wait for you for eternity. So come back." Nadia nodded, and slowly she closed her eyes. She looked like she was sleeping. Rahman looked at her beautiful face. He knew that she slept for eternity. He felt that the hand holding his cheek lost its power. It slipped away. However, before it fell on the ground, Rahman had it. He put her hand on his. He looked at his sleeping Nadia. He kissed her head and said, "Sleep, my love. And when you open your eyes, please come to me. Fall in love with me, and please live with me forever." A lone teardrop escaped his eyes and fell on her lips. It is like the farewell kiss of a lover who is not meant to be in this life. Who knows if they will ever be together? Nevertheless, as we know, true love will find its way to survive. If not by the person, then by the tales. The tales where we learn about fantastic love stories. Those stories keep their love alive. Keep their passions breathing on earth?

~ Two years later~

"Stop running." One child said.

"Come and catch me," another one replied.

"If I catch you, you are finished." The first one said,

Both run in a meadow. It was green, and the fresh air provided them with perfect oxygen. The trees know who was playing there. They played here every day. It was their job to watch over them. To shelter them from sun and rain. Trees know who also looks over them as if they do. They knew that person. He also used to play there with his friends. They witnessed his childhood and also his adulthood. They saw both his ups and downs. But now, he has settled down. He now smiled more often. He played with these children. But they know behind his smile there was a hidden sadness—the sadness of losing someone he loved. The despair of losing his reason for living. But still, for his love, for his promise, he kept on living. Kept on finding happiness as he promised. He knew he could not find happiness as his pleasure was only being with her. But he still tried. As if she said, "You should try," So he did everything in his power to try. But he had his limitations. Every night when he went to bed, he remembered that he shared this bed with her. He remembered he kissed her head in here. He placed his last kiss. He has a hard time falling asleep. Only to wake up alone in this large bed. He looked at his right side. The bed was still empty. A hundred or more times, these bed sheets changed, but he still smells that rosy lavender scent of her. He still felt the warmth when he touched where she used to sleep. Then he went inside the washroom and saw the toothbrush she used. The paste she used remained the same. He went to his office and sat on the chair. When anyone knocked on the door, he thought maybe she came. She came inside and looked down like she was shy. But she never came. Everyone came, but he waited for her to come back. He wanted her to knock on the door, her to go inside and ask thousands of questions. He would like her to stop babbling, so he would have done the only thing that might have prevented her from talking. He sealed her lips with his. He wanted to see her large round eyes like deer. He wanted to see her blushing cheek. But now, it was only in a dream he could see. No, it would be a lie if it were only in a plan. In every passing second, whenever he looked, he found her. But when he wanted to touch her, she slipped away like sand. The more he tried to hold, the faster it slipped away. So now, he only looked at his memory, and it was immense in it. By following this method, he survived for two years. He was amazed at himself that he was alive for so long. But he will continue to live as he promised to her.

He was thinking about her when one child came and said, "Tell us another story." Another one came and hugged his leg. She said, "Yes, tell us about sleeping beauty." He picked her up. The girl resembles his lover. Same black eyes. He pinched her cheek and said, "You listened to it yesterday." "Yesterday was yesterday, and today is. Now tell me." She ordered. He smiled and said, "Ok, come whoever wants to listen to sleeping beauty stories." All the children who were playing in the meadow ran towards him. They sat there and waited for him to start the story. He looked at all the eagerly waiting children's faces and cleared his voice. Moreover, He stated, “There was a brave girl who fought evil and brought the world to peace. And her name was….."

Waiting to know more. Please click the next chapter. But before going there, do comment. Thank you and I love you all.