Given, Taken.

Dear, Journal

Prologue

April twenty-fifth (present)

I sighed...

I have barely noticed the temperature rise; it's definitely gotten warmer, and the days have grown longer; that could be because of the cold filling my body from the inside, or the damn disease, or maybe none of the above, but simply because of my age.

If only youth could come back...

I pushed aside the curtains, revealing a breathtaking view, majestically drawn by talented fingers on a clear canvas; the sun left the horizon as if after a kiss, like a romantic farewell that promised a tomorrow in its folds, a promise bound to be kept until eternity separated the couple. I loved it, the landscape, the various intrusive plants that grew in my garden without invitation or consent, the smell of spring air, and especially the soft orange hue that colored the sky.

It reminded me in a strange way of that day, or more precisely, of that evening when we exchanged our promises, as the sun did with the sky at this moment, our vows to remain inseparable, untouchable by fate, to form a path that had never been trodden before, a path that only you and I knew how to reach, reserved for us like a VIP cross.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I withdrew from the window, placed my hot tea on the small table, and went to one of the drawers in the library; I rummaged around in it, looking for a pen, and stretched back on my beloved couch, warmed by the departing sun.

I couldn't get away from the memories that suddenly flooded my brain at the same time, and let myself drift into the beautiful past that we shared; we were what everyone wanted to be and have; we were the love story that many others brought into this world and left without tasting it, enjoying it... People who lived without once being alive.

Luca, my little cat, jumped on my lap, which forced a laugh off my lips; I know what you would say, I'm aware, and I agree, I've never been a huge animal enthusiast, but more than love, it was pity that I felt for Luca, I couldn't leave him outside in the cold while he barely had one healthy eye to look at his surroundings with; you wouldn't have left him either, would you?

Well, it is strange, I know that too, but perhaps my heart has grown weaker with my age, or perhaps at some point I have begun to mirror your deeds, your benevolent and pure ones, which have often led you to some bad situations, but if time could go back, I would praise you endlessly for your kind heart instead of arguing about it.

But, darling, you should try to understand; you should also have lived so long that you could judge for yourself whether seventy almighty years wouldn't bring about some changes in you as well.

I opened my diary intending to write about my day; it's a habit I picked ever since you passed away; jotting out the insignificant details of a shallow life after your dismay made me feel like having a small talk with you over a cup of freshly brewed tea, and with time, it became the pill that helped me cope with solitude.

I, however, couldn't reach my goal as the ink refused to meet the paper, and my attention got drawn toward what I had written previously; this sudden distraction, combined with the nostalgic feeling that had dwelled in my mind since early in this afternoon, was the slump a writer faces when writing a piece; but I was no writer, and this was no book on progress, this was our story, the past we shared, the moments that helped me survive your absence.

I patted Luca absentmindedly while witnessing the darkness that engulfed the sky as it took its precious sun away the same way death did to you and wished our separation could be quickly replaced by a sweet reunion just like dusk and down.

If only...

I sighed.

And with that, I recovered from my slump with the urge to record the missing parts of our story, memories that didn't leave my mind for a second but that were also buried deep in the folds of my brain where they couldn't be easily accessed or discovered; I traveled back in time seemingly more easily than I had anticipated, and the charcoal ink was quickly embraced by the emptiness of the page, the soft paper on which I jotted down the various shades and nuances of our tale.

A/N

The first chapter is finally on; I hope you will like it.

I want to thank every sweet soul who gave a shot to my previous works and decided to give this one a try; you are the best; I love you so much.

For my new readers, welcome on board; please fasten your seatbelts; the ride will be bumpy.

swipe up; there's more 🤗

*this banner and many that are going to be incorporated in further chapters are the creation of the talented BUZZBANGTAN