A Padisarah Amongst the Roses

Chapter 4: A Memory

Alhaitham POV

A white light, then black. I didn't know whether I was on earth anymore. Then, from the back of my mind, my favorite memory resurfaced. I believe it was one in my college years at the Akademiya, freshman year. I had just met Kaveh, and he was pretty annoying. But he was pretty cute, also. He was older than me by a year, and I remember him wearing the weirdest little red hairpins every day in class. It was one quiet afternoon in the library studying botany with Tighnari and Cyno. Kaveh walked in with a cup of coffee and started chattering about his day. Cyno looked interested and attempted to crack a joke before being stopped by Tighnari who, unamused, elbowed him with a huff.

Kaveh was exceedingly chatty that day, and his crimson red eyes burned into mine. He sauntered over with a textbook in hand and took a seat next to me. A faint scent of fresh grass and cheap cologne wafted in the air under my nose. "Kaveh?" "Yes?" "Aren't you supposed to be in history class?" I questioned the young blonde. He closed his eyes and shook his head as he took a sip of the steaming beverage. "Mm, no. Teacher's out, apparently he wasn't there when I got there. But I brought coffee!" Kaveh replied, pulling ten small containers of the drink out of nowhere. Tighnari laughed. "Kaveh, where'd you get the coffee?" Kaveh swallowed his last bit of the drink and smacked his lips. "Tasty. Uh, I got it from the local cafe. The one near the harbor?" I nodded. "Yeah, that one. Can I?" "Sure, grab one!" The four of us reached in and each took one. Cyno grinned. "Why'd you get so many?" Kaveh shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I wasn't thinking." That's stupid, I thought. That's just how Kaveh was. Careless and young. Imperfect yet still beautiful. We all shared a laugh and a drink while enjoying our youths.

Then my eyes cracked open in two dark crescents. Everything was blurry. Including the figure above me with disheveled hair and dripping wet clothes. His eyes stared down into mine, tears rolling down his cheeks and landing on my face. I coughed unexpectedly and a mouthful of water came gushing out of my lungs, causing a chain of coughing. He helped me sit up and recover from my coughing fit. Then his voice brought me back to reality.

"Alhaitham! You're alive?!" He sobbed with a choked cry as he sat me up.

The sight in front of me cleared of the blurriness and I saw a broken and bleeding Kaveh staring into my soul.

His face was beautiful, even covered in dirt and blood and tears. His voice was cracking and he was crying his eyes out.

Still the imperfect Kaveh I knew once, I thought.

Then I noticed I was bleeding profusely from my nose, gashes on my arms and legs, and a huge searing pain on my back. I also took notice of some torn fabric tied sloppily to cover the wounds. I guessed that was his job. As all my memories came back, I remembered all the bad times I shared with him and felt horrible. He nearly died because of me. My words hurt him and I wanted to apologize, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. So I didn't.

Without a second thought, I gently cupped his face and kissed him.

His eyes widened and he let out a sob as kissed me back. My hands snaked around his neck and made their way to his thin waist, pulling him closer. I didn't ever think I would want to let go.

                                                                ***

We embraced for a while. It wasn't long before the tide receded and night fell. Kaveh looked even more radiant in the moonlight. He tried to help me stand up, but it was then that I realized I had a broken leg. I didn't care. All that mattered was Kaveh. We sat back down and tried to think of a way to get me home.

Kaveh's side was dark brownish red. "Kaveh, did you get hurt?" I asked softly. He nodded, his lips pursed in a line. "I think I broke a rib, ha, um..." He joked and looked up at the stars. "But I think I'll be okay. You're a different issue. You should be worrying about yourself. Your wounds are far worse than mine, 'Haitham." I shook my head. I was still laying down, my hands propped up behind me. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this place; the cliff is huge and I'm in no condition to climb right now." I chuckled. Looking over at Kaveh, I saw he had a light tint of red on his face. He spoke up as soon as he saw me looking at him. "Alhaitham, why did you save me?"

How he didn't know confused me on a whole different level.

I let out a quiet snicker and smiled genuinely. "Kaveh, don't you already know?"

"Uh...no?"

"Don't you know why I came for you?"

"..."

"Kaveh, it's because I love you. I've lived with you for so long, how could I not?"

Kaveh quirked his brows. "You love me? I thought you hated me. I am pretty annoying, though." He said with a grin, putting his hands behind his head. Yes, I had to agree he could be annoying at times but all in all, he was sweet and funny, and just a kind person. "I do, even though I didn't show it until now. I'm really sorry, Kaveh. About everything." I expected him to say 'it's okay, we're good now,' but instead he just lowered his hands and took hold of mine. He smiled that classic Kaveh smile from back then.

"I love you, Alhaitham."