Dawn Of Twilight

Chapter 8 : Until You (Part 5)

The late evening air was cool, and the soft glow of lanterns lit up Riverview Gardens as Erevin and Dawn entered, their hands still intertwined. The park was quiet, its serene atmosphere wrapping around them like a warm blanket. They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds being the occasional rustling of leaves and the faint laughter of other couples in the distance.

"So," Erevin finally broke the silence, glancing at her, "we're going home after this?"

Dawn nodded with a soft "Hmm."

He hesitated, then added, "The garden is beautiful. Do you want to take pictures?"

It was as if she'd been waiting for him to ask. Her face lit up instantly, her smile so bright that it tugged at something deep in his chest. "Really? Let's do it!"

She pulled out her phone and started snapping photos, first of the glowing paths and then the two of them together. Erevin stood awkwardly beside her, unsure of where to place his hands as she held the camera high.

"Smile!" she instructed, and he tried his best.

Soon, Dawn turned the camera toward him, adjusting his pose. "Face the light. No, tilt your head slightly... Yes, like that!"

Erevin complied, his nervousness melting into amusement at her enthusiastic directions. Then it was his turn. He took pictures of her, trying to frame her against the lights and flowers, though she giggled at his attempts.

"These aren't as good as mine," she teased.

"Maybe," Erevin admitted, storing the photos anyway. She looks beautiful in all of them, he thought.

They found a bench beneath a large, sprawling tree. As they sat, Dawn leaned against him, her head resting softly on his shoulder.

Erevin's heart fluttered, but he stayed still, letting the moment sink in.

Dawn broke the silence, her voice softer now. "You know, when people die, they become stars... My mother told me that."

Erevin didn't respond, he didn't know what to say.

"When my grandpa died, she told me he was close because we could always see him. He was somewhere among those stars, watching us. And when my mother died... I knew she would be watching me too. But sometimes, I think... it would be better if she were here."

"Erevin, do you think," she continued, her voice trembling slightly, "that the people we love think about us and love us even after they die?"

He looked up at the sky, the stars twinkling like distant memories. After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet but steady.

"I don't know. But these stars... they're so far away, and yet their light still reaches us. They see us being born, growing up, living, and even dying. If stars can see us from light-years away... how could the people we love ever forget us, no matter where they are?

I think they watch us, pray for us. And even though they can't reach us, their love stays with us. It lingers, no matter how far we go."

Dawn's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she listened. "But... people say true love also ends. That people change. And even if you love someone with all your heart, time kills everything. It separates all kinds of love."

Erevin turned to her, his gaze steady. "Time kills the body, but love is what stays. It's in our soul. It doesn't fade. No matter how many times we live, or die, love finds its way back to us."

Dawn looked at him, searching his face. "How do you know?"

For a moment, Erevin hesitated. The words had come out of him as if he'd said them before, as if this moment had happened in another lifetime. It was strange, a distant echo of familiarity. But he shook the thought away.