Liam

Alone. That's the only word that could describe me. I was an orphan by birth. My old grandparents were rich enough for getting me admission in Grace Central but since their death I was alone in this world.

I was never much of a talker. I liked to be invisible. When I joined Grace, I had no friends. I wanted to have friends but I didn't know how to aproach them. My world was just me and myself alone until I met them. Sam and Abid. They were thick childhood best friends. They found me in their way and decided to add me into their world. I always wanted to believe otherwise, I was the one who found them and wanted them to accept me into their friendship. They never made me feel like a third wheeler like how I used to think initially. They accepted me as their own brother. Being in that brotherhood was the best times of my life.

No best times stays the same forever, that might be what happened to me too. Within just a seconds of time, I lost everything. I lost the last people I called as a family and there again I became Alone. A second, that's all it takes to disappear your entire meaning of life. Pff. Its gone.

After what happened in the past, everyone went their own way but I stayed close by. I had nowhere to go. I wanted to be near the memories. That's something that nobody can take away from me. Everything changed when one day Mr.Levington called me. I knew about the charity auction he was conducting but Mr. Levington after a long time called me personally.

Few months before...

"Liam, here you are. I was waiting for you." Mr. Levington had a weird expression in his face. He was smiling. That was not something he used to do mostly.

"Yes, Sir. What made you remember me after all these years?" I raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is there need to be a special reason to call up one of my favourite student." Mr. Levington used to have special attention for me since I was good in his subject, mathematics. He don't even give that attention to his own son even though Abid was quite good at it.

" Why? Thank you sir. But there should be reason since you called me urgently. "

"Yes. There is. Come let me show you?"

He took me to the room which once used to be Abid's. He opened the lock and pushed the door open. The room was dirty and cobwebs were tangled everywhere. But the fragrace of Abid stayed in every corner. Maybe that sense might be a memory from past.

Mr. Levington took out a chest from Abid's drawer and gave it to me.

"This was last of his personal things. I have given away many things but I think you should have this." I looked at him curiously. Why me? Don't he want this for himself as Abid's final memory.

"I am going. I am leaving far away from this town and will take up Sanyas in Himalaya. I need to live the last days of my life paying for my mistakes." He said. He was looking at something far beyond.

"But sir this is-"

"I loved my wife and my son. But I was not right for them. I did many things that I regret all my life. Since Abid's mother's death I couldn't handle myself. I did... I did wrong with Abid. I never gave him the fatherly love he wished for. He was alone. He just had you guys. His friends. I think you deserve to have this."

"Mr. Levington, Sir. This is Abid's most valued possesion. He wouldnt even let us touch them. I dont know-"

"Then it's time to touch and know everything. I know he wanted you to have it. I saw him- I saw him in my dream. He wanted you to have it. Go on child. I am leaving soon from here."

"Sir, no matter whatever you said or did to him, he loved you very much. I need you to know that." I said to him. I saw Mr. Levington tearing up.

"I know. He was a very good boy. He didn't deserve this fate." Mr. Levington said and went to his room. I sat there on Abid's bed remembering the time we used to hang out. I miss him and Sam terribly. I don't have words to describe my feeling. I sat there for few more minutes and thought about the last words Mr. Levington said. Yes, Abid didn't deserve this fate. I always thought about why god left me alone. I now knew why. I was assigned to make Abid's dreams come true. I was left since our friendship had a value. Now it's my time to help Abid.

I took my phone and dialled a number on my way back from Abid's house. Tring. Tring. Tring. Tring.

On the 5th ring, the phone answered.

