Jimmy’s weight fell heavily on her body, and Miya instinctively rubbed his back. She could feel the terseness in his shoulders, as he relaxed with each of her frail move. She didn’t quite pay attention when the soft sound of his heaving chest falling against her own drummed in her ears.

Her mind was dark.

It had instantly gone back to that one rare day, when she had met a boy – a fairy tale stranger on the eve of June 28, 1996.

The dark haired angel.

She didn’t remember his face, but she had the vague impression of extreme kindness in it. She didn’t remember all of his words, but she did recall one vivid detail.

“Tell them you married me.”

Miya’s heart thrashed against her chest, her mouth dry.

She remembered in a flash back, as all those years ago, when she had been hiding in the forest near Lang after being bullied by some village boys. That day, she had been particularly sad. They had called her ugly, like always, and said she would never get married. But that day, they had also gone a step further and bad mouthed her mother and her promiscuous ways. She hadn’t understood a lot back then, but Miya remembered hiding from them all, in the forest, and weeping near the pond.

It was then that the fairy angel had appeared.

He had told her to stop crying, and that her heart would rip apart, and break into two if she didn’t stop. In her memories, she remembered talking to him for a while. He was the first one, in her tiny four year life to have called her beautiful.

In fact, she remembered his exact words.

“Those boys are idiots,” he had said, “You have very beautiful eyes.”

And then, he had done something equally magical again, fascinating her to no end. He had handed over to her a ring. The words he had said still echoed in the remotest recesses of her heart, when she was ready to lose faith in all humanity.

“Tell them you married me.”

That boy, that day, had saved her in ways he wouldn’t ever know. The ring was a charm to her, every time she had had a difficult encounter, she had turned to that small metal piece. It gave her hope beyond all means, reminded her of that angelic boy whom she in her heart had believed to be an actual celestial being. It gave her a sense of security for years – that she was being protected, that it mattered that she existed.

Miya’s hands shivered as she kept rubbing at Jim’s back. She vaguely realized that he was asleep, but her mind was a turmoil. Jim’s words right then were ready to wreak havoc in her world.

“The heart rips apart,” he had said.

Could it be…?

The impossibility of the situation made her panic, and for a brief second, Miya couldn’t catch her breath. Then she calmed down, forcing her thought into rationality. It was too long ago, and maybe the heart ripping apart was something all children in cities were told, so they wouldn’t cry.

It calmed her somewhat, but a strange fear, that was also concocted with a bizarre thrill rushed through her veins. Miya recalled how the first man she had kissed had turned out to be Jimmy Hunter. And this…

She forced her heart to calm down again.

Her mind was pressured, and the room spun before her again. Her vision blurred, and the weight on her chest seemed heavier. She, however, could not recede to the thought of Jim moving away, so she wrapped her hands around his shoulders tighter, and landed a small kiss on his cheek, which landed on his earlobe instead. Jim groaned from the touch, but shrugged in sleep.

Miya concentrated on his heart beat, hoping… praying for the best.

She didn’t know what to wish for anymore.

It felt like she had been sleeping for ages, while being part of a horrible nightmare when she woke up again. It had however, only been two hours. Faint rays of the sun shone through the window in the room, and fell directly on her forehead, making her feel warm and comfortable. Her sight was much clearer when she opened her eyes this time, and her heart was weak to the core. She could feel Jimmy’s huge hand wrapped around her body, with his breath too close to her neck.

He must have shifted to her side sometime during her sleep.

Miya very quietly turned to her right and looked at his face. He indeed did sleep like an innocent child, his hair dishevelled and messy, making him seem like a young boy. His other hand was tucked beneath his head while he secured her own smaller self with his right arm. A warm feeling swelled at the pit of her stomach. Miya caressed his jawline, then kissed his cheek again.

She froze when her insides reminded her of the possibility.

What if… the boy from all those years ago wasn’t actually a celestial being?

What if… it was Jimmy Hunter?

Miya’s heart was on fire, and she quivered involuntarily.

Because who could save her then? From falling absolutely and completely for the man before her…

What would stop her in that case?

She wasn’t ready to bear the burden of love, yes. But she already felt deeply for Jimmy. What if he also turned out to be her saviour from all those years ago?

Miya’s chest pounded, as she very swiftly left Jim’s embrace. She still felt weak in her lower half of her body, but she didn’t stagger when she stepped onto the ground. First, she needed to find Ben, ensure that he was tucked in and safe. Then, she needed to go.

The ring that she had been given by that boy… she had protected it with her life, and in turn it had saved her from ruin several times. She could never have let go of that precious piece of metal.

And yet, five years ago, she had.

Things had taken a turn, and like every other thing gone wrong, she had to let her only piece of luck go. She had had it buried into the ground.

Exactly five steps away from Ben’s mother’s grave.

It was time she returned to it now.