There is only one thing in the entire world that cannot be replaced. It doesn’t mean that people do not try to change it. Everyone believes they are powerful enough to control everything regarding their lives. However, nobody is powerful enough to replace feelings. Once true love is found, the heart is trapped. There are no possible escapes, no alternatives. Is it fair? No. Nothing concerning love is fair; not the euphoria of being together, nor the agony of being separated.
He is supposed to be the one
These thoughts came to me while holding hands with my partner. We’d just left the restaurant where we enjoyed a romantic evening. I was smiling. He was smiling. We were happy.
Or, we were supposed to be.
He was a person I trusted, a person I cared about, but deep down, I knew there was something wrong. The whole evening, while watching his eyes, I didn’t feel that spark. I didn’t feel that he was the one. While feeling the warmth of his hand in mine, I realised, I didn’t want it to last forever. Even though I kept telling myself that he was someone special, someone who was supposed to change my life, my heart just kept refusing it.
Please, be that someone, I thought, over and over. Somehow, I could not bring myself to fully believe it.
He squeezed my hand as if he felt something was wrong. He knew I would never let him down. Throughout our relationship, I had always been loyal, truthful, and reliable. We supported each other.
I looked into his eyes, trying to persuade myself. He is the right one, I thought. He is.
Everyone we walked past seemed to look at us. It was hard to read their minds. Either they were jealous about what they thought was ‘true love’, or they could detect the sadness in my eyes. The sadness that never really leaves.
First love memories
I thought back to one of the most special times of my life. I remembered the one who I had given my heart to, the one who broke it, the one won’t let me have it back.
When he looked at me, my first love, I felt something that could never be replaced. Nobody else came close. No one else made me laugh like he did, no one else made me smile the same way, no one else could make me feel so strongly. He was the only person whose mind I could never fully comprehend. Everything that happened in his head seemed to be absurd; he was unpredictable. He could make me beam brightly and have me in tears just moments later. It took years for him to change completely. But I always loved this most unpredictable person. And never did I ever forget.
Now I belong to someone else, I thought, gripping my partner’s hand tightly. We walked onto the bridge together, arm in arm. It was one of the most famous places in Corfu, a place where people came to see planes flying low, directly above their heads. The bridge was soothing, allowing me to drift among my thoughts.
Watching the planes take off brought such an alluring sense of freedom. I could take one, I thought, I could find him again. Everything seemed possible on that bridge.
Meanwhile
On the other side of the bridge, a separate couple were on a date. They were supposed to feel happy, too. The man, took her hand and kissed her wrist.
“You look beautiful,” he said. She smiled, but he found himself searching her brown eyes for a glimpse of true happiness.
He had the same look every time he made her laugh, whenever he made her feel anything at all, but every time it seemed that she was a stranger to him.
They used to wake up every morning, only to fall back asleep in each other’s arms. It felt good, it felt safe and easy. Everything was easy with her. There were barely any fights. But there were no sparks in her eyes, no passion; what he had grown so desperately fond of was completely absent.
Those eyes which sparkle
He couldn’t say what, but something triggered a memory. It took him back to another’s eyes. Somebody whose passion and spark was undeniable. When his first love smiled, her eyes had a special colour. They had a sparkle that ran so deep that he could lose his mind staring into them. It was like nothing else. Her eyes seemed to reflect her soul, that gentle, loving soul.
Everything was different back then. She was so full of light. Every time he made her laugh, he could feel tingling all over his body. Nothing was easy with her though; everything was a risk, like constantly balancing on the edge of a cliff. You never know what’s going to happen when you Jump into the chasm.
No way back
He could not understand why he kept thinking about her. Everything was going fine. That relationship had ended a long time ago. There had been many girls since, so why was it her that he always thought of? Her figure, her smell, her voice. It was so fresh in his memory, it could have been yesterday.
He was with someone he liked now, someone he felt comfortable with. He should erase everything else. It was not fair to hold on so tight to these feelings.
His partner grabbed his arm as they stepped onto the bridge to watch one of the most breath-taking attractions in Corfu island: a plane landing within arm’s reach.
One short breathtaking moment
Two couples crossed the bridge from opposite sides. Everything happened in one brief instant.
Their eyes linked. Two people out of the four felt an indisputable tremor.
All the tourists were distracted by taking pictures, eagerly awaiting the next plane. They were too busy to be a part of this life-changing moment. A few locals pushed through the crowds, annoyed by travellers standing in their way.
A plane came closer. Its ear-splitting drone filled the bridge and everyone’s attention was stolen. Everyone except the two long lost lovers. The two who were meant to be.
They stared into each other’s eyes, neither taking a breath. It had been so long, yet here they both were, in the middle of the bridge with separate people.
Tears formed in their eyes; how could this be happening? Their hands let go of the ones they were holding. It was involuntary. Nothing else mattered at that moment. All the words and promises they gave to someone else were empty now. Their minds were somewhere else, and the memories stole reality for a brief moment.
Suddenly they were back to the sounds of the sea. Back to one special memory that they would always share.
Always
It happened years ago, back when they were happily in love. He picked her up and threw her in the water. She was laughing and screaming at him. He couldn’t resist the cuteness of her laugh. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, she opened her eyes and smiled.
“You are challenging me.” Her tone was flirty and playful.
“I always will,” he replied, gazing at her. If only she knew how beautiful she was, he thought.
“Always?” she said, tilting her head towards her shoulder in an expression of doubt.
Now she was challenging him.
“Always. No matter how much we try to forget each other, no matter how life is going to separate us, we will always be together.” He paused and his hand brushed her bronze cheek. “You are my first love. You are my true love. You will always be the one.”
She could not hold back the tears. She knew he was right, but she did not want to separate. If he left, he would take with him all the light inside her. She could lose a part of herself.
Destiny knows better
Back on the bridge, the man’s girlfriend giggled at the plane, childlike in her innocence. He was watching the eyes of his true love. She stood in front of him, a sadness in her eyes, but somehow, they still contained the sparkle that he once fell in love with.
Her mouth hung open in disbelief. Every single word that he said to her all those years ago was true. No matter how much they tried, they were not capable of replacing each other. It was pointless.
They were meant to be. If they encountered all these emotions in just a few seconds, what else could it be?
There was never an explanation as to why they were gifted with these precious seconds. Sometimes, life just throws things your way. The fireworks did not last long, but they were brighter than either of them would have thought possible.
True love cannot be replaced
Unfortunately, this moment didn’t last forever. The plane landed and they walked past each other, continuing along their separate paths.
Perhaps one day, life will throw them together again. Perhaps this encounter confirms that their destinies are intertwined. Or perhaps they will continue to suppress their true feelings and convince themselves of the lies they project on other people.