"Hey Rayn. I am Liam, there is an important thing I need to share with you."

~~~~~~~

I had the truth in my hands. The truth of all the secrets everyone have been keeping from each other. I had Abid's diary with me. It had lot of things he couldn't share with others. Abid never lies to us. He was one of the honest person I have seen. But he was also the kind of person who keeps a lot of secrets. He hide his pain in his warm smiling face.

I had been with Abid's side since I met him. I had been going to a community college 100 miles from grace town since I had no place to go. Abid was also with me since he had to go to his university only once in a while but he could complete it from grace town itself.

He had another Scholarship from Oxford in which he could do any subject of his choice full-time in England for 5 whole years but he chose Havard. He said he wanted to be near Grace Central. He used to share his dreams with me on how he wanted the whole valley and town to be. He was a dreamer but he hoped one day he will succeed. He kept a journal on that.

Abid had some secrets he couldn't share with anyone not even with his best friends. He wrote everything down which he can't express himself to others. He kept that diary with him. He always tucked it his coat near his heart.

One day he came to my door looking horrible wretched in rain. He had pale face with swollen eyes. I took him in and gave him the bed to sleep. I saw him writing something down in his diary crying. So, I did something without his knowledge. I knew there was something bothering him so once when he started sleeping, I took the diary from his bed. As he was in deep sleep, he didn't notice my presence. I read his diary over and over. I was shocked with what was written over there. There was things which I didn't expect from Abid.

Suddenly he came behind me and took the diary from me. He shouted at me and cursed me. I saw a different angle of him. When I told him to calm down, he slapped me right across my face. When he realised what he had done, he walked out of my door in the heavy downpour.

I didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't talk to him after what I had done. So I called Sam the very next day. Sam was planning to surprise Stef for his graduation but he came a day earlier than he planned to talk with Abid.

I will never forget that night. I have never seen Abid like that ever in my life. I was afraid of what might happen to him. But it happened. On the day of Sam's brother's graduation, It happened to him but poor Sam became a prey too. Abid was depressed. Nobody knew about it but when I read his diary, I found out all the truth about him. The only thing I was afraid about was what if he had slipped way beyond his depressed state. What if he becomes suicidal? But my fear became true. I was the only one who knew that Abid did not die of accident. He killed himself and Sam came along with way so Sam had to give his own life for his childhood bestfriend.

All these memories and secrets were haunting me. I had the solution in my hand in the form of Abid's diary. I just had to give it to the right person and the entire truth will be out. I knew who deserves the diary and I am going to give it to that person soon.

Everyone was visiting Mia in the hospital. It had been three days since Mia gave birth to her son. I was here in Grace Central. The entire school was deserted. I was walking in the memory lane. Alone. Then as I started to walking towards the garden I saw someone sitting under the old willow tree. Alone. I walked towards it. I heard sobbing sounds as I got near. I understood who it was by the attire, it was Hazel. I noticed that she was sitting there wearing black dress and crying heavily hugging her knees. Hearing my footsteps she looked up and wiped her tears.

"Hi. Hazel. Are you Alright?" I asked her. She nodded and gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. I have been watching Hazel very closely since she arrived. She had always acted strongly and had an emotionless face until now. Two days before we knew that she was indeed the mysterious sponsor. But nobody spoke about business for the last two days since Rayn was avoiding the whole plan. He was depressed by something Hazel told him. Hazel was always with her fiance since his arrival and she also came to visit Mia. Everybody agreed to stay for the whole week to execute the plan of Abid's dream project.

"Can I sit here?" I asked her. When she approved I sat on the grass best to her. We sat in silence for few seconds watching the sunset far way.

"Where is your fiance?" I asked her.

"He went back to New York. Someone has to fill my presence. There is an important meeting tomorrow and Will is doing it in my place." She said.

"You have done a wonderful work Hazel. Abid would have been proud of what you have done." She smile at my words.

"Thank you. Abid had always been a great motivator for me. I miss him." She said.

"If you don't mind can I ask you why you were crying?" I asked.

"Oh! It's nothing. The memories were too much. I felt... overwhelmed." She said. I felt like she is hiding something in her words. She was so much like Abid.

"How are you?" She asked me to change the topic.

"I am what I am. That is Lonely. I miss my friends but seeing you all again is a relief." That was true. I missed others and It's a relief that all are here for the reunion.

She nodded at looked forward to the the falling sun.

"I wish. I wish that I had saved Abid and Sam. I wish I had gone with them. I wish I would have die with them so that I won't be alone in this world." I said in confession. I didn't want to hide from the truth. It felt good to finally say those words.

My words echoed and died with the falling sun. I didn't care if hazel heard it but It felt good to do that here.

"I wish I could love Will like he loves me. I wish I could get rid of the memories from past. I wish... I wish I could tell about my hope to the world. I wish... I wish my friend's had supported me when I needed them the most 8 years ago. I wish I had never ran away."
Her words were even more shocking to her. I didn't turned to took at her. But our words which were always a burden to us left us to join the now sunken sun.

The sky was painted with reddish orange colours. It was getting dark. I finally looked at her and said.

"It's getting dark. I need to go now." I got up from there and I took out the book that was tucked inside my sachet.

"This belong's to you." She looked at me with a confused expression.

"What is this book? I didn't have anything like this before. I am sure It's not mine." She said.

"No. It's not yours. It belonged to someone else but now I am sure It belongs to you."

She took the book from me and looked up at me one more time.

"Why me?" She asked.

"Why you? You should know that yourself. You deserve to know the answers Hazel. This will give you it. Go on open it and read it."
She looked puzzled and started to open the first page.

I walked away from the old willow tree. When I was far enough I could hear Hazel's confused scream. "Liam??"

She might have read what was written in the first page. I have read it millions of times.

This book is my personal diary. This belongs to me, 'Abid'. I dedicate this to the love of my life, Hazel.

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

Congratulations to everyone who guessed this twist. I have another surprise for my Reunion Fam. There is going to be a prequel to The Reunion:Decagrace.

Do you need clue on how the prequel is going to be?
I will give you a clue- It is going to be a single point of view story. Guess who will be the narrative character?

Thank you again for all of your valuable support.
Please do Vote, comment and share this story if you are loving this story.

أحبك
Ahbak ♡ #arabianmode
♡ U MY FAM.