"Zin?"
That voice! The voice he's so used to that even in the middle of night, he'd wake up from bed and could instantly recognize it in the shroud of slumber. The voice he so much fell in love with that even the mere thought of it sent him high above the clouds, or bathed him in a spring of heavenly flowers. The voice he so much cherished that he was afraid of missing even a word or a sound of it.
But how? After all this time? He had given up hope of hearing that sweetest serenade of this human world ever again. Was he dreaming in broad daylight? No, he was wide awake. Was he imagining things? Not possible. Even in times past when he was in his worst shape, he'd never been depressed or psychotic enough to have hallucinations. But how?
He turned around slowly, taking his time, in anticipation of the worst ever possible, that is finding no one there.
'What? How in the world?'
For those few seconds he couldn't believe his own eyes. There stood right before him the one person in this world he thought he'd never have a chance of seeing again, ever. The moment was just so overwhelming that he was fixed right in the spot he was standing on like a statue carved out of stone. Time stood still and the current of events stopped. A second seemed to last longer than a century. After what felt like forever, his lips moved ever so slightly.
"Ko?"
The other one then started to walk towards him, picking up speed along the way. Only when the man was about three feet away did he recover from his near-shock. To add more to his surprise the man was smiling. That smile that could shame a hundred suns and a thousand flowers. That smile which used to shower onto his heart the most soothing and affectionate of warmth. That smile to which he was so addicted that he could forget all count of day and night if he were allowed to sit and watch without interruption. He swallowed thickly, forcefully shoving aside the feeling of discomfort. Oh this was real, very real indeed.
"Zin?! Oh my God, it's really you, Zin. I thought I'd never get to see you again in this life."
The man was as handsome as he could remember, and sweet and charismatic. At that very moment he remembered everything. The happiest and the saddest moments of his life flipped through his thoughts in a very quick flashback. Oh yes. This certainly was not a dream.
"Ko? Is that really you? But how?"
"I decided to come back. I missed home."
"Oh ... "
Ko looked at him, his eyes filled with warmth and affection. It was, yes, it was love. Zin's heart suddenly jumped up and missed a beat.
"You're as cute as I remember."
A shade of pink splashed through Zin's face. After all those years he was still shy like a teenage schoolgirl when teased by Ko. And he was the only who could do this to him. Zin felt a bit embarrassed.
"Shu ... ... shut up!"
Ko's smile shone brighter. After eight long years, his beloved was still a cute little boy as he was back then. It was as if the man had not aged a single day since the last time they had met. Ko then braced himself and cautiously shot out the one question he'd been waiting to ask.
"Are you ... ... are you ... with anyone?"
Zin looked up, seeming a bit surprised. He then shook his head slowly. Ko felt an overwhelming joy suddenly gush through his chest. His eyes began to feel wet. Zin stared at him for a few seconds, and then he raised his hand and brushed away the tears trickling down his loved one's face. In the excitement of the moment, Ko did the one thing he'd been wishing to do in nearly a decade's time. He reached out and gently pulled Zin into his arms. Finally, they were together again.
"I love you."
"I know. I love you too."
