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“I do.”
Those were the words that made Candy’s heart burst with love that evening at the start of spring, seventy years ago. Somehow, those words had made her love Nathaniel even more at the time.
She’s standing alone in the middle of the deserted park close to the building that used to be their high school too many years ago and was now long forgotten by civilization. As she stares at the tree in front of her, a million memories hit her. Memories of Nathaniel, of when they had first met, seventy-six years ago.
When she walked into the student council room and saw him, she knew right away that she had a crush on him; there was no doubt about that. Her feelings towards him had grown stronger as time passed and they got to know each other better.
By the time she had saved him from his abusing father, they fell for each other. And they fell hard. Not long after they had hit the ground, they confessed their true feelings to each other that day at the library of Sweet Amoris and said ground disappeared once again as they continued to fall even deeper.
It was an enlightening experience, something entirely new for the both of them. They got the privilege to discover these new feelings together and, oh, how they enjoyed their fall to the fullest. Sure, there were times when they lost sight of each other, when the cold of being apart for far too long froze them in midair. But even when the odds turned against them, they could always overcome everything with the help of their dear friends.
And in a late January, three years after they graduated from high school, Nathaniel had proposed to Candy with the snowflakes falling around them in a magical tone.
Their wedding took place in a park, in front of a certain cherry blossom tree a bit more than a year later in April. This time, the cherry blossom leaves were the ones falling around them, involving them in their beautiful dance as both their hearts and minds became one. “I do.”
Candy and Nathaniel lived together from that day on, never forgetting to keep in touch with their friends. Even during adulthood, the group of ex-colleagues couldn’t be apart for much more than a few months, always trying to find time to arrange a meeting.
Rosalya and Leigh were married and had two kids, Castiel and Lysander were an official band and were making success around the world, Alexy and Kentin were finally able to find happiness together despite all of the hardships. Every single one of them was living the dreams they fought so hard to make come true.
The life Candy and Nathaniel shared was so sweet, so filled with happiness as if they had created their own little paradise together. It almost made them believe they could live in this paradise forever.
But time is an enemy, and its cold hands have the power to take so many things away.
When old age came knocking on their door, they knew they couldn’t fight it. In the end, humans were doomed with death as their only true and absolute fate.
Old age took Nathaniel away, and Candy expected she would feel as if a part of her soul was gone, as if there was a missing piece in her life. But she could only feel a sense of relief, knowing that her lover didn’t suffer, he was healthy and life gave him the opportunity to spend his last days as cheerfully as they had been in their young adult lives.
Candy looks at the tree before her, her vision becoming blurry from the tears that are being formed in her eyes. Cherry blossom leaves dance around her just like in the day Nathaniel bounded their destinies forever. She can feel herself getting weaker each passing day, the hands of time slowly guiding her to an unknown far away shore where her lover would be waiting for her with a bright smile on his face. Oh, he was so sweet. He had always been.
As a single tear makes its way down her cheek, Candy feels her body drop to the ground. She can feel her senses become numb as she realizes she’s finally going to be able to see Nathaniel again. After all, she had kept him waiting for her for five years. It was about time she came back to him.
The words resonate in her head one last time.
“I do.”