Zac sat on the edge of the cliff, the wind tugging at his hair. The ocean stretched out before him—an endless expanse of blue, like the void left in his heart. Beside him, Yasmin traced patterns in the sand, her eyes distant.
"It's been a year," Yasmin said softly. "A year since he left us."
Zac nodded, his throat tight. Their friend, Alex, had been the heartbeat of their rock band—the one who wrote lyrics that touched souls, who strummed melodies that lingered in the air. And then, cancer had stolen him away, leaving them with echoes of his laughter and the ache of absence.
"We should play," Yasmin said suddenly. "For Alex. It's what he would have wanted."
Zac glanced at her. "Play?"
She stood, her guitar in hand. "Remember the garden?" she asked. "Where we used to jam, where Alex would sing about stars and dreams?"
Zac's heart clenched. The garden—a hidden spot behind the old church, surrounded by wildflowers. They'd spent countless nights there, their music weaving through the air like magic.
Yasmin strummed a chord, her voice raw. "This one's for Alex," she said, and began to sing:
In the garden we'd gather, under moonlight's soft embrace,
Alex's laughter echoing, his smile lighting up the space.
He'd sing of love and loss, of dreams that soared so high,
And we'd harmonize, our voices blending with the sky.
Zac joined in, their voices intertwining. The wind carried their song, and for a moment, it felt like Alex was there, strumming his guitar, his eyes alight with passion.
"See you on the other side," Yasmin sang, her eyes shimmering. "Where the stars align, and the music never dies."
They played until the sun dipped below the horizon, until the waves whispered their secrets. And when the last note faded, Yasmin wiped tears from her cheeks.
"Alex would be proud," Zac said.
She nodded. "He's part of the music now—the notes we play, the lyrics we sing. He's in every chord, every beat."
As they packed up their instruments, Zac looked out at the ocean. "We'll keep playing," he vowed. "For Alex. For the garden."
And so, Zac and Yasmin returned to the garden, their grief transformed into melodies. They played until the stars blinked into existence, until the night wrapped around them like a warm embrace.
And in that sacred space, they found solace—their rock story coping with loss, their love for Alex echoing through time.
