Fragments of Forever by Ankit Soni 

Fragments of Forever.

I still remember the day I met Ethan. It was a cold winter afternoon and I was rushing to catch my train. In my haste, I bumped into someone and sent their coffee flying all over the pavement. I apologized profusely, but the stranger just smiled and told me not to worry about it.

'Here, let me buy you another one,' I offered, feeling guilty about causing the spill.

He chuckled and told me it wasn't a big deal, but I insisted. We ended up spending the next hour sitting at a nearby cafe, talking and laughing like old friends. It felt like I had known him forever, even though we had just met.

As I got on my train, he handed me a small piece of paper with his number scribbled on it. 'In case you want to grab coffee again,' he said with a wink.

I smiled all the way home, excited by the possibility of a new friendship.

It didn't take long for our friendship to turn into something more. We would meet for coffee or lunch almost every day, and I found myself looking forward to our conversations and his infectious laughter. He had a way of making even the most mundane things seem so interesting.

Before I knew it, I had fallen hard for Ethan. But I was afraid to tell him, afraid of ruining our friendship. But one day, he took me by surprise and confessed his feelings for me.

'I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, but I didn't want to ruin what we have. But I can't hide it anymore, I'm in love with you,' he said as he held out his hand.

Without any hesitation, I took his hand and replied, 'I'm in love with you too.'

From that day on, we were inseparable. We shared our hopes and dreams, our fears and insecurities. We uncovered each other's fragments of brokenness and together we started to heal. It was like we were meant to find each other, like all the pieces of our hearts were meant to come together to create a beautiful whole.

One night, as we were walking hand in hand along the beach, Ethan stopped and turned towards me. He took my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes.

'Will you be mine forever?' he asked, his voice filled with emotion.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered, 'Yes.'

And just like that, we were engaged. It was a simple, spontaneous proposal, but it meant everything to us. We spent the next year planning our dream wedding, but as our big day approached, things started to get complicated.

Ethan's work became demanding, and he had to travel a lot, leaving me alone with the wedding preparations. Our conversations became shorter and less frequent, and I could sense a distance growing between us.

One day, while I was almost in tears from the stress of it all, Ethan came home early. He took one look at me and pulled me into his arms.

'I'm sorry I've been distant. I know this is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives, but work has been consuming me. I promise to make it up to you,' he said, kissing my forehead.

And he did make it up to me. He cancelled his work trips, and we spent the next few weeks together, making memories and enjoying each other's company.

As we stood at the altar on our wedding day, surrounded by our loved ones, I realized that the little fragments of moments we shared, both happy and challenging, were what made us strong. Ethan's love was like glue, holding all my pieces together.

As we exchanged our vows, I knew that I was marrying my best friend, my soulmate, my forever. And in that moment, everything felt perfect. It was like all the fragments of our love had come together to create a picture-perfect masterpiece.

Years have passed since that day, and our love has only grown stronger. We have faced our fair share of challenges but each time, we have emerged even more in love.

Now, as I sit by the fireplace, watching our children play, I am filled with gratitude for those fragments of forever that brought us together. Ethan looks up from his book and smiles at me, his eyes sparkling with love.

'You know, some people say love doesn't last forever. But I know, with you, it will always be forever,' he says, and I lean in to kiss him, knowing that our love, like fragments of a broken mirror, will always come together to form a beautiful and unbreakable bond.