245: THOSE TIMES ARIEL’S POV FLASHBACK It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for a birthday celebration. I woke up early, excited to take my twins, Lukel and Janice, out for their third birthday. Something I did? I always made sure to make their special day extra special. I had planned a fun day at the park and then a visit to their favorite ice cream parlor.. After getting dressed and ensuring the twins were ready, we headed to the park. Luke and Janice were bubbling with excitement, holding my hands tightly as we walked towards the park. As we entered, their eyes widened in amazement at the colorful balloons, decorations, and bouncy castle that I had arranged for them. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them run towards the castle, their laughter filling the air. They were growing up so fast, and I wanted to cherish every moment with them. I joined them in the bouncy castle, and we played and laughed for what felt like hours. As the sun started to set, I knew it was time to move on to the next part of our adventure. We walked to the ice cream shop, and Lukel and Janice couldn’t contain their. excitement. They loved ice cream, and I promised them they could choose any flavor. As we entered, they were greeted with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” from the staff, and they couldn’t stop beaming. After choosing their favorite flavors, we sat outside and enjoyed our ice cream. I watched my twins with their faces covered in ice cream, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful for this moment. Lukel and Janice were my worlds; I would do anything to see them happy. After finishing our ice cream, I surprised them with a small gift each. They were overjoyed, and their squeals of delight filled my heart with warmth. “Come on, you two, let’s go to the pizza shop now!” I said, holding their hands as we walked out of the ice cream shop. “Yay, pizza!” Lukel exclaimed, jumping up and down. “I want pepperoni pizza!” Janice added, her eyes shining with excitement. We entered the pizza shop, and the smell of freshly baked pizza instantly made our mouths water. We ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a cheese pizza, and the twins eagerly waited for it to be served. “Mommy, can we have some soda too?” Lukel asked, looking up at me with his big, innocent eyes. “Of course, my love,” I replied, smiling at him. As we enjoyed our pizza, the twins were having the time of their lives. They were making silly faces with the pizza slices, and their laughter echoed in the small shop. I cuidn’t help but join in, feeling grateful for this moment with my precious children. After finishing our pizza, I took the twins to a nearby shop with various costumes for kids. Lukel and Janice’s eyes widened as they saw the costumes of their favorite superheroes and princesses. “Mommy, can we try on the superhero costumes?” Lukel asked, pointing at the Iron Man costume. “Of course, my little superhero,” I replied, smiling as I helped him put on the costume. Janice chose a beautiful Cinderella dress, and I helped her put it on as well. They both twirled around, pretending to be their favorite characters. “Mommy, you should be a superhero too!” Janice giggled. I couldn’t resist their innocent request and joined them in trying on a Wonder Woman costume. “Wow, mommy, you look so cool!” Lukel exclaimed, his eyes wide with admiration. We spent the rest of the day trying on different costumes, taking silly pictures, and playing pretend. As the day came to an end, I knew that this was one of the twins‘ best birthdays ever. END OF FLASHBACK And indeed it was; that day was something I would never forget. I was looking at pictures of Lukel right on my phone. He was such an angel, and he will forever have a place in my heart. “What are you thinking about?” Luke asked, sitting next to me. We were both at the park while Janice was enjoying herself for the moment. Luke glanced at my screen. “Oh,” his tone softened immediately. “You’re thinking about him.” “Yes, I loved him so much.” I closed my eyes as I could feel tears about to pop up. Luke let out a deep sigh. “I know. It’s really painful losing the ones you love, right?” “It sure is,” I answered softly “Yes, I mean, take a look at what happened to Riley. She had a lot of things ahead of her since she was a smart kid. Scholarships so many opportunities. She was so nice and extremely amazing; everybody loved her. But she died, and even today, Te still feel her presence. If she were here today, she’d probably be making jokes and putting on her delightful smile.” “Yeah, I miss that soul too. I remember when she first saw me when we first met. She was asking me all sorts of questions, and I didn’t want to answer her; I probably didn’t like her at the start. But later on, I had to realize how wonderful she was.” “You want to know something, Ariel?” I fixed my eyes on Luke. “What is that?” “I really wish I could spend some time with Lukel. It’s so painful seeing him die; right on that scene, he was shot. And even though I didn’t know him all that well, his passing really broke my heart. “We were all broken by his death. But what can we do? We can’t question God about why He takes away our loved ones. All we have to do is live life and see how things are going to work out.” “Can I ask you a question, Ariel?” I looked at him for a moment before I said, “Go on.” “Do you ever picture the both of us being one?” “What did you say?” “Like, have you played the scenes in your head? The two of us being together, no troubles, no commotions, just me and you, in peace, loving with each other with the whole of our hearts.” “Why are you asking me that, Luke?” “Because I’m curious. I really want to know what’s going on in your mind. Yes, I know you have feelings for me, but I want to know more. Your eyes, Ariel, are so out of this world. And your lips are simply majestic. I love you, Ariel, and I’m serious about that. Ever since your disappearance, I have been in excruciating agony, despondent, and as hopeless as a dog without a bone or a bow. I was just waiting for you to come back because I know you’re not going to die and leave me around here. I love you so much, Ariel.” I kept staring at him. Now, I didn’t even know what to say. His words were absolutely amazing and breathtaking, igniting this passion within me. Indeed, Th the flames were ignited, but what was the response? Was I going to tell him that I loved him, too? Should I tell him that I wanted him back?
