Shattered

Epilogue

"And when two lovers woo
They still say "I love you"
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by."

- As time goes by, Casablanca.

Beth stood in the balcony, tending her plants. The two rose plants were in full bloom. She touched the soil to check for moisture, they were watered well thanks to the rains. Off season, the clouds had been gathering in the sky for almost two days now. Alec was annoyed, most people were. But she was happy. She felt happy seeing the rains. She smiled and leaned on the edge. She removed her slippers and stepped in the small puddle that had formed on the limestone floor of the balcony.

She looked at the scenery stretching in front of her. It wasn't a cityscape anymore. They both had moved out of the apartment few months back. They now lived in the house Alec had inherited. And it was registered under her name.

She had protested a lot but he was adamant about it. He said to her that it was because of her they got the house and so it should now be registered under her name. The house became her anniversary gift. Her gift in return was comparitively small, a pair of silver plated cufflinks. Alec though loved them so much that he wears them to every party they attend.

It felt like a lifetime since new year's eve. So much has changed between them. Their marriage wasn't fake and they both weren't planning to divorce each other any time soon. Everyday before leaving for office, Alec would tell her how much he loves her. When she would return late at night, he would be waiting for her. No matter how many times she asked him to go to bed early, every night she would find him waiting for her.

Their house now was begining to feel more like home. They had got it slightly renovated and there were repairs made. They both had sat down together planning how each room would look. They had gone shopping together to buy the home decor. It took them more than a month before they were satisfied with their new home but it was all for the best.

Of course there were few things that were still same. They both still would wake up shouting from their nightmares. Some days they would miss their late spouses and there would be days when they find themselves sitting with the photos. But between those old frames, now there was picture of Alec and Beth together.

°

"Hey, come on." Alec pulled her by his side. He pulled out his phone and tilted it to click their picture.
"No, I don't like getting my pictures clicked."

"Oh come on, it is our first vacation together."

Amused by his excitement, Beth smiled and said, "Alec, driving to nowhere hardly ever counts as a vacation, especially when we will be returning soon."

"We can stay here forever if you want." He winked at her.

"You are crazy, you know that right?"

"You kept saying that the entire time we were driving also, so yes I got the point. I am crazy."

It was a crazy decision that Alec had taken after they had watched a movie on the Saturday afternoon. Bored of their regular routine, he had decided to keep on driving instead of going back home. Beth had protested all along the way, but he didn't want to go back home. He just kept driving until they reached the coast and found one of the most scenic lighthouse they had ever scene.