The evening was so fulfilled as the sun set, taking away all the sorrows of people and tucking them away with himself. Like every day, he knocked on my windows and let himself in by spraying some of his charming rays. My room was fully soaked in orange and yellow rays as he bid bye for the day. Somehow he always managed to seek my attention, however busy I might be.

I threw myself into the bean bag and took my phone. I logged in to the given email with the password I deciphered. There was an email in the inbox already. It was sent from an anonymous email address, and I couldn't find any clues in it. The subject of the email was With a Dosage of Love & Ice." I clicked it swiftly and started reading it silently.

Like ice & fire
I melt near you.
You being fierce,
Engulf me in whole.

Being aesthete,
I admire your spark,
Beyond its wildness,
Beyond its solidity.

Basking on a beach,
I sprawl along the shore.
Letting in the warmth
Shed by valiant you.

There I melted,
Without any sense,
Along with my soul
As an added bonus.

Blending into the sea,
With the coldness in me,
Spreading all over the waters
Adulterating its serenity.

Now the sea is yours,
With all pieces of me,
Indulged in it vehemently
With nothing but love.

From being cold to soft
It was you who molded me,
With your warmth,
With your benevolence.

Maybe someday I'll be back.
Back as a ceaseless downpour,
Tranquillizing the mighty you,
With a dosage of love & ice!

Being ice,
Its Y.

With each letter, I was able to understand him better. Each of them has a glimpse of nature and a sense of longing. Maybe he was longing for a kind of affection that refines him, removes his loneliness, and ignites his passion. Beyond everything, I could sense his fondness for nature. The way he always relies on nature to pacify him and the way it seduces him are clearly conveyed in these writings, even if they were unintentional. The way he described things was beyond my imagination. I never in my life fancied travelling the world with an iceberg as a ship or thought myself to be a ferocious fire. With his imagination, he made anything possible. Maybe that's what love can make one do.

I desperately wanted to write back to him. So I decided to write something as a reply and give it to him the moment we get to meet.

When I held the pen, my hands started shivering. It was the first time my hands shivered while writing. My heart raced as if it were on a horse race, but there was no one to bet on me except his mail lying in the inbox so full of life. Everything has a life when the right eyes see it and the right hearts feel it. Maybe that's why I felt his letters were more alive.

As I placed the pen on the paper, I struggled. I didn't know how to start or what to write. I thought for almost half an hour, holding the pen grippingly. My head spun like clothes put in a washing machine. I tried to write everything I felt at this moment, not minding the coherence and cohesion. I may not be as good as him with words, but I tried pulling something decent together, something that was almost a poem. This was my first attempt, and even though I knew the outcome could be tragic, I hoped he would understand my feelings beyond those misplaced words, which I ruthlessly tagged as a poem.

There were a few images attached to the email at the end. I clicked the download button swiftly after noticing it. Within the seconds it took to download, I had millions of questions and expectations in my head. The top most among them was What if it was his photo?

The photos were downloaded in no time. I clicked on them promptly. To my disappointment, none of his photos were there. But to my surprise, there was something. It was all the photos on some printed pages. Maybe it belonged to a random book. I read those pages to make sure what they held. But I couldn't understand anything. Those pages were taken from the middle of a book that I haven't read. But he did round out some letters in each line. It took me a while to understand that it was not the content but the rounded letters that made sense.

I started writing down all the letters that he rounded. It almost took two pages. But I feared the next big task was to split those into meaningful words by providing them with spaces. It was like a game we play in one of those classes where we are dying of boredom. Clara and I used to play around like this in our chemistry classes when we were in high school.

"Would you like to step down for a moment, honey?" Mom knocked on the door.

"Oh yeah, in a minute, mom." I said as I safely placed a crystal paper weight upon the paper. The crystal reflected the yellow sunlight, making me not want to turn the light on. I jumped out of bed and climbed down the stairs.

"Someone has been waiting for you really long, baby." My dad stressed the word really and winked at me.

"Who is someone?" I looked at them both alternatively, as they were standing opposite each other.

I heard a mild whine as a reply. I turned in the direction it was coming. I jumped in front of the couch only to be astonished by a little creature already tearing down the couch fabric.

"Aw! Are you for real, bud?" I covered my mouth with both hands as I became awestruck.

"Ah! Ah! Don't tear down the couch, you little package of monsters." My mom was never fond of pets. She used to run away every time I asked about adopting a dog. On the contrary, I have always wanted to have a pet. I even searched YouTube for videos about how to groom a dog and saved some just in case she changed her mind.

"That was a pretty bad attempt to impress mom, buddy." My dad took the puppy in his hands and gave him to me.

He was so little that he fit perfectly into my arms. He was brown-haired. His thick, silky, and wavy hair badly triggered me to brush it. His brown eyes were captivating, also supplementing the naivety in his face. I badly wanted to squeeze his cheeks. It was so squishy.

He barked and tried reaching out for my t-shirt. He soon chewed and made it wet. Then his attention turned towards my face. He licked all over my face with his tiny pink tongue.

"Aw! Is he hungry?" I looked at my dad with an overwhelmed face.

"I think so." He took him from me to give him some food.

"Okay! Now that he's already here, what shall we name him?" I got excited about the whole naming part.

"Up to you." My unexcited mom waved her hands in the air. I slowly walked to my dad, wondering how he convinced mom to adopt the dog.

"Maybe Milo?" I looked at him. Once the puppy heard it, it looked at me. I got excited and thought he liked that name too.

