An Unexpected Connection

Bonus 26 - guilt

Alejandro's phone rang, and he picked it up without looking at the caller ID. "What's up?" he said, expecting it to be one of his associates.

But the voice on the other end was one he hadn't heard in a while. It was his younger sister, Maria. "Alejandro, it's Alan," she said, her voice shaking.

"What about him?" Alejandro asked, his heart pounding.

"He's dead, Alejandro," Maria said, her voice breaking. "He overdosed on something, and they found him this morning."

Alejandro felt like the ground had been pulled out from under him. Alan was the youngest of his siblings, and even though they hadn't always been close, Alejandro still loved him. And now he was gone.

He felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He was a drug dealer, and even though he didn't sell to his family, he couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow contributed to Alan's death.

He didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of. He texted Raihan: "I'm not okay. I need you."

Raihan got the message and immediately left work. He rushed home as quickly as he could, his mind racing with worry. When he got there, Alejandro was sitting on the couch, tears streaming down his face.
Raihan sat down next to him and put his arm around him. "What happened?" he asked gently.

Alejandro told him about Alan's death, his voice choked with emotion. "It's my fault," he said, his shoulders shaking. "I'm the one who got him into this world. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have started using it."

Raihan shook his head. "You can't blame yourself for this, Alejandro. Alan made his own choices. You didn't force him to do anything."

Alejandro looked at him, his eyes filled with pain. "I know, but it's still hard to shake the feeling that I could have done something to prevent this."
Raihan held him close, letting him cry. "I'm here for you, Alejandro. I'll always be here for you."

They stayed like that for a while, with Raihan holding Alejandro as he cried. Eventually, Alejandro's sobs subsided, and he looked up at Raihan with tear-stained cheeks.

"Thank you," he whispered.
Raihan gave him a small smile. "Anytime."

They sat there for a while longer, just holding each other. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the two of them, and the love they shared.