No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

They say men don't easily shed tears.

Especially in front of women.

But there I was, witnessing Grant's eyes turn red before me, then tears cascading down his cheeks.

I didn't try to console him. Instead, I left his office, giving him space to mourn his bond with Ernest.

Grant had told me the company was Ernest's idea, but Grant was the one running it. That alone spoke volumes about their friendship; Ernest trusted him enough to leave everything in his hands. But now Ernest was gone, leaving Grant waiting for a return that would never happen.

That pain must be no less than mine in losing Ernest!

I left Grant's office for Ernest's lab. He was in R&D, always testing his own theories, so his office was filled with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos. Despite the chaos, it was an organized chaos. Looking at those tools, the experiment logbooks on his desk with data and his strong, confident handwriting, my heart twisted in pain.

Everything about Ernest reminded me of him, yet he was out of reach, a feeling only those who've lost can understand.

Eventually, I sat at Ernest's desk, opening his drawer. His pen, flash drive, notebooks, Bluetooth earpiece...

there, a clear box containing something

find a bracelet, its material unlike anything commercially available,

fallen off and searched the box, discovering unassembled parts and a piece of paper with the

meant to give it to me,

left to protect me. Now, this bell served as proof that even in separation,

be wouldn't have made

bracelet otherwise.

started assembling the incomplete bracelet, but

it before

I refused to let this bracelet remain hidden in a box. It was

no clasp, I figured I'd make one myself, just like Ernest would

had just finished attaching the bracelet with a red thread clasp around my

with every movement of

Ernest's things?" Grant asked,

seen Ernest