Five years later.

Here lies beloved An-

"Kiara," I hear my brother's voice. He comes to me and pulls me into a side hug.

"He is still alive, Kiara, here." He says, motioning to his heart.

It's been five years since that dreadful day. Keith said his last goodbye and left me alone in this world. The doctors were able to keep his heart alive and performed Andrew's surgery. His heart did fail during the surgery, and they replaced Andrew's heart with Keith's.

Here Lies Beloved And Loved Keith Tennyson

January 6, 1998- June 15, 2019.

He is buried near my parent's graves. He will be at peace with them in heaven now. After the heart monitor went flat. I was frozen in place. Somebody dragged me outside the room while the doctors tried to bring him back to life. He lost a lot of blood, and his brain took a lot of damage. I didn't cry. There were no more tears. It's like I completely shut off my emotion. I regret one thing, though. I didn't say that I love him back.

"He was such a liar, wasn't he?" I say, astonished to Andrew.

"He begged the doctors to tell me that he was fine and that he was going to live. He made the doctor's lie to us. It was his dying wish, and the doctors wanted to fulfil that. He is such a freaking liar," I yell.

He watched anime with me since I love watching anime. We learned little Japanese from watching that. He said goodbye just like all those anime characters did. Screw you, Kei. That goodbye is what hurts the most. He could have gone like a normal person.

Finally, the tears start flowing, and I sit by his grave sobbing. Andrew strokes my hair, pulling me to his chest. Everyone close to me leaves me in the end. They don't care how I feel. I am again left to chase his shadow.

A lot has happened these past five years. After Kei died, I broke up with Reed wanting to be alone. I cut myself from my friends and moved to India. Andrew wouldn't leave me alone, and he followed me here. I cut myself from everyone because I don't think I can handle losing another person close to me. I brought another house and lived there with Andrew. I couldn't bear living in my house where everything reminded me of Kei.

Reed went to England. I lost contact with everyone. I am finally going back to America. After five long years. Why?

To attend Reed's marriage. Yep, you read that right. He is getting married. Not to me, though. He met another girl, and they fell in love blah blah blah the same usual thing. Two months ago, I got a mail from him that he is getting married, and he wants me there. I cried for a good two days because I still loved him. Not anymore, though.

I broke up with him thinking that if we are meant to be together, we will find a way back to each other. I was even pretty sure that we were meant to be together. Seems like his love towards me was only this strong to make him forget about me and get married to another girl within five years. We were just never meant to be. I helped him fall in love. I wonder who is going to help me fall in love again. I wish I never met him. I don't regret the memories I made. I just regret falling in love with him.

"Come on, we will miss our flight if we are late," Andrew reminds me. I kiss his grave and say goodbye one last time. I leave the cemetery only to meet with Anna and Divya.

"Hey, Kia. All packed?" Anna inquires, hugging me. She looks at my face and wipes a stray tear while chuckling and shaking her head.

"It's been five years. Time flew by fast,"

"You are so strong, Kia. So much has happened. You lost your brother, your first love is marrying another girl, and you are attending his marriage. Pathetic." She scoffs. Safe to say, my friends hate Reed now.

"I want him to be happy, Anna. He wanted me at his marriage. I also want to see him one last time and forget about me ever loving him," I smile sadly.

"Find someone else, Kiara. You deserve so much more for having such a kind heart," Div reassures me.

"Andrew, please kick Reed for me," Anna requests.

"Affirmative," Andrew chuckles.

I say goodbye to them and leave for the airport.

The whole way, I can't help but wonder how it will be to meet my friends after five long years. Andrew did travel between America and India. I forgot to tell you. Andrew and Kate are engaged, and they are getting married after a month.

Soon we reach America and are greeted by Raven, Blake, and Ryder. Ryder runs to me and pulls me into a hug. I place my head on his chest and hug him back. He is 19 years old now, and he is taller than me too.

"Why didn't you come back to visit? I missed you so much," Ryder cries.

"I am sorry, bud. It will kill me if I lose another person close to me again. But, hey, here I am, and I am going to be here for good." I grin.

"Really?"

"Yep, I got a job here, and I am staying here with you" I exclaim, and he hugs me once again. I look at Raven, and she has not aged one bit. I am very jealous.

"Hi, honey," She hugs me, and I start crying, realizing how much I missed these people.

"I am so sorry," She says, referring to Reed. I shake my head with a smile.

"If he is happy, that is all I want,"

We soon reach home, and I go to my room to find it the way I left. Ariel comes running to me. She is so much taller too. I hug her and pet her for a while.

