Not All Miracles Are Impossible

Cezille07

A snowball fight for a reunion—Zick thought he was already lucky! But what if lightning does "strike the same place twice"?

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Chapter 2.

Both tired and resigned on the white snow beneath them, Zick chanced a quick glance at Teddy with "It's been long a while, huh?"

Teddy said nothing, and Zick swallowed that pang of disappointment. "I have to get going now. Elena and Emitha are waiting for me." I'm sure you aren't, he added quickly in thought, lest he let himself believe there could actually be hope.

There are no miracles. Everything happens by man's hand. By Teddy's hand, he would never doubt again....

"Yes, I'll get going," he repeated, starting to rise to his feet when a force pulled him back down.

"Wait, I wanted—I wanted to..." began Teddy.

"What?" Zick didn't want keep staring. Everything was perfect. If he stayed any longer, he would never be able to leave.

He watched Teddy roll back his sleeve to reveal he was still wearing those wristbands on both arms. He removed the one on his right and slipped it on Zick. "Remembrance," Teddy winked.

Zick wasn't able to move for the next few moments, stunned by the motion. "I don't know what to give back," he mumbled rather incoherently.

"Nah, doesn't matter," Teddy shook his head. He got up and gave Zick a bear hug and whispered, "Well, good luck, Zick."

"Th-thanks...." His eyes filled with a warm liquid he didn't want Teddy to see. He hugged on tighter. "B-bye, Teddy."

"C'mon Zick, don't say that like we won't be friends anymore!"

But we aren't! I chose a life with no options! I'm stuck! Not even you can pull me back out. Zick sighed. I've got things to do. Vows to keep. A family to raise. I've got Elena, and she's a wonderful friend and wife and all, but she's not you. I want a life with you. Looks like I made the wrong choice, didn't I?

Teddy gave him a firm pat on the back. "Listen, I'll be here. And you'll be where you need to be. And if you need me, you know where to run."

Zick sighed again, this time allowing that warm liquid to overflow. I'll never stop thinking about you, about this moment.

But how many times had he said never in the past five minutes? Wasn't he just saying "Not all miracles are impossible?"

They really aren't.

With his family, now, he pictured what life could have been if he made different choices. Maybe the thing about not having something was that you learn to treasure it more. Maybe if he had chosen what looked like just a crazy impulse back then, he wouldn't realize it was this momentous to stand alone in a crowd of familiar people and feel estranged. They 'loved' him, and at the same time sensed he was always looking for something more, something else. He shook his head, not realizing he was feeling that wristband under the right sleeve of his coat. If you need me, you know where to run.

He stopped walking, drawing curious looks from Elena and Emitha.

"Zick, you okay?"

"What's wrong, dad?"

He looked into their eyes and chuckled inside. He was in the wrong place. He needed to be somewhere else. "I'll just run back for something," he excused himself hastily, nearly slipped on a semi-melted heap of ice on the road, and dashed off to a particular street they seldom ever passed after the marriage. Not for something—someone.

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