One week has passed since I have seen Lina. And honestly, every time somebody enters the store I hope it is her.

Guilt is eating me from inside, remembering the way I have behaved with her. She was nothing but nice to me and I just ill-treated her.

Changing the open sign to closed, I lock the door and walk down the beach.

Warm sand tickles my feet as I stroll around the beach. Shades of orange, yellow, and red dances across the ocean, as the sun begins to set filling the sky with orange hues.

Walking a little further to a less crowded part of the beach, I notice a familiar girl sitting on one of the rocks all by herself. Narrowing my eyes I try to get a better look at her, as I move further towards her.

Once I am a few feet away from her, I notice she is Lina. A wave of relief washes over me when I see her as I thought that maybe she has gone back to her home. Because Caleb told once, that she came here for vacation for some days.

She gets startled by my presence when I sit beside her but masks her features with a neutral look. We silently enjoy the solace and tranquility around us, as we watch angry-red of the sky shifts into soft purples and pink, gradually turning dark, as the sun settles behind the ocean.

"Sunset always makes me sad." I break the silence in which we are surrounded.

"I feel like with every sunset something good comes to an end." I look at her, to find her already giving me her full attention.

"Sunsets do not symbolize endings, as they are the promise for a new beginning." She speaks, but quickly she signs words to me, making me smile.

"So, can I hope that this sunset promises me forgiveness from a certain girl along with the beginning of a new friendship?" Tearing my gaze away from the horizon I glance at her hopefully.

She laughs but it does not reach her eyes, with a sigh, her stare falls down in her lap.

"There is nothing to be forgiven." She smiles raising her eyes to meet mine. "You do not need to apologize for anything." She shakes her head as half-smile adorns her face.

"As far as friendship is concerned, I think you just want to be my friend because it will help you to get rid of the guilt which you are feeling. Honestly, Jason, you do not know me and neither I know you. Maybe this will be the last time, we are meeting. After some days we will not even remember each other's names. So, instead of trying to be friends, let just wish each other farewell and get along with our lives."

Her words cause an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I do not know why, but I did not like when she said this might be our last meeting. I do not want it to be our last meeting. I barely know her, but I am sure I do not want to bid goodbye to her. I know she will not stay here forever, and one day she will leave. However, I want her to leave but with a see-you-soon smile, not with a never-see-you-again goodbye wave.

"After the accident, I slipped into the come for four months. When I woke up the thing which greeted me was silence. Doctors were speaking to me, but all I could see was their lips moving but I could not hear a single sound. Panicked... all I remember being panicked. Doctors were trying to calm me, but I can see it in their eyes that something is wrong." Rubbing my face with both of my hands, I take a deep breath.

"Later, I found out that my hearing has been deeply affected, and I lost my hearing sense." Pursing my lips tightly together, I try to hold myself together. "My entire world turned upside down. I have never envisioned my future like this."

"I had a perfect life." I scoff. "Supporting family, own shop, and a loving fiancee or at least that's what I thought." I chuckle humorlessly, recalling how my so-called loving fiancee broke up with me just after one-month I woke up because she was finding it difficult to deal with a disabled boyfriend.

"Unknowingly, I started to isolate myself from everyone, because all I could see pity in everyone's eyes." Clenching my jaws, I hold back my tears which have formed in my eyes. "I hate this... I hate when others look differently at me."

A small hand finds its way into mine, making me turn to her. She holds my hand slightly squeezing it in an attempt to comfort me.

"You were the first person, in a long time, whose eyes didn't hold sympathy for me. You looked at me, even after knowing my disability, like I am a normal guy. You made me feel normal. Even though I am far from normal."

"Then I hated you because you reminded me so much of my old self. I envied you because every time I saw you, you were happy without in the care of the world." Regret laced my words, as I feel so small.

Her hold on my hand tightens as she starts laughing. I am sure if I could hear I would have called her laugh beautiful.

"You are surrounded by happiness, you just have to find it." I read her lips, which has a hint of a smile on them

"You are special." She mouths while writing the word special on inside of my palm with her finger, this time making me laugh along with her her.

"See? It doesn't take much to be happy?" She shrugs with a smile.

"You just called a deaf person, special of course it will make me laugh."

"You are an idiot." She rolls her eyes, slightly annoyed.

"And you are indecisive," I smirk, enjoying her annoyance.

"How many people do you know who can lip-read?" She huffs then arches an eyebrow at me.

"Not many people have this talent." She uses her hands as if she is speaking about something important.

"Being deaf plus lip-reader has some advantages." She suddenly wiggles her eyebrows mischievously.

"Has what?" I slightly frown not understanding the last word.

"Ad-van-tages." She repeats breaking the words, then releasing her hand from mine she signs.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I realize that all this while I was holding her hand, but she doesn't seem to notice this.

"Advantages?" I nod. "Care to explain."

"Well, the way you keep flickering your gaze between lips and face." She waves her finger in front of my face. "If you are talking to a girl, she will think a hot guy wants to kiss her." She winks and laughs.

"You think I am hot?" I ask, throwing my head in laughter, as she pouts while frowning.

"Don't act like as if you don't know." She looks down, a light tinge graces her cheeks.

"You are cute." I smile.

"I know." She smugly says.

"Well, coming back to the topic." She claps her hand twice.

"When you will go on a date with some girl, you can stare her all you without being judged." She nods her head at me. "Also she will have your undivided attention, so you will make her special without doing anything much."

"I don't believe you," I say deadpan. "There is a girl I met and she doesn't even want to be my friend and here you are saying that a girl will feel special when she will be with me."

"Okay, I will be your friend. But only when you will stop letting your small fault, in the way of living your life." She softly smiles at me.

"I don't know how to be myself again." Sighingly, I admit. "Somewhere when I lost my hearing, I have lost myself too." I swallow as a sad smile forms on my face.

"I am here for ten days, in these ten days I will help you to live your life like before or even better." She quickly signs. "But you will believe in yourself and will not let your disability stop you in taking challenges."

"I promise." Words effortlessly flow out of my mouth. The confidence and determination in her eyes, makes me want to believe her. The hope which was almost lost, find its way back into my heart. Hope to be happy again... Hope to live my life again.

Then I see the brightest smile on her face, which makes her whole face shine. My heart flutters lightly, at the sight of her happy face. And deep down I know, no matter what happens after these ten days, but one thing is sure that I will find my happiness.

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Thank you for reading.