I change into a beautiful dress Raven got for me and head to the wedding venue.

The venue looks beautiful. There is a small stream flowing around, and there is a bridge built across it. The stream is covered with cherry blossom, and it reminds me of the place he took me on our first date. There are chairs arranged, and the stage is beautifully decorated. All the people are talking and laughing, waiting for the couple to arrive. I wished for this when I was young, and someone else gets to enjoy it.

It's slightly windy, and the weather is so pleasant, and the place looks heavenly. Few leaves fall on me, and I smile, enjoying the scenery. Someone pulls me into a hug, and I hear crying.

"I hate you. I hate you," kate cries, hugging me tightly. I hug her back just as tight.

"No contact, nothing whatsoever. You disappeared. I had to know everything from Andrew," kate yells at me. I try to shush her, giving apologetic looks to the people watching us. I smile sheepishly, and she continues to yell at me.

I look at Ava, and she walks towards me with her hands on her belly. Noah accompanies her. I hug her carefully, not hurting her baby bump. Noah pulls me into a hug, and he scolds me too. I missed them so much.

Luke comes towards me with a huge smile. He looks so handsome, and I look away, blushing. What?

He pulls me into a hug, and I lean into his touch.

"I missed you, Kiara, so much," I finally start crying. These past five years have been hell, but I am here with them, and it will be okay.

I take a seat with everyone else, and I catch up with them, laughing wholeheartedly for the first time in such a long time. Then I look at HIM.

He is standing there wearing a black tuxedo waiting for his bride. He has not changed much. He looks handsome as always. Our eyes meet, and he has a shocked expression on his face. We stare at each other, but I break eye contact and give him a small smile. I excuse myself to the bathroom, not wanting my friends to see me cry.

I cry for a good five minutes. I am happy that I still don't wear makeup because it would have been a pain to reapply makeup.

I lean on a pillar beside the stream and watch the ceremony. The bride arrives, and she looks beautiful. I smile sadly. He is happy, and I am glad. They say their vows, laugh at some jokes and memories, then finally exchange rings and a kiss.

I look down, not wanting to cry and see the promise ring he gave me on my 18th birthday.

"You promised, Reed. That you will be with me until our hair turns grey and when one of our ears stops working. You promised that you would be with me until I could ride my own wave. You promised that you will love me forever. You promised," I whisper, sobbing. I cover my mouth so that I won't be heard.

'Kiara, please stop crying. I can't see you cry anymore. You don't deserve this,' winter starts ugly crying.

'I love you. You don't need anybody else. I promise I won't torment you anymore. I am so glad to be with you. He doesn't deserve a person like you,'

I laugh through my tears.

'Did you just say that you love me?' I tease her.

'Yes, I do. You don't deserve any of this. Let's start new. Keith told us not to hate our life, remember. It was his last wish. Let's find meaning in this life. I won't leave you alone. Your friends won't leave you alone'

'Thanks, winter,' I smile. I feel a lot better now.

A hand wipes the tears from my face. I look at Luke, and he smiles sadly at me.

"I am here, Kiara. I always have, and I always will be," He whispers, pulling me into a hug, and I have a feeling that this promise will last a long time. He places a kiss on my forehead. Luke stayed single. He tried dating someone during university, but it didn't work out. I wonder who he is waiting for?

I am not going to stay moping and whining over my life forever. I am going to make my own fate. I promised Andrew that. I am going to find myself a family that I deserve. Not every story has a happy ending. That's why books with happy endings are called a fairytale. The reality is different.

I should thank life. It broke me, but the pain has made me stronger. I can carve my own path and live a happy life now. I can overcome any struggle that comes my way. Life has pulled me down so many times, but I get back up, stronger each time. I feel hope. All four of my best friends, including Andrew, come and stand near me.

I remove the ring from my finger and taking, a deep breath, throw it in the stream. I watch it drown till it's not visible anymore, forgetting all my memories, and the love that I felt for him. I wipe all my tears, and my eyes find Reed dancing happily with his wife. I expected to be in pain, watching him, but I feel free, free of the ache in my heart. I feel at peace watching the man I loved, who didn't love me the same way I loved him. He looks at me.

I give him a huge smile feeling genuinely happy for him. I nod to him once and leave the venue with my best friends without looking back to find a new path, where I don't have to chase peoples shadows anymore. A New Beginning.

FINDING LOVE ABROAD: MISSION FAILED.

          _______________________________

This is the end. I really hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Remember Jesus loves you. Thank you for staying till the end. Let me know what you think. Let me know how you thought the story was going to end.

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