We never said Goodbye

"Who's the boy in the picture, Lolo?"

That was all I asked when I found the old photo tucked inside a wooden box. Two boys, side by side - one neat and proper, the other tall and a little arrogant-looking, like he owned the world.

I didn't expect Lolo to go quiet for so long. I didn't expect his eyes to shine like he was fourteen again, staring back at a memory no one else could see.

This is not just a story about a picture. It's about the days when lanterns lit the streets, when a bicycle crash could change everything, when laughter sounded louder because the world outside was breaking apart.

And it's about the boy Lolo never forgot.