*kind of sad. angst*

1950:-

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Jasmine was way too transfixed at the rain trickling down from the gray skies, sniffling her little heart wrenching sobs as she thought of the last time she was here, with her father.

He was with her no more and what left with her was those memories-  a little too heavy for an eight year old.

She sucked in her breath and put back the picture, the only picture she has had of her father, wrinkled under her shockingly tough grip, inside the pocket of her dress, when a young boy, hardly older by a few months, slipped next to her.

The boy stared at her at awe, gaping at her like a fish and noticing the booger running from Jasmine's nose, he finally asked, "Have you been crying?"

Jasmine bluntly replied, "No. I am just sweating from my eyes."

The two children sat there in silence as the rain slowed down and ultimately stopped.

The older boy stretched and wrapped an arm over the bench behind Jasmine's shoulder and held out his other hand.

"I am Ritchie."

Jasmine blinked in surprise as she scanned the young, blue eyed boy's face, before finding her hand placed on his-

"Jasmine."

"Jasmine? Oh you mean like that flower?"

Ritchie chuckled, his voice full of all the arrogance and playfulness of a nine year old.

"Yes.. it was my father's favorite."

Jasmine spoke softly, the sudden glow in her face transforming into the same gloominess.

The boy didn't know what to say.
He hadn't come across someone like Jasmine and clearly didn't understand what she was going through before his innocent blue orbs lightened in excitement and he held Jasmine's hands.

"Do you want to jump into those puddles?"

"Puddles?", Jasmine cried. "You will ruin your shoes."

"I have got another pair."

At the sight of his toothy smirk and care free grin, Jasmine found herself forgetting about her father's demise and every other thing and looped Ritchie's arms with hers, hopping down from the bench.

"The one who hops in more puddles wins!"

She announced and the two new friends began to run towards the field in a tow.

1970:-

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Jasmine sat on the same bench, looking afar at the distance, crushing something under her fist, but this time it was her wedding band.
The same band which brought her seven years of marriage, two beautiful kids and lots and lots of pain.

It was raining and the sky was darker than ever. Jasmine was thankful to the rain for it masked her tears perfectly.
The clouds were black and looked mournful and the only light coming was from the nearby lamp post.

Life had knocked Jasmine up bad. She didn't expect to move on any further from this.

All she wanted was her father to return.

None of this would have happened if her father wouldn't have left her.

The stained tears on her cheeks made her face stretchy and dry.
She has had enough of it.

Her marriage ended that day. Her husband got the custody of their young children. She was moving with one of her cousins the next day.

Life as Jasmine knew it, was shredding apart into million pieces.

She heard a weird noise coming from somewhere. Someone pulling over from a car.

She turned around and saw Ritchie standing behind a tree.

"I knew I'd find you here."

He said softly and was kind enough to crack a smile at the end.

Jasmine didn't even flinch at his familiar voice as he came and plopped next to hers similar to how he did almost 20 years ago.

"How are you?"

"I am fine."

"No you are not."

"Then I will be.. Eventually."

Ritchie loved Jasmine. He loved her ever since she defeated in the puddle jumping competition. He loved her when he saw her walking down the hallway wearing the most beautiful grin in school that day. He loved her when he felt for the first time in his life, jealous, upon seeing her dance with Ben in the school prom night.

Damn it, she was the first girl he ever jerked himself to.

They were so close. They told each other everything there was to know about each other.

Their friendship was beautiful. They were inseparable as kids and inseparable as teens.

And what did it all come down to?

For Jasmine, she wanted someone who she could clung onto, who'd understand her fears of not letting go without saying anything and care for her.

Ritchie never understood that. Her habit of swallowing her feelings down, burying it somehwere deep inside her, annoyed his somewhat cheerful, much lighter attitude.

He wanted Jasmine. He wanted the mother of his children but she couldn't have just expected her to uncover her thoughts like some magician.

He never knew how Jasmine felt and on lonely days, it ripped her apart.

Overall they were two sides of a coin.

She loved him and probably always will.

And he loved her and probably always will.

But they just couldn't be together.

"I miss dad."

Jasmine finally spoke, her eyes rimmed with all the tears she just shed. "He would have said something and suddenly, all my troubles would have flown away.."

Ritchie found himself coughing in his blood. The blood being his tears.

"I am sorry Jasmine." He cleared his throat and softened his voice. "I have been a terrible friend."

"Tragic isn't it?"

Jasmine scoffed, the glum on her face replaced with annoyance.

She wouldn't just let her Ritchie take all the credit for she had been a terrible friend too.

She never spoke to Ritchie, never confided in him whenever she needed to. She was always afraid of ruining things up and that dreadful nightmare had turned into a mundane reality today.

"I wouldn't have known anything if it weren't for you... i- I don't know where I had been if I hadn't met you... right here.."

Jasmine listened silently, just a hair's breadth away from breaking down.

Ritchie had all the right reasons to thank Jasmine for.

Whenever his mind dwindled with noises, anxiety and inferiority about not being good enough to be in a band, Jasmine tamed him out of it.

Good or bad days, she'd always stay up late and wait for Ritchie until he came from work and made sure he slept with a full stomach.

She gave him the greatest joy, a human could ever feel- the joy of fatherhood.
She gave him two beautiful boys and he remembered his heart fluttering with pride and unbound happiness when they went to school for the first time.

"I don't know where I'd have been if I hadn't met you too.."

She declared, the ache in her heart decreasing much.

If it weren't for Ritchie, she would have never come over her father's death, blaming herself for the crash or even worse so, thinking of ending it all just because she simply couldn't be under same the roof which she once shared with her father.

He was always there to comfort her, doing whatever it took to make her feel better.

As both of their sobs subsided until they were just merely sniffling, Ritchie took Jasmine's hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckle.

All those years, happy and sad, were long gone. An end to their 20 years of wholesome friendship.

"I will always love you Jasmine."

He smiled through his pain.

"I will always love you too Ritchie.."

She smiled through her pain.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

*a/n

Peace and love!!

-♬-