Chapter Twenty-Six: Forever


-Present Day: 12th August 2016, Puerto Rico.

The tears in my eyes were still not dry, nothing had become of daring mighty things, I dared to love, I dared to cry and I lost.

That day seems so long ago now, but still as fresh as the morning dew it remains in my head. The young foolish girl, running in the thickness of the rain, crying in pain and wishing for the world to swallow her up.

After that day I vanished.

I went home, packed my things and left, Papa couldn’t have stopped me if he tried. I ran away from the pain and tried to never look back – it simply hurt too much. For the next 5 years, I grew in secret in the back world of London, England. I was thankful to not be recognized there. I remember the occasional magazine feature on where the pop sensation had gone. They interviewed everyone, but no one could ever tell you, simply because no one knew. At 20 I decided to return home, Grandma was sick and Papa had told me one stormy night I’d rung him, that it had been her wish to see her granddaughter. So I made the voyage back, covered in a black coat, hidden from anyone that may recognize me, I said goodbye to my grandmother as she slipped peacefully off into death.

Much had changed when I returned my brother had grown and was deeply in love with a beautiful girl, Papa was the same, his hair with more gray now, and his face a lot more aged. We still spoke very little, I knew he wanted to ask me what had happened 5 years ago that made me left, but I'm sure he knew I would also never tell him.

After that, I remained in Mexico for only another year, I left shortly after my 21st birthday. Papa had given me a stack of letters that had come over the years, some from Belle, but most from Brian, I couldn’t ever bring myself to read them, so late one night, I burned them in the fire, crying into the thick darkness as the flames engulfed the memories.

I moved after my 21st birthday to a small home outside of Puerto Rico, and lived in hermit conditions, it had been six years, but I had changed very little, and I knew the very sight of me would create a media fan fare, and I wanted nothing of that – I vanished again for 2 years, wherein I longed for love. I did fond something I thought was love, I knew walking down the isle I could never love this man, Carlos, as much as I loved Brian. Our marriage was nothing, he worked, I hide away. We fought and argued so much I wondered if we even liked each other. A year on, I gave birth to Jamin, my oldest son, then 2 years on from that, at the age of 26 I gave birth to twin girls, Briar and Tia, one long year more and I packed up my children and left, Carlos waved goodbye, but cared no more to worry about his children, expect for the occasional support payment.

Thankfully over the years money had been kind to me, I saved it, and spent very little, and now I was reaping the benefits.

My children have grown now, Jamin is 6 years old, and the twins 4. To me I know they are the only things keeping me from running again.

I sighed quietly as I closed the lid on the chest. The past was gone now, I had no right to still love a man that didn’t love me.

“Mama” Jamin called from the bottom of the stairs.
I wiped a tear and stood up. As I glanced in the mirror I realized I looked much like my mother now, the women I adored so long ago was there inside of me. My hair had straightened now into a thick black chorus of hair, and my arms didn’t seem so long now, finally I had grown into myself.
“There’s someone at the door” he called again
I walked softly out into the hall and down the stairs, the front door was open but I couldn’t see the person it hid, Jamin was smiling at the person, chatting idly to him.

“Can I help you?” I spoke coming around the back of the door, and pulling it fully open
I stopped dead as the familiar eyes turned their attention from Jamin up to me.
“Happy birthday Riyan” Brian cried handing me a single red rose
I couldn’t speak, and I wondered then if perhaps I was dreaming.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned, tears forming from just seeing his face again after so long
He had changed very little, his eyes were still pure blue, his hair darker now, but still that ruffled look, he must have been close to forty, but looked not over 25, just as I remembered him.
“I came to give you this” he whispered as he placed his hand in his pocket and retrieved a box, then handed it to me.
I looked at it oddly then opened it, and silently sitting there, staring up at me, the ring he’d given me so many years ago.
“I’ve been trying to find you for so long” he spoke, his voice cracking up
“I followed you all around the world, but each time, I missed you, you were gone when I got there, I'm sorry Riyan, I am so, so sorry”
I stepped back, remembering that day I had gone to see him.
“You never loved me, you always loved her” I replied, shaking my head softly
“I know what you saw that night, I found the cross on the lawn, but I swear to you Riyan, I never loved her the way I loved you, she left that night, and she never came back into my life, I'm so sorry”
I was wrong, for the past 15 years I thought he’d gone back to her, I had never considered the fact I could be so very wrong.
“You never remarried?”
“No, my heart belonged to you. But I understand that you moved on” he sighed, looking back at Jamin who was playing in the corner
I wiped my eyes gently.
“My heart always belonged to you too, I'm divorced” I cried, practically falling into his arms
“It’s been so long Riyan, but looking at you now I know I still love you, and I want to keep that promise”
“We’ll be together in the end?”
He nodded as he held me tight.
As we parted he dropped down onto one knee and took my hand into his.
“Riyan, I know I asked you once before, and I know you said yes, but I'm going to ask you again, will you marry me?”
I smiled softly as I knelt in front of him.
“Brian so much has changed about me, I have –“
He silenced my words with a finger.
“It doesn’t matter what’s changed Riyan, one thing that will never change is that I love you, then, now and forever, I’ll never stop loving you, I want that forever”
“I want that forever too. Yes, Brian, I will marry you, I will now, as I would have then”



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