At the Gazebo, on that fateful day, they met yet again. Unprepared and vulnerable, they had opened that securely harnessed chest of pain which had been buried in the furthest depth in their hearts.
With that chest now uncovered, revived the memories, the promises and that heartfelt hope of the past.
Oh revived were those days of giddy games and passionate victories, of selfish persument and thoughtless dreams, of childish innocence and carefree peace.
The things that was now so unattainable, including each other, burned awake in front of them and ignited their hearts.
That time had gone and made them responsible adults, with a fixed aim in mind that could not be faltered. They bore mature heads on their shoulders which were practiced and tamed through the years and through their faults.
They had a heart with walls built except for the residence of their families. They had families for whose happiness they would gladly bestow their lives.
No, no longer where they same. No longer that youth of years prior. They have had their fair share of those heavenly days, they couldn't complain. Their decisions were now not supervised by some older and wiser eye.
Long gone was that guardian that once had chided their follies and praised their goodness. Long gone were the hands that led them to the fair path.
Their decisions were now not as petty as they had been. After all, these years had promoted them to that superior stage of being the guardian now. How quickly did the time seem to have passed!
On meeting once again, a missing part of their hearts found its way back home. And even amidst this amalgamation of potent emotions, they strangely felt at peace.
That prior feeling of fullness in each others presence left them wondering and the subdued passion left them perplexed.
Darkness of the after dusk bore the full shimmering moon. The warm weather added to its feeling. And the fog that had formed not long ago shrewdly hid the reunited from unwanted eyes.
Ah, in how many ways did this scene emulate that day from the past.
Both their gazes avert and fall down onto the ground. Their hands leave each others warmth, falling to their sides. They were gearing up for what was wont to happen.
Everything in the past had crossed their paths, but few things remained stuck with them. The anger at the unhappened, the childish stubbornness of want and the unacceptance of reality. This was the first passion that they had experienced and it did not bid them goodbye, yet.
They did not understand what was happening as they stood front to front, heads hung. A defeated stance. Something in them was waging a war. Something that had been harboring in them for a very long time.
But now, they watched it dissipate after losing the battle between itself and their matured wisdom and conscience.
Just as the weight of their unfulfilled passion and adamant indignation disappeared, their shoulders drew up. A heavy sigh heaved their chests.
Meeting each others eyes, they smiled.
After all those years of conflict and denial, they had finally accepted their very wayward fates. By facing the truth, by facing each other.
Gracia was the one who instigated the embrace, wrapping her arms around his tense waist to hold him close. Not a second later did Christian wrap his arms around her. Resting his face on her head. Just like how they used to do when they were little children.
Slight tremors shook both their shoulders.
In that moment, the tension that had built up in their bodies dissipated. All was forgotten. All was forgiven. They were no longer the same, something in them had changed for the better.
They felt happy in the embrace.
But they understood that the sort of happiness they felt in the days before their parting was now stolen by someone else. It was their families that now held that sort of heavenly happiness.
His Wife and his Children.
Her Husband and her Children.
The happiness they felt now was the happiness of reunion, the happiness on this lucky chance and the happiness of finally being at peace. It was the happiness of letting go of the past and stepping out into freedom.
"Allow me, my dear lady, to escort you back into the lightened halls." Christian said softly, in as lighthearted manner as he could possibly utter.
"You have, my Lord." She mumbled back from his embrace.
An unexplainable surge of joy spread through him at that "Come, Gracie, let me take you back inside. Take this as the first of my apologies, for leaving for Scotland without a word to you, all those years ago.''
With a twinkle in her eyes she whispered, "Oh, I've missed you terribly, Chrissy."
This moniker had never failed to annoy Christian in the past, but not this time. The sound of it from her lips was the closest impression of the past they had shared.
As they made their way through the fog that hid them, the Manor came into view.
And the same thing caught both their eyes. At a window of the ballroom that oversaw the gardens, stood a young couple. Affection shining in their countenance as they laughed at something amusing.
Gracia recognised the boy as the one who had approached her earlier. And the girl-
"I see that your eyes are fixed just where mine are." Christian muzed. Gracia humed in response, seemingly deep in thought.
"Just so you know, that is my eldest, Johnathan."
A shocked expression passed through Gracia's face and it took a moment before she regained her composure.
Halting, she looked square into his eyes and one corner of her lip curled up.
"What's the matter Gracie?" he asked, confused.
"Nothing much. Just that the pretty lady in maroon is my eldest, Charlotte!" she exclaimed.
Christian's eyes popped out of their sockets for a second as he digested this bit of enlightenment.
"Good Heavens!" He exclaimed. And with that, laughter erupted from those two reunited.
Laughter at the irony, laughter at the cunning of life, laughter of amusement, laughter out of delight and though they hid it well, they knew that it was a laughter to conceal the bittersweetness of the moment.
This time when they left the Gazebo, they no longer were the distressed boy and girl of the past. Nor were they the depressed and unsettled individuals of few minutes earlier.
They were now a man and a woman who had come to terms with their past, who had embraced the present and who hoped for the future.
THE END
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At The Gazebo
Tarihi Kurgu'How can loving and being loved ever be forgotton?' ~At The Gazebo
