A BITTERSWEET GLANCE

by ZephyrChime

I reached out to her, holding her hands, feeling every warmth, grace, and beauty reflected within the grasp of a blue, majestic night. I caressed her cheek, pinched her lovely nose, slid my hands through her coal-colored hair, and sniffed her fragrance blooming on top of the bed. It was painful to let her go To see that our love story has reached its end A story that kept me going A breath that keeps us living

“Do you remember the first time we met? How you reached out to me with a sudden glare because I did not respond to what you said I’m sorry for ignoring you that day because I know that if I did, you would just see how twisted my life can be but then, you never stop You cared for me at my worst, loved me in the loneliest of days, and changed me to see how wonderful the world could be. Now, you are on your bed glooming at every bit of beauty that lies within as the vestige lingers the beautiful night, shattering me with all my heart”

Now I say to you, my beloved Charlotte, wait for me at the ends of the earth, and there we shall relive our story, rekindle our hearts with beauty, and live our days with love and peace. Now, I will let you go. Let me go; Stop your cries. Stop your worries. Stop your bittersweet glance over me Let go of those flowers and see me descend upon the horizon Descend within the piles of earth that created me and break free within the vicinity of your lovely grasp, a grasp that I no longer feel.

Neither be sad nor be wearied, because no matter where I go, I shall live baring our memories together;

“Not in my mind but with my heart” she recited the last phrase of our wedding vows with a bittersweet smile, and at that moment, she lightly dropped a fresh white rose flower above me, and there, I saw how she slowly walked away, with a baby in her arms, kisses his lovely little cheeks, and fades away.

written by iKonic

The setting is now finally set as the flowers categorize their colors and sizes evenly on the sides of the aisle I hate white, but what I am wearing today made me realize that white brings elegance and neatness, symbolizing purity. It is a perfect white dress for my wedding. It's been five minutes, but my groom ’ s absence is still present in the church. The old says that the groom should arrive first at the church before the bride. It is their superstition.

My phone rang three times, and I opened it immediately Azrael texted, asking if I loved him I saw the clock, and it was 12:51 at midnight Now, I realized that the wedding scene was just my dream It's summer, "the wind is warm, and this iced tea is so good," I said to Azrael while we were passing over the bridge. Out of the blue, he gave me the challenge to live a day without him. That is, to leave each other without a single word no communication at all. And, if I passed, he would marry and love me forever. I was confused at first, thinking it was absurd. But I was ecstatic when he uttered, "I will marry and love you forever." It was just like a dream come true for me, so I accepted his challenge.

I never texted nor called him for the whole day without knowing that my boyfriend had only 24 hours left. I wasn't aware that he was receiving treatment for his chronic focal encephalitis; he didn't, even at once, mention this problem to me. On the day of the challenge, he experienced frequent seizures and progressive brain damage in the affected hemisphere of his brain. He was paralyzed for half an hour till he suddenly passed away at 12:51 midnight.

I was excited to see and say, "I did it, love" to him, but tears fell as I saw him lying in a coffin with a letter "You did it, love Now please, do it every day I love you " I was numb I realized at the eleventh hour that I should not have accepted his challenge.

I heard the clock, and it woke me up to where I saw it ticking reversely. I was crying in the middle of the night, hoping my dream was true. I wish I had just died, not my girlfriend, Morana.

It's been two years since he decided to take a different path. I witnessed firsthand how he started a new life, a new career, and new aspirations.

Years have passed, and I no longer see him lamenting about the final chapter of our relationship He even started going out to parties with his mates and dating another girl

I'm still in pain and have no choice but to cry every night— torn about how our relationship ended Seeing him recalibrating life without me shreds my heart piece by piece

He changed a lot. He'd never treated me like this before; When we crossed paths, he ignored me as if I was just a breeze, and when I spoke to him, he didn't respond like I was mute.

One night in June, his friends had gathered at his home to celebrate his job promotion. I crept up to their windows to peek and observe them. It was late midnight, and most were already drunk, some tipsy.

My heartbeat was on a roll as tears welled up in my eyes. I can't even utter a word. My toes weakened, and, consequently, my body fell straight to the floor It felt like I was slapped by reality a hundredfold

It was his friend, talking to my ex-boyfriend: "Grabe, no? It was a bittersweet moment for you. Because, aside from you finally getting a promotion, today also marks the third anniversary of Shai's death. Sayang lang! You were perfect for each other. Planned for your future together, you almost live your dream life with her, but it was just ruined by that horrible car accident years ago. "