The memories didn't fade.
They stayed.
And somewhere in the middle of all of them something inside me shifted.
It felt like something had been reignited after a long time.
A quiet fire.
Heavy… but warm.
Inside the house, Haroku was awake too.
He tried to sleep.
Turned to one side.
Then the other.
But his mind refused to settle.
Something felt off.
Just… unsettled.
After a while, he sat up and exhaled.
"Maybe some fresh air will help," he muttered.
He stepped out of the room and made his way toward the terrace.
The night outside was calm.
A soft breeze moved through the air, carrying that faint countryside stillness that made everything feel distant and close at the same time.
The sky was clear.
Filled with stars.
Too many to count.
Too quiet to ignore.
As Haroku stepped onto the terrace, his eyes immediately found me.
I was sitting at the edge.
Still.
Lost somewhere far from the present.
He stopped for a moment, watching.
He didn't call out right away.
Instead, he turned and quietly went back downstairs.
A few moments later, he returned.
This time, with something in his hand.
A soft drink.
My usual one.
He walked closer, but before speaking, he noticed what I was holding.
A photograph.
He leaned slightly, just enough to see.
It was me.
And my grandfather.
Both of us smiling.
A moment frozen in time.
I hadn't realized how long I had been staring at it.
"Symen…"
His voice was calm.
I turned slightly, surprised.
I hadn't expected anyone.
"Do you need something?" I asked.
My voice sounded calm.
But even I could hear the tiredness in it.
He shook his head and stepped closer.
Then he handed me the can.
"I saw you here," he said. "You looked a little off… so I thought this might help."
I looked at it for a second.
Then at him.
A small smile formed.
"Thanks, bro."
I opened it.
The quiet click broke the silence for a moment.
I took a sip.
Then looked at him again.
"You know…" I said slowly, "you've been with me for a long time now."
He didn't interrupt.
"Helping me. Staying with me through everything."
I paused.
"Honestly… I was just thinking about that."
Another sip.
Then—
"Thank you, bro. Really."
He sat down beside me.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Just enough.
"I'm not with you for any selfish reason," he said.
I glanced at him.
He continued,
"From the first time I saw you in university… I found you interesting."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
He smiled faintly.
"There was something different about you."
A pause.
"I wanted to be your friend from the beginning."
That surprised me more than I expected.
"But you already had your own group," he added. "So I didn't say anything."
I stayed quiet.
Listening.
He looked up at the sky for a moment before continuing.
"Then one day… I saw you in the park."
I knew the moment.
"You were sitting alone," he said. "And you didn't look okay."
His tone shifted slightly.
"Not just sad. Something else."
He looked back at me.
"And that's when I felt it."
A pause.
"That I should do something."
He shrugged lightly.
"I didn't have a reason. I just… wanted to help."
Then he smiled.
"That's when I decided. I want you as my friend."
He looked at me directly.
"Not because I needed something."
A brief silence.
"But because I genuinely wanted."
The wind passed again.
Steady.
But the silence between us had changed.
I looked at him for a few seconds.
There wasn't much to say.
Not really.
Some things don't need words.
I lifted the can slightly.
"Thanks, bro," I said. "For everything."
This time, the smile stayed.
And for a moment—
That was enough.