I just hate my mom. How can she do this? It's child labour!
"Dhriti please pass me those clothes," she said.
"Ugh fine," I passed her our old clothes after being pissed off.
Whose mom can be so cruel? I have to meet Ye Jun but she needs me in cleaning the store room. Isn't it against humanity and child rights? I will protest against moms who make their child work in winter holidays.
"Ok I am going to separate the things we can donate and the ones which has to be recycled," she wore a cap to protect her hairs from dust. "Till then you keep all the things at their place."
"Ok mom," I lazily said and started opening the sealed boxes.
Our work load becomes double during winter, isn't it?
Old clothes, toys, accessories were so much that we could even open an antique shop. Though most of the things were trash, I found few beautiful vases, drawings, radio tapes, cassettes and DVD players. Even found few polaroids of me eating cereals in a messy way with food all over my mouth and clothes. These nostalgic things are gold for a person who can't remember.
"What's this?"
In the treasure box, I found a small paper box. Some weird pictures of god's were printed on it's cover like a decalcomania.
I peeked inside, "tarot cards?"
Randomly chose a card from outside and pulled it out to test my fortune.
'You don't choose a tarot card. A tarot card chooses you.'
I turned back but there was not a single human cell around, other than my own body.
The card was upside down when I pulled it out so I flipped it without thinking once, "a lovers card?"
I smiled since I knew my fortune is very strong. There is no pretending, I love him. I will love him until I die, and if there is a life after that, I will love him then. Within him, I lose myself. Without him, I find myself wanting to be lost again.
'A lovers tarot card held upside down means.... parting.'
I shrugged my thoughts away, "Uff! I have more works to be down before evening."
It took me three hours, forty six minutes and seven seconds to complete my task before lunch. Yes I am very punctual when it comes to help in household chores. I can't work a second more than I promised.
"Beautiful," my mom winked when found me in the dress she bought for me as a Christmas gift. "I knew you will look good in white jacket and woollen scarf."
"I look beautiful in every dress," I flipped my hairs to give my diva poses. "Should I apply for Miss world?"
"As you wish, but don't blame me if you get late."
I looked at the clock and it was 7 p.m. according to it.
"Oops! I should go now," I hugged her in a hurry and carried my sling bag. "Bye bye bye."
"Go safely and call me once you reach. Are you even listening?", she shouted. "Crazy bear!"
It won't take long to reach the destination if your taxi driver thinks himself to be the owner of a bullet train.
The whole love lock tower was decorated with yellow and silver LED lights. It seems like human beings are enjoying a festival invented to tease all the singles around the world. Couples roaming around, kissing and hugging, just to make us feel like a whole potato chop. But I am not single trash! Everyday becomes a festival when their is a person in your life whose existence you want to celebrate everyday. And that person was sitting infront of my eyes.
I walked in my heels like digging the snow, like we scoop vanilla ice cream in mugs.
"I hope I didn't made you sit alone for long," I asked to act polite.
"I came only minutes ago. No worries," he nodded while looking forward.
I sat down and an electric current passed down my body. I am sure he was an electric pole or a transformer in his past life.
"It's cold," I rubbed my palms.
"Hmm it is," he kept looking in the other direction. I am sure he doesn't even know what I'm wearing right now.
"Are you alright?", I asked as his silence scares me.
"Hmm," he nodded again. "Why did you ask?"
"Because you're the one who always starts the conversation," I rubbed my palms and exhaled on them.
He took out his gloves, held my hands and made me wear them with full care, "learn to accept cold things too."
His low voice brushes past me. Just say my name once again. I am sitting under the frozen sky, but little by little I will shift towards him. He is humming quietly. If I can't even have this sound, I think I'll fall apart for real.
"Have you completed winter assignments?", I asked to break the awkward silence.
"I realized that 'studying' is a contraction of 'student dying'," he laughed.
"And I realized that 'blush' is a contraction of 'blood rush'," I grinned back.
Why are we acting like strangers?
The quality of love cannot be forced. It drops freely as the gentle rain from heaven on the earth below. I wonder if the snow loves the tresses and fields, that it kisses them so gently?
"Love me through the wintertime until I fall asleep, tucked into the glowing space where our souls meet," I blew out hot breath and snuggled in his embrace.
"First snow is like first love. Do you remember your first snow?"
