Chapter Text
It’s been 3 months since I last heard her voice…The last song she sang. The lullaby we planned for our daughter. Where did it go wrong? What did I do to deserve such a lonely fate? I beg for an answer please…
The morning rays hit, waking me up to a soulless apartment with an empty bed. I can’t remember the last time I went outside. Most of my days have been spent in this silent room with only a pen and paper. I try to write away my sorrows, drive my eyes this pitiful state I’m in, stop my mind from thinking of her.
I assumed it would be like any of those days, but with the urgency of my brother, he forcefully took me outside. There I still had my papers and pen, writing as I couldn’t have before. I didn’t even acknowledge my own brother’s existence right across the table, until he yanked the book out of my hand.
“Come on, bro! You’ve been cooped up in your damn room for months! And this book isn’t helping! When was the last time we had our old fun eh?”
My brother was always very energetic, he always forced me out of the small bubble I blew myself in. He was strong, active, and handsome, all the girls in our school would swoon for him. Even then, he was always driven to make me join alongside him. He was aware of her death and always tried to cheer me up.
“We’re not children anymore. And I haven’t played baseball with you since we were 16. I just want to finish this story.”
“Story? What’cha writing about huh?”
I knew by that tone he was planning to take a look, even when my arm tried to reach. The only one who ever got to see my writing was her, not even my brother took a single peek. Until now.
He laughs as he flipped through the pages. Each page made my heart race and my cheeks warm.
“I never took you for a fantasy fanatic. Gosh, this is a brand new side of you. When did you come up with this concept?”
Before I could answer, the wind grew heavier and without any time to breathe my pages started flying out.
By instinct, I jumped to my feet and ran. Catching a page, then two, then three into my hands. I was nearly out of breath, but I couldn’t just lose them. All those times I spent, to be wasted like that. I couldn’t bear it. But the pages started to flying higher, until one of the birds caught it in their talons. They flew into the busy streets. Crowds gathered around, friends and family. It wasn’t until I drew closer I noticed the bird fly downwards to land. Landing by a person, their back turned to me. A long, almost sil ver braid hung from their back. The bird picked at my pages, DAMN BIRD. The person poked the beak of it.
“Lumi, those papers don’t belong to you! Give it.”
Without hesitation the bird dropped the papers into their hand. They sorted them back to normal before looking back. Our eyes met, and mine widened. Their face, so familiar, the same delicacy. My heart began to pound anxiously. But I finally drew a breath and spoke.
“U-Uhm, those are my papers…the wind blew it out of my book..”
DAMN IT! WHY AM I HAVING A HARD TIME SPEAKING! SURE IT WAS A WHILE SINCE I TALKED TO SOMEONE, BUT I SHOULDN’T HAVE THIS MUCH OF A STRUGGLE…-
“Oh! It is? My apologies then. Seems Lumi mistook it for something else.”
That voice!…it’s…-
They held the papers out to me, free for me to take back. My body was frozen though. I couldn’t move a limb. I didn’t even understand what was making me act that way, but I finally forced myself to take the papers back and thank them. As I flip through the mess of papers back to their original order, I suddenly realized. I looked at the papers then to the person, it finally rang a bell. They were like the living breathing image of the character I had been writing about. That lavender-silvery hair, long and luscious. Those luminous eyes of blues and purples, mixed to make the most perfect color.
“Uhm…Do you need anything else..? You’ve been staring for a while.”
DAMN IT! WHAT AM I DOING?!
“My apologies…You just look familiar to me.”
GODDAMN IT! I’m making an absolute fool of myself!
“Oh? I do?”
He giggled. I’m doomed. I’ve made a fool of myself!
“I-I don’t mean to sound like a creep-!”
“I wasn’t assuming so. You remind me of a…good friend of mine actually..”
Huh? I remind him of someone…? Who- WAIT WHY AM I WONDERING?! I BARELY KNOW HIM!
I was too stuck in my head I didn’t even realize I was burning up. I couldn’t even register my emotions I was feeling.
“Bro! Where the hell are you?”
That’s my brother’s voice! Crap! I just forgot I just left him to get back my papers.
“Oh there you ar- WOAH! Ain’t that the character you sketched in that story of yours? Man you really tried, yet the details are exact!”
Oh god, just my luck…now I’m going to sound like a huge creep!
I couldn’t even stop him as he put an arm around their shoulder, the bird giving his thumb a protective peck.
“Yowch! What a sharp beak! Why so aggressively for such a small thing?”
“Lumi, stop that! He’s just being friendly.”
The bird immediately listened and stayed perched on their finger. The boy apologized to my brother for his bird’s behavior.
“My apologies for Lumi. She often gets protective for no reason. I’ll compensate for your injury! One of those pastries or a drink…”
He kept offering ways to compensate, even though it was merely a small bruise. I assume this is far from the first time this has happened.
“Eh? It’s just a small bruise, don’t worry about it.”
They were rather shocked by my brother’s words before nodding his head and smiling.
“So what’s your name? You know my brother is single and free-”
“No!”
I couldn’t even think twice about what to say, I’m already embarrassed as it is. Why does my brother have to make it more awkward?
“Haha! I’m just kidding. Lighten up.”
He looks back to them and smiles.
“That’s a…sweet thing to do for your sibling. However, I’m not particularly looking for anyone just yet.”
“Darn, looks like it ain’t your day, huh bro?”
Lord how I hate him sometimes…
“I apologize for my brother, he’s…always up in people’s space.”
“It’s no worry at all. It’s sweet of him to think of you like that.”
“I…suppose. My name is Caine b-by the way.”
Ugh! This is so awkward!!!
“Oh yes, please call me Valon. It’s wonderful to meet you Caine.”
He really has a beautiful voice. Like you’d hear it in a musica- WAIT WHAT AM I SAYING?!
“I apologize, but I must excuse myself for I’ll be late.”
He bowed his head and walked away. A part of me wanted to reach out for them, I still thought I was seeing things. How could he look…like her?
When he finally disappeared from sight, my brother led me back to the cafe. He smirked at me, clearly having something on his mind. I, however, was still mad at him for the awkwardness he added to my encounter with Valon.
“Okay okay. I know you’re mad at me, but please, I was trying to help. I haven’t seen you show any emotion since Mrs died.”
“What do you mean? I was feeling just fine around him.”
No emotion my butt, I was like this since day one, dummy.
“You were all shy with him. It was like back in high school.”
“Th-that was nothing, I just have been cooped up for so long I forgot how to speak.”
That really wasn’t the case, but I am not going to admit it him of all people!!
“Well that ain’t my fault that you sheltered yourself in that cramped apartment. Seriously though, you should’ve gotten his number or somethin. It’s like fate.”
“No it’s not.”
It was just coincidence! I won’t be convinced this is same game of fate. Fate is only a hoax.