The Soul Within...

Chapter 3: Operation Reunion

Stars. The sky is embedded with millions of stars. They are a body of matter, constantly burning, nothing less and nothing more.

But for some, they are a source of light. A companion when no one else is there. For some, they are their dear ones who have passed away, a hope for their heart that their loved ones are watching them, just to keep them alive in their heart.

And for some, they decide their fate. Their personalities and their destiny. And Clara was one of them.

The wind was blowing softly, making the leaves dance from left to right. The wind was chilly, kissing the skins of people passing by and making them cold.

But two people were totally unaware of the cold wind blowing outside, too deep in their thoughts and conversations to notice their surroundings and the heat of coffee shop keeping them safe from the cold.

“So you’re saying that you believe in stars?” Axel asked, sipping on the hot cocoa in front of her.

“Yes. Don’t you believe in them?” Clara asked, a latte in her hand too.

They both were at a coffee shop ten minutes away from Clara's house, which was also not that far to Axel. It had been a week since they met each other and they both were getting along well.

For the past few days, it was like a routine for them to meet at Hot Coffee, the coffee shop. It was a fast growing and an unusual friendship, for unusual reasons too.

“Nah, I believe in them too. I’m a Cancerian,” Axel answered.

“What!? You too?” Clara asked in surprise. The similarities were getting too much to ignore now.

“Yes. Why so surprised?” Curiosity gleamed in Axel’s eyes.

“It’s just that I had a…” Clara tried to find a suitable word. “My friend, Dexter was a Cancer too” Clara said, her eyes focused on the brown coffee, sitting calmly inside the cup. How can it be so calm? Why is it always calm before the storm? Just like this coffee is about to vanish now, but still so calm.

“He must be nice then. We Cancers are always nice,” Axel boasted with a smile. Little did he know the feelings Clara harbored for a Cancer.

“Nice?” Clara wondered. “I don’t know. But it is said that they are good observers,” Clara mumbled, deep in her thoughts.

“Yeah we are,” Axel smiled, thinking that he was being praised.

“Good observer?” Clara's eyes met with Axel's, an unknown emotion swirling inside them. “If he was a good observer then why didn’t he notice my tears that I shed only for him?”

Axel's eyes widened. He didn’t expect that Clara would react like this. He just thought that they were talking about stars but little he knew that this ran deeper than the stars. It was the scars.

“You know, he is the reason I met you in the first place. Your Student Council position reminded me of him,” Clara explained.

“I’m confused. Who exactly is Dexter?” Axel asked.

“He was my best friend. Was being a main word here,”

“What happened? Why aren’t you friends now?”

“Our friendship was the calm before the storm. The storm known as Jade Parker,” Clara said, her voice heavy.

“She was a rift between us. The abyss between our friendship. She created misunderstandings between us. Willingly or unwillingly, I don’t know but she drifted us apart, Dexter used me and then left me for Jade,” Clara’s voice was poisonous but Axel couldn’t help but notice the desperation in her voice.

“So you’re going to use me too just like Dexter used you?” Axel half joked.

“No, I want help. Can’t you help me?”

“I don’t understand. How can I help you?”

“I don’t know. I just want you link me to Dexter again,”

“Wait, didn’t you hate him just like, two minutes ago?”

“When did I ever mention that I hated him?” Clara raised an eyebrow at her.

Axel opened his mouth to answer but closed it, realizing that Clara was right.

“But let me get this straight, so you’re jealous of Jade?” Axel asked, leaning forward, wanting to make things clear.

“Does scraping her face with fork two times, thrice count as jealousy?”

“Definitely not,” Axel answered sarcastically.

“She created misunderstandings Axel. She ended our friendship of three years, which I thought was unbreakable. I tried my best to fix that, fix us, but Dexter didn’t even give me a chance,” Clara’s voice was getting heavier and faster and her eyes were getting wet with every word.

“But, you are my hope. You, are my hope Axel. A hope I lost years ago. You restored a hope lost for years in mere seconds. This is a signal.”

Axel was silent the whole time. He was just trying to let it all sink in. Clara wanted Axel to make her reunite with Dexter. But why him? Just because of a position of Student Council President, she wanted him of all people to rekindle the friendship? Questions ran inside Axel’s mind like a train. But despite all of this, Axel agreed.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Axel smiled at Clara.

“Really!?” Clara said in disbelief with cheek-hurting smile on her face.

“Well, how can I say no to a lady?” Axel smiled.

“Thank you so much! You don’t know how happy I am right now. Oh My God!” Clara’s voice was full of excitement. Her hope was restored. And it felt more than good to her.

After sitting for a couple more minutes, they both paid for their drinks and headed out of the coffee shop.

“So, Operation Reunion initiated?” Axel asked.

“Definitely.” Clara winked and headed back to her house.

All the walk back to home, Clara couldn’t help but imagine and hope that Dexter would come back to him. After all the years of crying herself to sleep, she finally had a chance to get her Dexter back. And she couldn’t be more happier.

While Clara was happy at her possible reunion with Dexter, she was unaware of the real motive of Axel.

On the way back home, Axel couldn’t help but think that how life was giving him a second chance. A chance of redeeming himself and fixing the mistake he made.

Just as Axel opened the door of his house, smooth and melodious voice of piano greeted his ears. He made his way inside, closed the door and shrugged of his coat and put it on the hanger beside the door.

He made his way to the hallway where fire was burning. He was cold due to the chilly air of January outside.

In the corner of the hallway was a grand brown piano, with a stool in front of it on which a boy, the age of Axel, was playing the piano. His fingers glided over the keys, making a melodious tune fill the entire house.

The boy stopped playing the piano and turned to Axel, whose face had an expression of confusion on it. Axel didn’t know if he should be happy or sad.

“Why so confused?” The boy said, snapping Axel out of his thoughts.

“Hey Sam,?”