Don't let me go?

Chapter 18

Harry's POV

I don't really know what was there in that box. And it hardly even mattered to me. All I know and all that mattered to me was that she needed me. Not in a way where I try to calm her down, or say some wise words about being strong and not crying. But in a way where she knows that it's okay to cry it all out without the fear of being judged. In a way where she knows that I'll always be there for her and I'll always pick her up, no matter how rough and hard the situation might be. I want her to know that she can count on me, she can break and crumble into a million pieces in front of me and I'll still be there, holding her, helping her compose herself and helping her pick up the shattered pieces and putting them back together to make her whole again.

And amongst all this, here she was, in my arms, sobbing her heart out. And all I wanted to do was to bring her the world's happiness. If the world was mine, I would've given it to her heart and soul by now. But I didn't say or do anything in an attempt to make her smile, because without pain we'd never understand and value joy.

Isn't that what's life all about?

It is a series of meetings and partings, a series of darkness and starlight. No matter how dark the night gets, the dawn shall always set us free.

And that's exactly what it is. It's a dark night waiting for its dawn.

Burning down the bridges is not always an option, sometimes you need to cross the bridges in order to get to the other side.

And so, I insisted on opening the box and check it out.

Candice's POV

Harry insisted that I should go ahead and face whatever the box holds inside.

But I already recognised what it held.

Gathering all the strength left in my body, I reopened the box. There was an envelope lying in the corner of the box. I picked it up and flipped it open.

I was suddenly hit by the familiar rose perfume. My mom always had this thing about associating people and memories with a fragrance. I was taken aback by the smell, since it takes me back to her. I took in a deep breath and started reading it.

"Dear Candy,

By the time you'll receive this letter, I'll be long gone. But I'll be watching you from up above.

I already knew I was going to die, but I didn't want to say so. Didn't want to say so, for the sake of you my little girl. I can only imagine how hard it would've been for you to handle all this. But I want you to know that things will be fine, they always will be fine in the end.

This is life Candy, isn't it? If we're born, we must die? The only thing that hurts me is that I couldn't live long enough to see you grow up into an adult in front of my eyes.

But even if in this life time, I couldn't be there by your side for long, maybe in the next life I will have you and nobody can take you away from me. I wish for a daughter like you in all the lives that I'm likely to have.

But for now, I want you know that I'm in a better place now. Away from all the pain, misery, suffering, hurt and sadness. Nothing bad is to be felt here Candy. All I would know of is Love and Happiness.

And that's all I ask of you too. I don't want you to grieve for me. I don't want you to change the course of your life because of whatever has happened. I want you to be a strong and independent woman. I want you to be the flower that withstands the storm and never wavers.

But knowing you for 16 years, I know you wouldn't take it all too well. You'll probably shut yourself out. But please, don't do that baby girl. A life led without emotions is not a life worth while.

Promise me that you'll never shut yourself out. Promise me you'll not stop being yourself. I want you to make friends, fall in love, be vulnerable when you must, you must fall in order to learn how to get up, you must cry so that you know the value of a smile, you must feel the pain to know of happiness. I want you to experience life closely and learn from it.

And like always, find pleasure in the little things in life. Speaking of which, I give to you, the little parts of me in this box. These are a lot of little things that made me who I am. I hope you'll take good care of them.

I love you Candy. You'll always be my daughter, in this life and the life that's to come.

Be kind, stay happy and keep smiling, for I love your smile the most.

Second star to the left and straight on till morning, right?

-Mom."

Sometimes you get so overwhelmed with emotions that your nerves go numb. And that's exactly what was happening to me in that moment. I wanted to cry a river, but not a single tear came off of my eyes. I wanted to shout on top of my lungs, but my voice didn't crack a word. I wanted to run away from this pain, but my legs felt heavy.

"Rose?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

Harry's nose was red and his eyes were watery. Was he crying? Was he grieving for someone he didn't even know personally?

I tried to act normal and started to look at the things that were placed in the box.

The first thing I saw was a photograph. It was from the day I was born. My mom held me in her arms and looked at me like nothing else mattered in the world. It was one of the purest moment one could capture. I flipped it and saw something written on the back of it.

"This was for the first time I saw you. The most precious gift of my life. My princess. You completed my life, you completed my family."

The next thing I saw was a small Pink and Silver frock. It was the dress my mom got for my first birthday.

There were so many things in the box. My first teddy bear, my dolls, my pictures from the first day of school, my first stage performance at the school, my first visit to the amusement park and what not. They bought a smile on my face.

These were the most valuable possession. They were Memories. The only thing that I am left with.

Aren't memories the only constant thing? Because no matter what changes in life, they never change. They stay intact for a lifetime. And when people leave, all we're left with are memories. The good ones and the bad ones. In fact, in the end, we're all a memory to someone. Just like my mom was mine. The priceless one, the one I wouldn't trade for the world.

I got so engrossed in reliving the old memories that I forgot the fact that the one who gave me all of them is no longer here with me? The smile vanished away from my face when I stepped back into the reality.

This is the reality. Me sitting in the middle of the room– alone, broken, weak, fragile and vulnerable with a box of beautiful memories.

Whenever reality hits, it hits hard.

I collected everything and put it back in the box.

And there was Harry. Sitting in the corner, not making his presence noticeable, giving me all the space that one could demand for. I forced a smile on my face and he reciprocated the same.

"I have an idea." He said.

"What idea?"

"Don't ask questions, you just go and get ready. I'll be back in 10 minutes."

I went to my room and got ready. I came down after 15 minutes and saw Harry waiting for me on the couch.

"Where are we going?"

"Would you just come with me and find out?"

With this, we stepped out got seated in the car.

The car was filled with a lot of packages from a nearby bakery and a lot of balloons.