Memories

"If you ever see her, bring this to her, will you?" The boy bends down, passing a rose to the kitten, rubbing its head affectionately as it bites the dainty stem of the rose. The kitten manages a "mew" in return, liking the feel of the boy's fingers that ruffle its wet fur.

A faint smile passes over the boy's tired face, glistening the beautiful features of a young man, the sadness inside those dark and downcast eyes somehow making him seem even more alone. Under an umbrella, talking to a cat which held a rose between its teeth, the scene goes unnoticed by the passers-by.

Every raindrop appears to be telling a different story. Every breeze engulfs him in the cold of the bitter-sweet memories. The kitten's eyes shine a brilliant gold, stark against the black fur, and paws at the boy's knees in comfort. The boy knows that the cat understands, and a strange feeling of warmth passes over him, as he stands back up and thinks about how absurd it is to be talking to a cat in the middle of a street.

The kitten gazes up at the boy for one last time, and seemingly determined, takes off with its paws pattering the wet ground, and the boy amused, could not suppress his gentle smile. It was probably off to present it proudly to its mother. He watches as the cat bounds down the street.

Turning to leave, he suddenly sees the kitten stop abruptly, and he looks back curiously. The kitten had sat down, its tail curled, the rose still held in its mouth, in front of a girl.

~~

The girl crouches down slowly, and although surprised, gently takes the flower in her delicate hand, her umbrella forgotten, the rain drenching her in seconds.

Holding the rose, she touches the petals lightly and a wave of nostalgia hits her. The thorns on the rose were removed, like what he did every time he gifted her with a rose. She’s well aware of the tears sliding down her cheeks, but does nothing to stop them. Because of the pouring rain, no one can see that she’s alone and in pain.

But when she looks up from the kitten, their eyes meet. In that fraction of a second, they both see the person in their memories, the one in their every night's dreams. His name forms on her lips, but she doesn’t utter it. She’s afraid that if she does, she will never be able to forget the things from her past - the person from her past.

So she turns her back to him and takes a step forward - a step away from her regrets. She could have walked away. She could have walked away and never turned back. But she had to look. Had to look again to see if he’s still there.

But when she does, she finds that he’s already gone.

~~

She turns away from him, the rose still held loosely in her hand. The crack of his heart seems to be audible only to him, because the people on the streets brush past him, unaware of his pain, his hurt, his sorrow. She had turned away. She had seen him, had recognised him, but turned away.

His brain forces his body to move - to move away from the girl he loved so fiercely. He’s a man who listened to his head through and through. And right now, his brain is telling him that she’s done with him - that she’s moved on. But for the first time in forever, he wanted to listen to his heart - to trust his heart. Because deep down, he knows she still cares from the way her eyes lingered on him. Although, it’s too late now. He’s already crossed the street.

And when he looks back towards the crossing, she’s already gone.