"The Moon Could Not Answer"
The rain had poured its heart out over the Corniche Viewpoint.
The rain falling upon the sea seemed to create a melody of its own, blending with the restless rhythm of the waves. Only a short while ago, the sky had been filled with the thunderous roar of clouds, but now it was slowly beginning to clear. One by one, the dark clouds were drifting away, revealing the moon behind them, glowing with a soft, muted light.
Before long, the moonlight spread across the entire sea, bathing its surface in a silvery glow.
The wind had grown colder than before.
Richer was walking quietly through the rainwater that had gathered along the ground. Sometimes he took a few steps forward, then stopped and looked back. At times, his eyes rested upon the moon, and at other moments, they instinctively turned toward Ramish.
A faint smile rested upon his lips.
Perhaps he was comparing the moon with Ramish...
Or perhaps, tonight, Ramish seemed even more beautiful to him than the moon itself.
Ramish watched him for a few moments before asking with a gentle smile,
"Richer... shall we go?"
Richer looked at him.
"My heart doesn't want to leave this place in such beautiful weather... but we've already gotten quite wet. And honestly, I'm even more tired tonight than I was yesterday."
Ramish smiled.
"If you want, I can carry you in my arms."
A faint blush of embarrassment crossed Richer's face.
"No... I can walk by myself."
Ramish said nothing. He simply smiled and began walking beside him.
The two of them slowly made their way toward the car.
The cold wind after the rain brushed against their wet clothes, sending a faint shiver through both of them.
When they reached the car, they opened the trunk and changed into dry clothes one after another.
A little while later, they moved toward the car.
Before getting in, Richer said,
"Ramish... I'll sit in the front with the manager. You can sit comfortably in the back."
For a moment, Ramish seemed unable to understand what he had just heard.
He looked at Richer in surprise.
"What do you mean by that? We've been traveling together for so long. We've been sitting together all this time... and now, suddenly?"
Richer avoided his eyes.
"I just want to sit in the front and look at the view."
Ramish quietly looked at him.
"Can't you look at the view from the back? We have been sitting in the back together all this time."
Richer had no answer to that.
After a few moments of silence, he finally said softly,
"Fine... I'll sit with you."
Ramish opened the car door.
Richer got inside, and a few moments later, Ramish sat beside him.
Both of them turned toward their respective windows and began looking outside.
The car moved through the quiet streets.
The moon had now emerged fully from between the clouds, spreading its gentle light across the roads, buildings, and the moisture lingering along the seashore.
After a while, Ramish glanced toward Richer.
His eyelids had grown heavy.
He was struggling to stay awake, repeatedly letting his head fall against the seat.
Ramish slowly moved closer and gently rested Richer's head upon his shoulder.
"Sleep peacefully," he whispered.
Richer, half-asleep, tried to straighten himself.
"No... I'm fine."
A little while later, with his eyes still closed, he murmured,
"Ramish... when we reach the hotel, order something for yourself and eat. I don't feel like eating. I'm very sleepy. I'll just freshen up and go to sleep."
Ramish gave a brief reply.
"Hmm."
Silence once again settled inside the car.
It wasn't long before Richer slipped into a deep sleep.
As the car took a turn, his head was about to strike the seat, but Ramish immediately reached out and caught him.
Richer's head gently came to rest against Ramish's hand.
Ramish slowly withdrew his hand and then rested Richer's head against his shoulder.
The moment Richer felt Ramish's support, the exhaustion seemed to disappear from his face.
He fell into a peaceful sleep.
Ramish looked at him for a moment.
There was an unusual tenderness in his eyes.
He knew there was so much happening inside Richer's heart.
But right now...
He didn't want to burden him with questions.
He only wanted to give him peace.
The car continued silently along the beautiful roads.
After some time, they reached the hotel.
The manager turned around and said,
"Mr. Ramish, I can help you. It will be easier to get Mr. Richer to his room."
Ramish shook his head.
"No, that's not necessary. Just open the door. I'll take him myself."
The manager said nothing further.
As soon as the car door opened, Ramish carefully lifted Richer into his arms and stepped out of the car.
Richer was still fast asleep.
Ramish carried him gently to the room.
Once inside, he carefully laid him down on the bed, removed his shoes, and pulled the blanket over him.
Then he stood there silently for a while, simply looking at him.
There was such peace upon Richer's sleeping face.
The same face...
that only a short while ago had carried shadows of fear, confusion, and uncertainty.
Ramish took a deep breath and quietly walked toward the bathroom.
A little while later, after freshening up, he stepped onto the balcony.
The night had grown deep.
There were still a few clouds scattered across the sky, but the moon was shining in all its glory.
Its light stretched across the sea, creating a long silver path upon the water.
Ramish placed both hands upon the balcony railing and gazed at the moon for a long while.
Then, for reasons even he could not understand, a faint smile touched his lips.
As though sharing an old secret with the moon, he whispered,
"Moon..."
He remained silent for a few moments.
Then the sadness hidden within his voice grew deeper.
"Today, I didn't simply spend a day..."
He looked toward the sea.
"It feels as though I have traveled years with Richer."
Moisture began gathering in his eyes.
"A journey filled with countless moments of love and closeness..."
He paused.
"And moments when we cared for each other so naturally... as though we had been a part of each other's lives long before we ever met."
Ramish lifted his eyes toward the moon.
"But today, so many questions have been born between our love."
His voice became softer.
"And so many silences... that I want to understand, yet somehow cannot."
A tear escaped his eye and rested upon his cheek.
Ramish did not wipe it away.
He simply continued looking at the moon.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said,
"Why, Moon... why?"
For the first time, the pain he had been hiding from Richer became unmistakable in his voice.
"Why is it so difficult for Richer to love me?"
He lowered his gaze.
"Have I not been able to make a place in his heart... where he can set down all his fears and finally find peace?"
For a few moments, he closed his eyes.
"Or perhaps..."
His voice trembled.
"Perhaps he does love me..."
He swallowed hard.
"But perhaps his love for me is not as deep as the love I carry for him."
A cold breeze swept through the balcony.
Ramish opened his eyes.
The moon remained silent.
As though even it had no answer to his question.
Ramish looked toward the sky once more with tearful eyes.
"I have already made him the brightest part of my life..."
His lips trembled slightly.
"My only fear is that perhaps..."
He paused.
"Perhaps I am nothing more than a beautiful dream in his life."
He fell silent.
Somewhere in the distance, the sea continued to roar with the restless rhythm of its waves.
And inside the room...
Richer slept, completely unaware.
Perhaps he did not even know that only a few steps away, someone was about to spend the entire night asking the moon for one thing—
certainty in the love of the man who had become his whole world.