"He likes it, it seems." Dad gave an affirmative smile.

"Woo-hoo!" I jumped up and down, and Milo got scared and ran behind my dad to hide himself. I stopped jumping as it intimidated him. He looked up at me through the gap between his legs.

"Isn't he cute?" I exclaimed.

"He is, for sure. But just try not to scare him with your charm, El." He said this as he took Milo's hand and caressed his hair.

"Oh, stop it, dad." I sighed.

Mom stared at us from the kitchen, thinking about the torn fabric of the couch. "We'll get it done, darling. Can you just spare his little teeth?" Dad said it in a mild tone, which was enough to convince her. Milo whined after licking his mouth, as if he were supporting his dad.

"So now how do we make him sleep, dad?"

"Let's put him in his basket with his little blanket on." Dad gently placed him down. Milo pulled the blanket away, biting it. He threw it away and ran to grab it, only to throw it away again. It looked like a game that only he could play.

After having dinner, I took a small bowl of fruit salad and ran upstairs, saying goodnight to all. I took Milo to my room and let him play with the torn blanket. He was very active and started running across the room with the blanket stuck between his sharp little teeth. After  accompanying him for a while, I tucked myself into bed. I removed the paper weight and took the letter. I started writing it on another piece of paper with spaces in between the set of letters that sounded meaningful. 

It wasn't as easy as it seemed. Half an hour into it, and I already started experiencing headaches. The gentle breeze coming from the window soothed me and kept me going. And finally, I made it into something readable.

Before continuing to read it, I turned around to look at Milo. He was sleeping peacefully in his basket. He looked extremely beautiful, and I couldn't control my hands from touching him. I gently caressed his forehead, fearing not to wake him up. But he sensed it anyway, slowly opened his eyes, and saw me. After giving a quick glance, he closed his eyes and got into his sleep. Cautiously, I sat near him without making any noise and started reading the letter I held.

The lights were flickering now and then. It was an unpretentious place with almost-abandoned streets. I was sitting on the front steps of an old house around the corner of the street. I was a little boy then who was waiting for the few friends he ever had to show up so that we could play hide & seek. I was sightseeing and counting the number of people who took this street until they came.

Only a few people, not worrying about the time, took these streets to walk down. Few were enjoying the atmosphere, opening up their ears for the cracking sound that fallen dry leaves make when they walk upon them, breathing in the fresh air, and humming their favorite song. Few were cycling with their headphones on and turning off everything else.

There was this one couple who seized my entire attention. They were middle-aged. The sound of their laughter echoed in the locked-up, empty houses. There is a glow in the faces of people when they are their true selves. I witnessed that glow in both of their faces. It was so pure and unsullied.

As a little boy, I thought that maybe they were so rich and had nothing to worry about. They proved me wrong even before they crossed the street. I heard their talks in between. He said, "You would have looked so gorgeous in that dress." She replied, "Oh yeah? Maybe we can buy it sometime later."

"I'll make myself worth enough to buy it for you one day." His face fell as he said that. "I bet you'll look more handsome in that dress." She chuckled. They both laughed like no one was around. They probably didn't notice this little boy overhearing their conversation. The way they made each other smile seemed so effortless. They admired each other with all their flaws, imperfections, and insecurities about the future. They taught me something that was not mentioned in any books. It was more like they slapped me with the truth that money is not the ultimate thing that makes people happy; rather, it is the people we choose to have our lives with. At that age, it was too much for me to understand. But all I knew was that I wanted to have what they had when I grew up. That spark in their eyes, that glow in their face, that bind in their soul, that purity in their laughter.

I had that spark in my eyes when I saw you for the first time. I have it every time I see you. I believe it is what I saw in that couple's eyes. My face glows like it had a damn good facial. It's for the vibe you carry around and for that selfless heart of yours, you know. No wonder why my face lights up like a 1000-watt incandescent light for that beautiful heart.

I don't know if you'll have the same feelings for me as I have for you. It's up to you. But all I can do is wish for it and wait for it.

And probably this will be the last one in the series of letters bearing my name. I hope you've figured it out by now.

With sparks,
T.

"Are you for real?" I wondered. The blaring horns came from the street nearby as a reply. I stood up and ran to the window, my pointless hopes getting higher. It was just a delivery truck and nothing more. It was almost long gone by the time I rushed to the window. I stared at nothing but the empty roads with a drooping face. The cold breeze hitting my face pacified and distracted me.

I was left with no words, as usual. This time, I got amused by the way he patiently sat around and circled each letter one by one, consciously, without making any mistakes. I didn't get how he found ways like these to express his thoughts. Like literally, how?

"You're on a whole next level, man." I exhaled and folded the letter.

"But he said he gets sparks every time he sees me. Whether that means he's somewhere nearby?" I got nervous. It took my expectations and thrills to the next level. I also felt bad about being stalked by someone occasionally, even without my consciousness. It felt awkward and strange at the same time.

"But what if he's someone I know?" My head started spinning. Instantly, I tried figuring his name out. I took all his writings and wrote down the letters he left as clues. Those were E, R, N, T, Y, and T.

It was only at midnight that I found something slightly more meaningful than other combinations. It was ENRYTT. I was still not sure if it was the correct arrangement, as it didn't sound like a name, at least not the ones I heard. But I could no longer concentrate on it. My eyes were tired and I felt like giving up any minute, as it was pretty late. I dozed off eventually, wishing no dreams would pop up this night.

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