What does it mean to love? How much of yourself are you willing to lose for love?
Rida marries Aqib because he loves her. Khaled let's go of Rida because he loves her. In a tale of heartbreak, loss and struggle, exists hope, happiness and new love.
author's note: this story is an emotional rollarcoaster, not meant for the faint hearted. please proceed with caution.
trigger warnings: death, destruction and love.
word count: 85,000
completed
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It's interesting what you can think of even when your facing death.
The stench of burning rubber filled the air, blaring red and blue sirens brightened the night as far as the eye could see, and the pool of blood obstructing my vision as I lay motionless, indicated that death hung near. Yet all I could think about was that one time I visited the local carnival and took the big ferris wheel.
Glowing and colorful, I thought it would be fast and high and exciting, but it was gentle and calm, and so much better than what I had wanted. There was one initial jolt once we'd buckled ourselves in. One small, uncomfortable jump that made our hearts exhilarate and our hands grip the sidebars. The rest of the ride had been mellow and smooth, even the end had been a gradual progression before a seamless stop.
"Is this really the end?" I had exclaimed. "I wasn't ready."
"Are we ever ready for the end?" he had asked.
"No, but sometimes we can see the beginning of the end, and that helps."
It's not the end. I told myself as my eyelids grew heavy. It's not the end. Because if it were, the end started the day I married him.
