I Never Want The Sun To Set

3. love and silence, dancing in parallel.

Joel stood still before the old house, its once vibrant life now reduced to echoes in the wind. The windows, which once framed the lives within, now stared blankly back at him, like eyes that had witnessed too much and closed themselves off to the world.

"I wonder what became of them, the people who lived here,"  he whispered to the empty air, the words dissipating like mist. 

With a final glance at the weathered walls, he turned and walked away, his footsteps soft on the forgotten path.

Upon reaching home, Joel pushed open the door and tossed his bag aside, the weight of the day lifting slightly from his shoulders.

"What a day," he muttered, a mix of exhaustion and relief threading through his voice.

His mother's sharp voice cut through the silence,

"Joel! You forgot the mushrooms! How many times do I have to remind you?"

"Gosh, I hate mushrooms, MOM!" he shouted back, frustration bubbling to the surface. 

He stormed into his room, closing the door behind him with a sigh.

The cool air from the air conditioner brushed against his face, offering a momentary respite. He lay down on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as the cold air numbed his tired skin.

His gaze drifted to the walls, covered in a collage of manga posters, vibrant characters frozen in time, their stories far more colorful than the monotony of his day. He let out a sigh, his thoughts a tangled mess.

"I forgot to buy pencils too," he murmured, almost to himself, as though trying to grasp at some semblance of normalcy.

"What did I even do today?" he wondered aloud, searching his memory.

"I ran into Henry... shouldn't have, really. But Victor was there. Thank God."

A small smile crept onto his lips as he thought of his friend.

 "Sarah... Sarah and Victor are a couple now. How cute," he mused, genuinely happy for them, the image of them together softening his mood.

His thoughts then drifted to Aria, her quiet presence a stark contrast to the noise of his day.

 "Aria... she's so mysteriously calm. Like the depths of the ocean—what lies beneath is unknown, but the silence... it's deafening."

With a heavy sigh, Joel reached for his diary, the only place where his thoughts could find clarity amidst the chaos. He opened to a fresh page and began to write, each word grounding him in the present.

---

15/6/2017

"A house once full of life, now stands in mourning. I wonder what secrets it holds, what stories are etched into its walls.

And bam! Victor and Sarah are finally dating! Seeing them together... it's like a small light in the darkness.

Aria, her silence is louder than words. Like the ocean, deep and mysterious. There's something there, something I want to dive into.

Henry... I wish I hadn't run into him today. Some memories are better left untouched."

---

As he penned his thoughts, the distant cry of a train's horn pierced through the night, eerily clear despite the distance.

"How quiet it is," Joel whispered, closing his diary with a soft thud.

"I can hear the train as if it's just outside."