Theodore and Koen sat crouched behind a row of bushes near the café, trying to remain inconspicuous. From their vantage point, they could see Nalani and Anais enjoying their tea and conversation. Theodore's heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing back to the brief yet electrifying touch of Nalani's hand when she retrieved her bracelet from him. He had to force himself to stay calm and keep a composed expression during their earlier encounter, but now the anxiety he had suppressed was surfacing.

Koen, seated beside him, glanced at Theodore and noticed his tense demeanor. He nudged him with his shoulder. "Relax, Theo," he whispered, grinning. "You're gonna give yourself a heart attack."

Theodore sighed, his hand resting over his heart, which was still racing. He couldn't shake the feeling that Nalani's touch had left him with. He watched intently as Nalani's friend arrived to fetch her, the two women sharing a warm embrace before bidding Anais goodbye.

"Well, there she goes," Theodore muttered, watching Nalani get into a car with her friend and drive away. He leaned back against the bench they were hiding behind, exhaling deeply. "I don't know why I thought spying on her would help."

Koen burst out laughing, catching Theodore off guard. "What the heck are you laughing at?" Theodore asked, annoyed.

Koen's laughter only grew louder. "Pfft, she doesn't remember you," he said, still chuckling.

Theodore's sharp glare did nothing to silence Koen, who continued to laugh uncontrollably. When Koen finally calmed down, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, he said, "I can't believe she recognized me but not you."

Theodore frowned, feeling a pang of jealousy and frustration. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Koen shook his head, still smiling. "No, it's just... ironic. Maybe she recognized me because of the competitions we were in together in high school. It couldn't possibly be when she jumped, right? You were the one who saved her, not me."

Theodore's mind drifted back to that day, the memory vivid and raw. He remembered how he was shaking, not just from the cold but from the fear of losing Nalani. He had expected that she might not remember him, but it still stung.

Flashback

The seven-year-old Theodore sat in the backseat of a limousine, peering out the window at the other cars that had stopped nearby. His mother, sitting across from him, moved to sit beside him and began fixing his little tie and suit.

"You're going to do great, my son. Just... smile," she said as the door opened, and a barrage of flashing lights assaulted them.

Theodore, overwhelmed by the sudden brightness, hid in his mother's shadow to avoid the flashing lights of the camera. "Don't be afraid, son," his father said, taking his hand and pulling him out into the open.

The place was filled with wealthy, unfamiliar faces, and as his parents turned away to engage in conversation, Theodore seized the opportunity to slip away. He wandered through the building, seeking a quiet escape from the noise and lights.

As he passed by a slightly open door, he heard a little girl's voice. "Mama, don't like flashing lights," she said.

"Aw, sorry, my little girl. I told you you can't come, but you insisted. That's why you got to see the flashing lights," a woman's voice responded.

Curious, Theodore peeked inside and was stunned to see Malina Lennox, the famous artist who had inspired him. He had no idea she had a daughter.

"No, Mama, I was worried it would hurt your eyes. I saw from the window," the girl said, her voice filled with concern.

Malina smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, my dearest. Mommy loves you. Now stay here. Papa will be here later, so wait for him, okay?"

The little girl pouted. "Do you have to go again, Mama?"

"Yes, Nalani, we've talked about this. Mama needs to work, okay? Don't worry, mama's not gonna get hurt by the flashing lights. I'll be back soon, I promise," Malina said, holding her daughter's hands.

Theodore's heart skipped a beat. 'Nalani,' he thought. He watched as Malina cuddled her daughter, then left the room. He tried to hide behind the wall and waited for Malina to leave and slowly walked back to the room to take another peek but as he opens the door slowly, the little Nalani's eyes met his.

Startled, Theodore panicked and ran, only to trip and twist his ankle. He tried to stand but failed. Nalani approached him, offering her hand to help him sit.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Theodore laughed through his pain, touched by her kindness. She returned with a small first aid kit, carefully applying ointment and wrapping his ankle in a bandage. Although crooked, her effort warmed his heart.

"My mama taught me to this so you can trust me. My mama is pretty isn't she? Did you open the door to see her?", little Nalani asked as she was wrapping his twisted ankle but Theodore remained silent and stared at her adoringly.

"There! Don't run again, or you're gonna trip," she said with a triumphant smile.

Theodore stared at her as she stood up on her feet, dust her little dress off, and turned to look at him who was still sitting on the floor. She then reached out her hand to him and Theodore stared at it still and back at her. He slowly reached out his hand to grabs hers and the little Nalani tried her best to pull him up.

She turned and walked away, going back to their room. "Wait-", Theodore called out to her and Nalani turned back at him with a smile. 

"If someone asks who wrapped up your ankle, you can tell them it's me, Nalani."

Theo's

I envied her at first because she had both her parent's love whereas my parent's couldn't even care less about me. I realized that as I grew up. I had longed for their love but my parent's were only using me to show off to people, to be acknowledge as a happy family in the society but my family were an upper class. They were to busy to even bat an eye to their own son. 

Then I heard about Malina Lennox's sudden passing when I was 10 and thought about her again. That little girl, Nalani. No one knew of her existence except her family and now me. Of course, no one would imagine how she was feeling that time. But I knew, at least how she loved her mother a lot and now she has lost her. 

At the age of 18, I told my parents I wanted to pursue art, to paint, but they never supported me. Father disagreed as he wanted me to inherit the family business. I left our home after father kicked me out himself and ever since then, I've been on my own and met Koen too. My mother secretly visited me and supported me but she did it to convince me to go home and follow in my father's footsteps but I refused all the time until she stopped coming.

Then I saw her again, in art school. I thought I'd look at her the same way back then when I envied her but this time it was different. I was confused so I always went to places she would go to, to see her. Everyone gossiped how she was not much of a talker and a loner but they never really knew why she was like that but I did. And it struck me. The feeling of wanting to give her comfort and a shoulder to cry on, that was not envy at all. It was..

Present

Theodore shook off the memory, his heart aching with a mix of nostalgia and longing. "I guess I was just not ready for her to forget," he admitted quietly.

Koen patted his back. "Hey, don't lose hope. People change, and memories fade, but connections can be rekindled."

Theodore nodded, appreciating Koen's attempt to comfort him. As they stood to leave, Theodore took one last look in the direction Nalani had gone, silently vowing to find a way to reconnect with her.