“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”

-Lois Lowry, The Giver

2 years past

As I sit in this LA cafe, I wonder how he is and if he's okay. Being home never felt better, but knowing that he took place in my life at some point made me miss the memories that led me here. My feelings have all vanished, but I can't help remembering him. He held my selfish heart carefully and if I was to see him now, I'd want to thank him for handling me ever so gently. Secondly, I'd want to apologize for breaking his heart though I never planned to. I truly believe he's my star-crossed lover, my soulmate who I just can't have but will always cherish. I think that's what hurts the most. It hurts that I just can't accept him the way he accepted me. It hurts  to the point that I no longer feel it. Because of him, I got to experience life in a different way. Many may think the short months of us together was pointless, yet they were the most precious moments. Because of all that I went through, I found myself. He was like my compass. He helped me figured who I was and where I wanted to go with life. Now that I've completely moved on, it's bittersweet. 

I found love for myself and for someone else. I discovered friendship was the best form of love.

I twirled my promise ring around my ring finger as I gaze at the diamond. He proposed exactly a year ago, August 17. This ring held his promise to care and love me forever. In return, it held of my acceptance to be part of him. I never thought it would be him, but God knew me best.

My phone rang and I knew just who it was.

"Hi sweetie."

"Hey babe, happy one year to our promise!"

I laughed, "Is there even such thing?"

"I don't care. It's a thing for us. That's what makes it special." I could hear his laugh.

It was so warming to hear him. It's as if he was here right next to me.

I whispered, "I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'll see you in December so just be patient." He was trying so hard to comfort me because he knew I get a bit emotional when he calls unexpectedly like this since I'm never prepared to answer.

"Mhmm. I'll be counting down the days." I breathed, "How long will you be in....Taiwan for?"

"I have 2 days left here."

For some reason, mentioning Taiwan made me a bit sad. I knew why, but I pushed the thought aside. The both of us talked until he had to go. Again, the time difference was a restriction.

"Wait...."

"Yes?"

"I love you.........Mark."

"I love you too, Kate."

After hanging up, my mind drifted one last time to Meng, wishing him still the best of everything.

Author's Note: Hello my 70V3LY readers! ^_^ It's a short ending, I know. I felt like this story was too special for me that I had to just end it simple because there was so much going on already. I hope you all don't hate me for this :/ it may seem rushed, but that was definitely not my intention. Thank you for reading along all this time. Summer is ending for me in 3 days which means school is starting up so I wanted to celebrate it with also finishing this story. Again, this story is probably one of my favorites to write if it hasn't been obvious yet. Also to add, it's also my first story that I had a sequel to and when a story has a sequel to it, it signifies how significant it is to the author. It all started with you all subscribing, commenting, and showing love. The BIGGEST thanks goes out to you all who cared enough to encourage me through this writing course. THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! I hope you all will stick around for my developing stories as well. 

With much love,

70V3LY