Chapter 42

A Q U I L A

"Rose and I were inseparable from an early age. We were like eggs in a pod. When she got sick, it was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with." It was torture to watch her weaken every day." Aquila sat back, his arms crossed. A wave of pain hit him. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I tried to do everything I could to help her. But my money didn't seem to be the problem. I had to earn money," Aquila swallowed. "One night I was sitting by Rose 's bed and she stared at me. Her body was so weak she could barely turn her head." Aquila cried. I rubbed my face, hoping that it would go away. "She told me she loved me. She told me not to lose sight of what was important. She wanted me to live. Find love and stay strong." He cleared his throat as tears ran down his cheeks. He looked at Atiya . she studied him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Atiya 's soft lips curled. "Don't do that. All right. This is pain that only those who have experienced it can understand," she said, running her hands across the table. His heart was lifted. After her death, he didn't talk much about Rose . Raquel never wanted to talk about it, and her father was too busy with his new wife and family to care about it. As if he had kept those feelings and memories a secret for so long, it felt right to share them with Atiya . He swallowed the lump in his throat. Every time he spent time with her, his resolve to tell her the truth was waning. At that moment, as he looked into her deep green eyes, he realized he could never tell her about her. If so, she will leave him. And he will fall, just like when Rose died. He toyed with the fork. "It was just too hard." He gritted his teeth, hoping it would help hold back the tears that were streaming from his eyes. He had to be strong for a long time. For his mother. For his company. A keepsake for Rose . He wasn't sure if he could make it through yet. He had to talk about it or he would explode. He also wanted Atiya to know about his past. If he was honest with himself, he wanted her to know all about him. He looked at her Her expression as she looked at him softened. Her emotions tightened in his throat and he coughed. "Nothing I did stopped MS. My money. My status. It didn't matter. The disease didn't care about the numbers in my bank account." Sat down and rubbed his face with his hand. "I've never felt so helpless in my life." I wanted to say those words louder, but I didn't have the strength. I looked up again to see Atiya kneeling next to me. She reached out her hand and placed it on his forearm. The heat of her palms caressed his skin and warmed his heart. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He reached out his hand and brushed it away. It wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want her to suffer any more. They were here to help her get ahead, not him. His fingers rested on her cheeks and he rested his hands on her knees. Even if his soul wanted to hold her. He couldn't feel her body against his. He didn't want to take advantage of her girlfriend. "She didn't want to burden you with memories," he said, looking into her eyes. She pursed her lips and shook her head. She then stood up and gestured for her chair to be pushed back. Alarm bells rang in her head, but he complied. Before he could say anything, she sat sideways on his lap, put her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his shoulders. His determination to keep her away was blown away. He grabbed her and held her as if she were a life belt, and he nearly drowned. He gave himself up to her nostalgic scent. Her body was pressed against him in the usual way. As soon as her girlfriend leaned behind her, he immediately felt her absence. He did everything in her power to keep her from pulling her toward him. His heart beat even more when her eyes met his. She was a few inches from his lips. He wanted to leave - he knew he should - but hugging her gave him comfort, and he was sure he had the strength to do it. There was no "Thank you for telling me," she whispered as she approached him. "It's nice to know I'm not the only one who knows what it feels like to be lost," she said. To bear this pain." She floated just outside his lips. "If you carry my burden, I will carry yours too."

Every part of his body screamed to hug her again. She to endure her pain just as she offered to endure his pain. "Of course," he whispered. She hesitantly pressed her lips to his. All the pain he felt disappeared from his body. It was replaced by the sheer perfection of hugging Atiya . All his broken parts moved, and even though he didn't fit perfectly, Atiya made up for the difference. He squeezed her tightly. She moved her lips over him. Her fingers extended from his hair to the back of his neck. He grunts as they drop down to her shoulders and rest just below her collarbone. As he pulled her closer, he deepened his kiss.

They stayed in each other's arms until Aquila was sure he would never break again. She parted from her lips and stopped, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He enjoyed the feeling of her bosom rising and falling. His skin tingled as her fingers circled his forearm. "Aquila ?" she asked. Her voice deepened, as if she had experienced every moment as he had. "Yes?" He raised his hand to play with her hair. "I want to scatter the ashes." She pushed his chest away and met his eyes. "I want to do it with you."

He put her hand on her back and raised her other hand to her cheek. "are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's time to move on. I already know that."

He helped her to her feet and followed her picking up her urn. They left their tents and went to the river. She was standing by the water. All he could do was stand next to her. He hoped his mere existence was enough. There were so many things he wanted to say and do so that she wouldn't get hurt. But he knew she would have to do the work of scattering her ashes alone. She twisted her lid off and looked inside her. He saw her shoulders rise and fall. A sob escaped her mouth, but the sound was quickly blown away by the wind. "Atiya ?"