memories

ᴏɴᴇ

Lonely.

That is how Perseus has felt for nearly three years. When he's alone, loneliness, anger, sadness, and plenty of other emotions consume him. Since his lover left him without even saying goodbye, he has felt as if his world and heart have been shattered.

Today is Friday, and he's sitting on his couch, watching videos of himself and his lover projected across the room.

"Awww, look at my pancake. What song are you playing, my pancake?" The brown-haired man sat next to his girlfriend, playing the piano.

The girl pointed to the music sheet in front of her, and the camera zoomed in on it.

Liebestraum No. 3.

After the girl had finished playing, she took out a small notebook and a pen. She began writing on it and, after a few seconds, showed it to the man with the camera. "Isn't it lovely? I practiced every day for six months to perfect it, hehe."

"It's lovely, very lovely... just like you," the man whispered as he kissed the girl on the forehead.

Perseus was about to stand up and touch the wall when the video went out. All the grief and sadness he had been holding inside his heart erupted, leaving him a crying mess for hours. He stood up, approached the wall slowly, and envisioned the previous video that had been playing. He kept thinking that if he had answered the phone that day, that wouldn't be the last video he would be filming.

She is his everything. When he wants someone to talk to, she's the moon to his lonely nights. She is the shining star in his darkest times. She is the sun in his life, bringing light, joy, and hope. In short, she is his entire universe.

"Please come back. Please give me a chance to say goodbye to her. Please..." Perseus whispered.

The next day, Perseus woke up and did his usual morning routine. Preparing two plates, two sets of silverware, and two glasses of fresh mango juice. He'd sit on the right side of the table, facing the window, with the other chair facing him, imagining his lover eating the food he'd prepared, but after finishing his own meal, he'd look over to see that the food hadn't even moved. He's just making things up.

There are times when he enters his room, he can feel her presence. That warmth she gives him every time he feels cold... it's still there. He can smell the fragrance of her natural scent whenever he opens the closet and picks up the baby blue sweater that she would always wear. She smells like the ocean breeze of the sea. It's like lying on the sand and closing your eyes, allowing nature to take control. It's calming, and it reminds you of... home.

"Perseus, sweetie, I'd want to spend lunch with you because today is my last day at work. Is that all right with you?" When he glanced back, Aunt Cherry was opening her wallet and heading towards the door.

"Sure Auntie, but I'll pay for it."

"But-"

"Auntie, as my personal driver for the past seven years, you've put in a lot of effort. I was worried at the time because you had recently been hired by another company, but you still said yes to me, for which I am grateful. I couldn't put my trust in anyone else at the time, so I called you. I don't even have trust in the secretary my father hired for me," he chuckles. "So I'm going to treat you today. I'm going to get you some foods that you like. I can even buy that restaurant where you always eat."

His aunt smiled and slid her wallet back into her pocket. They headed to the company's building's parking lot to look for their car. "You know Perseus," his aunt began, "you won't be able to move on if you continue to use her things." His aunt came to a halt in front of a white car with Frozen plushies. "With this car, no one would ever guess you're a CEO."

"I d-don't know what to do, auntie." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down, only to see the shoes that his lover had given him for their second year anniversary. His mood immediately changed, so he quickly opened the door to the driver's seat and entered the vehicle. I'm so crazy for her.

His aunt did not object and entered the car as well. Perseus had been clutching his credit card the entire afternoon in case his Aunt wanted to buy something, but in the end, his Aunt only wanted to eat at this famous Italian restaurant and get some large-size Ice Cream. He dropped Aunt Cherry outside her house at 2 p.m. and returned to his company building. But little did he know that someone he cherishes would reappear in his life.

On his way back to his office, he noticed his secretary waiting outside. A girl in a beige sweater sat beside her, head down, like a lost child in a busy mall.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Peterson? I told you that you could leave before lunch." Perseus stated as he opened the door to his office. He was followed inside by his secretary and the girl.

"Sir, it's about the pianist you've hired for our company's upcoming 15th-anniversary celebration," Perseus nodded and continued to search for his pen, which he had surprisingly lost before heading to the mall earlier. "He called me this morning and said his wife had just given birth to their second child. So I told him it was fine and began looking for another Pianist, b-but then this girl beside me appeared and told me she needed money. She volunteered to be the party's pianist, then dragged me to the piano in the lobby and pulled me to sit next to her a-and-and, she began playing some classical music. This girl has talent, sir! I asked her what her name was and what she does for a career, and she told me that her name is Blu and that she has competed in Europe since she was a child and-"

Perseus froze.

With a heavy heart, he closed his eyes first. He's scared. He's afraid to look up. He doesn't want to assume anymore. He's had enough of getting his hopes up every time he meets someone with the same name, background, and appearance as Blu. This one, though, is different. He could feel it. His palms were sweating, his heart was racing way too fast, and he could hear voices telling him to look up.

So he did.

And it's her.

Perseus slowly stood up, it didn't matter to him anymore whether she was dead and just dreaming or she was alive and came back to life. All that matters is that she's here in front of him.

He walked towards Blu, tears streaming down his face.

"S-sir, I think-"

"You may leave now, Ms. Peterson. Thank you for your hard work." Perseus suddenly cut her off.

When his secretary left the room, Perseus dropped to his knees and cried. "I t-thought you left..." he sobbed uncontrollably.

What is he feeling right now? I'm scared. I'm happy. I'm crazy. I'm anxious. I don't know if this is true or not. I'm holding her, and I can truly feel her... what's going on? He pondered. He has no idea what is going on, and all he wants is for this moment to last. So he pulled her down with him and stroked her lovely cheeks, which he had missed so much. Blu smiled, which made Perseus' heart slowly melt. She caressed his cheeks as well, and as she took him into a gentle hug, he cried even more. They didn't say anything or exchange words, but they just sat there. Until she pulled away from him and stared him in the eyes. Blu wiped away Perseus's tears and kissed his right cheek since he was still crying. She backed away a little and gestured, 'I missed you,' in sign language.