"I can't say before amnesia, but this disease definitely gave me a new life. And in this life, you're my first and the last love."
I felt his hands going through my hairs, ruffling like a soft brush.
"When I meet you again, I will look into your eyes and tell you how much I missed those sparkling eyes of yours," he whispered like a melody. "When this fog clears away, I will run to you with bare feets. Please hold me then."
"Not so perfect, but so beautiful," I pinched his nose and it turned more red. "I love you more than I loved death."
"That's why death loved me," he beamed like a sun under the clouds of cold water. "Dhriti, if a day comes when I am no more by your side, will you still love me?"
"Yes Mr. Tomato, I have loved you for a thousand years," I held his arm more tightly and he tilted his head backward.
"How much?"
"Even if I can't eat gluten, I will move around eating spicy food with you. That much," I giggled. "And how much you love me?"
"Who said I love you?", he smirked.
"Aaahh! You are so mean!", I pouted and hit his arm hard enough to shake his body.
"Ouch! You were a wrestler in your past life or what?", he started making weird faces to express his fake emotions.
"Yes. Didn't you see me in WWE finals?"
"You will never change," he sighed.
"You want me to change?"
"Yes, I want you to become a tomato in our next lives," he said and hugged me like a teddy bear. I wish I could turn him to a snowman. "Let's write something on these locks. If we lock them here, I am sure they'll come true."
He passed me a peach coloured lock with hearts drawn on it. We wrote our wishes, not showing the other one, and tied them together.
"What did you write?", I asked in excitement.
"That you'll lead a life you deserve with someone who deserves you."
"Smart boy!", I licked my lower lip as they dried quickly. "You could have directly written your name. No one deserves me more than you."
"Your turn."
"I wrote to turn my hairs grey with Ye Jun."
"Boring," he sticked his tongue out.
"Is it my fault that I am not good at expressing?", I folded my arms around my chest. "I am a warm girl from a cold city. Things like love is too complex to be understood and explained by my silly heart."
He took out his scarf and wrapped it around my head, covering my ears like a veil, "I hope you love yourself enough that you don't need me anymore."
"You are scaring me," I pushed him back.
He came closer and hugged me tightly after kissing my forehead, "I feel blessed to have you in my arms. I don't know for how long this will last but atleast we can smile now."
"I have died everyday waiting for you. I will not let anything take you away. Only you can set my heart on fire," I brought my face closer to his chest.
Heart jumping out and hitting my ear lobes is something I've wished. My head spinning around, I can't think straight anymore.
"Let's go home before it gets darker."
"You said you have something urgent to tell."
"I wanted to see you. What can be more urgent?", he showed his gummy smile and walked me home hand in hand.
I kissed his cheeks before entering my house, "thank you Ye Jun."
I went inside before waiting to get a hilarious reaction from him. I must have startled him but...I am sure he won't sue me for it.
"I am home!", I banged inside and hugged my mom.
"Woah woah! Wait! Stop swinging me," she said as I held her hands and started ball dancing. "Which ghost entered your body this time?"
"This ghost is called imaginoromancofilia," I held her waist and made her lose some calories.
"When was this kind of ghost discovered?", she chortled.
"Since I met him."
"I will never forgive Ye Jun if you get admitted in mental hospital," she turned off the music. "Stop now or else I'll need to see a doctor."
"Fine," I dropped her on the sofa and rushed to my room.
Changed my clothes, sent a good night message to Ye Jun, drank a cup of hot chocolate and made few hearts on the window glass. Am I crazy?
"I should not forget this day," I took out my diary from under the bed.
"Torn page?"
I picked that up and it was another note left inside my LWD.
'Gone 10: Thank you so much for making this day special for me. Though I can't accept the fact that it was our last day together, I still love you. Sorry if I ever made you angry or sad. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness for this stupid act but I didn't want to disappoint you and make you cry. Thank you so much for making my life worth living again with your presence. You have no idea how important gift you are to this world. I know I should have tried harder but....hey! At least you don't have to bear those random nose bleeds anymore. Just look up at the stars and I will be one among them, waving at you...unless I am flirting with an angel...just kidding cutie. Don't be scared because you're my strong girl. I will become an evil demon and eat whatever scares you, ok? Please don't forget me. Now I guess it's finally the time to say good bye. I love you Dhriti.
Yours and only yours,
Lee Ye Jun.'