Forever, Again

Past: November 3, 2016

It was already 7:30 pm on a November evening. The sky was a deep shade of indigo, and a brisk chill swept through the air. Aliya, a morning front desk agent at a nearby hotel, had just finished an exhausting extra two-hour shift. Her feet ached, and her shoulders felt weighed down by fatigue as she trudged up the gravel pathway to their small, one-story house. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of pine.

Aliya rummaged through her bag, her fingers numb from the cold, but her keys were nowhere to be found. She sighed, a puff of mist forming in the air, and knocked on the door.

"Dylan, open up," she muttered under her breath. She knocked again, louder this time. After the fourth knock, the door finally creaked open, revealing Dylan.

Dylan stood there in a crisp shirt and neatly pressed pants, a sight that made Aliya blink in surprise. He looked handsome, the scent of cedarwood wafting from him. His hair was neatly combed, and he wore a slight smile that danced in his eyes.

"Wow, what's with the fancy clothes? Something special happening?" Aliya's voice carried a blend of curiosity and flirtation, tinged with the exhaustion and annoyance of her long day.

She stepped inside, the warmth of the house enveloping her like a comforting embrace. Without thinking, she slipped her hand inside Dylan's shirt, her fingers seeking the heat of his skin to combat the cold of her own. Her fingertips traced the hard lines of his abs, feeling the muscle tense beneath her touch.

Dylan's hand caught hers gently but firmly. "Wait, Aliya..."

She frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion. Before she could voice her irritation, a small cough sounded from inside the house. She turned her head, her heart skipping a beat.

Stepping out from the living room, her parents emerged, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of the table lamp. Her mother, draped in a rich maroon saree with gold accents, and her father, in a neatly pressed suit, stood with tentative smiles. The familiar scent of her mother's jasmine perfume filled the room, a poignant reminder of childhood mornings in their home.

Aliya's eyes opened wide, a mix of surprise and disbelief taking hold. Her breath hitched, and tears began to cloud her sight as she was overwhelmed with emotion. It had been four years since she last saw them, their relationship weathered by continual misunderstandings and unmet expectations. Though they occasionally spoke on the phone, she never imagined they would travel all the way to the USA to see her.

"Ma? Papa?" her voice trembled, a fragile bridge between joy and sorrow.

Her mother's eyes softened, and she stepped forward, opening her arms. "We missed you so much, Alu." she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Aliya's defenses crumbled. She rushed into her mother's embrace, her body wracked with sobs that seemed to echo all the years of distance and silence. Her father joined them, his hand resting gently on her back, a rare gesture of affection that spoke volumes.

"I missed you too," Aliya managed to choke out between sobs, a smile breaking through the tears.

Aliya pulled back slightly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice still trembling but colored with genuine curiosity.

Her father cleared his throat, a small, awkward gesture that reminded her of how formal he always was. "We wanted to surprise you," he said. "Dylan helped us plan this."

Dylan stepped back to give them space, his eyes meeting Aliya's over her mother's shoulder. She mouthed a silent "thank you" and blew him a kiss. He caught it mid-air with a playful flourish and held it to his heart.