The Love That Could Have Been

3

I gasp, the crisp air filling my lungs as I stare at the breathtaking panorama unfolding before me. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue over the landscape. The river beneath mirrored the colors of the sky, a shimmering canvas of blues and yellows. Towering buildings can be seen from a distance. On the far horizon, majestic mountains stood tall, their peaks kissed by the last rays of sunlight. I leaned against the weathered balustrade in front of me, feeling the cold concrete beneath my fingertips. A bridge. I am standing on the side of a bridge with Caelum by my side.

"It's beautiful," I said softly with my eyes still fixed on the beautiful scenery in front of me.

Last night, Caelum texted me to meet him after our class today. He said he wanted to show me something. I never bothered asking him where we'd be going when he rode his car. I just simply followed him. I can't explain it but I seemed to trust him. I felt like I'd known him for years. Even though, I really don't.

"Orion Memorial Bridge. Sky used to love this place. I often bring him here whenever I feel that something is bugging his mind," Caelum said while also looking at the view in front.

"Used to?" I asked, picking out his words.

"With his last memory here before he died, I'm not even sure if he'll ever want to go back to this place if he was still alive," he said bitterly.

What he said made me pause. I turned my head to face him and I noticed that he was already looking at me too, sadness written on his face. I smiled sadly and held the back of his hand placed on the railing as if trying to comfort him. He shifted his head down to my right arm, seeming to notice something. My bracelet.

"That bracelet. Sky has that too. That was my gift to him on his 18th birthday. This is also where I gave him that," he said smiling as if a thought of Sky crossed his mind. I smiled sadly and brought my eyes back to the scenery in front. I let out a long sigh before speaking about what seems to have been bugging my mind since last night. I've been thinking a lot about it. Sky. How I used to remind Caelum and Avery of him. The dream I had last night. The answers to the questions. Maybe we already know them, we're just afraid to say it. To accept it.

"Do you think it is possible?" I asked. Even without looking at him, I can sense the look of confusion on Caelum's face, as if waiting for me to continue to speak.

"Having someone else's memories? Memories that aren't yours," I continued. I looked at Caelum and his eyes seemed to be fixed on something I can't point out, as if he was lost deep in his thoughts. Thinking of what I said.

"Last night," I continued to speak. "I had a dream. I was drowning. And everything felt so real. I don't know if it's just really a dream or a tragic memory of Dawn or if it was the last memory of Sky before he died. I was struggling and I felt suffocated. I was waiting for someone to come to my aid. To come to my rescue and pull me up from that darkness."

I felt something warm on my cheeks. It was only then that I realized that I'd been tearing up already. I've been reliving the dream in my mind. Sky. He must have felt so alone at that time. He must have been waiting for Caelum. Or Avery. Or anyone else to pull him up. To save him from being totally consumed by darkness.

But no one did.

"I am sorry," Caelum's voice broke. He moved closer, pulling me into a hug. A hug that felt so familiar and comforting. "I am really sorry."

—     —     —

The week went by in a blur. Still, Caelum and I have not yet fully figured out what is really happening. Of why I seem to be having memories that of Sky's. However, one thing has been made certain. I am linked to Sky and Caelum. There has to be a reason why I'm having those dreams. Maybe that's why I met Caelum immediately after just waking up from the hospital without remembering anything. Everything couldn't just be a coincidence, right?