LOVE ME IN ANOTHER LIFE

The sky filled with its brightness, it was just the breaking of the day. Elara and Andrian can't stop talking about their love lives.

Elara Bennett stood barefoot before her easel, brush poised midair, as the sound of Adrian’s laughter drifted from behind her.

“Are you ever going to finish that piece?” he teased, leaning against the doorframe with that easy charm that always seemed to undo her. His hair, still damp from the shower, fell over his forehead in messy waves.

He wore his travel jacket — the same one she hated because it reminded her he was leaving again.

“I will,” she replied, not looking at him. “Maybe when you stop moving around long enough to stay in one place.”

He chuckled, stepping closer. “You know I can’t help it. This deal is important, Elara. If it goes through, I could finally open that firm in London.”

She lowered her brush, turning to face him. “And if something happens out there? What if you don’t come back?”

She had felt it. Adrian's disappearance.

The words came out softer than she meant them to — a tremor of fear she’d tried to hide all week.

Adrian’s smile faded. “Hey,” he murmured, closing the space between them. “Nothing’s going to happen. It’s a two-week trip, that’s all. I’ll be back before you finish that painting.”

She frowned. “You’ve been saying that for the last three projects.”

“And I always come back,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You just like worrying about me. Admit it.”

“I’d rather worry than lose you,” she whispered.

He kissed her then — slow and sure, like he was sealing a vow with every breath.

" You are worried about me." " This isn't my first trip, I have be traveling for years, and had returned safely. This shouldn't be different."

" Adrian's it is. " She replied him. " I am missing you already." She replied him

When he pulled away, he reached into his pocket and drew out a small silver locket. “Then keep this,” he said, placing it gently in her palm.”

Elara’s throat tightened. “Adrian…”

“Open it.”

Inside was a tiny photo — a candid shot he’d taken of the two of them by the sea, her laughter caught mid-breath, his arm around her. On the other side was a small inscription: ‘Wherever I go, I find my way back to you.’

Her eyes stung. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love me for it.”

“I do,” she admitted softly, tracing the edge of the locket. “I really do.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Then that’s all I’ll need to come home.”

That night, they had dinner by candlelight. Adrian cooked — badly — but insisted it was part of the “romantic experience.” The pasta was overcooked, the sauce too thick, but Elara laughed anyway, watching him move around the kitchen like he was trying to memorize every second before he left.

Afterward, they danced in the living room, barefoot, to a record that crackled with age. The song — “Can’t Help Falling in Love” — was their favorite. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him, a mix of cedarwood and warmth.

“Promise me something,” she said quietly. “Promise you’ll call every day.”

He nodded against her hair. “Every day.”

“And no reckless adventures.”

He laughed. “You make it sound like I’m going on an expedition.”

“Adrian, I’m serious.”

He lifted her chin, meeting her gaze. “Elara, I’m not going anywhere you can’t find me. You’re my home.”

The next morning, dawn came too soon. Elara stood by the window as Adrian loaded his luggage into the car. The city was just waking — streets damp with dew, the sky brushed with soft gray. He turned once, catching her watching him from the window, and smiled that same disarming smile.

When he came back inside for a final goodbye, she couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered, brushing them away. “You’ll make me stay.”

“Maybe I want you to.”

“You’d ruin my career.”

“I’d save my heart,” she murmured.

He kissed her one last time, deep and slow, as if trying to imprint the memory of her onto his soul. “Two weeks,” he said. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.”

“You’re already missed,” she whispered as he turned to leave.

Days passed. Then weeks.

Elara tried to keep busy — the gallery opening, the commissions, the endless stream of well-meaning friends who told her to “keep faith.” Adrian called from airports, from hotel rooms, from site visits. His voice was always bright, reassuring. “Almost done, love,” he’d say. “One more meeting, one more day.”

Then the calls stopped.

At first, she thought it was just the time difference. Then a week went by. Then two. His company called. The words blurred together — storm, communication failure, missing flight.

She dropped the phone.

The world tilted. The room went silent except for the sound of her heartbeat, heavy and hollow.

“Missing?” she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. “Not dead?”

“Not confirmed,” the voice said gently. “They’re still searching.”

She clung to that word — searching — as if it could undo reality. Every night, she left the porch light on. Every morning, she checked the news.

But the weeks turned to months. The world moved on. She didn’t.

“ It became more clear to her that her instincts must have told her the truth.” If only he had listened to me. “ She said before everyone.

“ Are you aware of his disappearance.?” An anonymous person asked.

Tears ran in Elara 's eyes as she thought deep.

after consolation and hope to find Andrian. Elara sat at the locket open in her hand. The sunset bled across the sky in shades of orange and violet. She pressed the locket to her lips.

“You promised you’d come back,” she whispered. “You promised.”

Her dog, Max, whined softly, resting his head on her knee. She smiled faintly, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I know,” she murmured, “he’ll find his way home. He always does.”

She rose and turned toward the easel. The canvas she had started before he left still stood there — unfinished.

A faint sketch of a man reaching toward the horizon. She picked up her brush.

“Let’s finish it together,” she said to the silence.

The air shifted — soft, almost imperceptible. Elara had wanted to be with him.

Her heart pounded.

" I am awaiting your romantic touch. The gift you promised me, the moment to spend together on your return." She views Andrian's imagination within her.

“Adrian?” she whispered.

There were no words coming.

Can’t Help Falling in Love.

She dropped the brush, staring at the record spinning slowly, untouched.

" What has happened? I can't believe this."

Her voice trembled. “Adrian?”

No answer. Just the echo of the song, and her tears falling quietly onto the floor.

" Andrian, where are you?" Elara stood watching from the mirror.

" Max." She called the dog which sat closer to her.

" Did you see Andrian.?" She asked Max which just sat breathing. It tears my ears.

" Come let's go search for him. Maybe he is around." She walked as the dog walked with her.