One More, Then Forever

There are moments in life that are fleeting, slipping through our fingers like sand. We cannot grasp them, no matter how hard we try. But we can hold onto them for just a little while longer, savoring the taste of time before it slips away. One more, then forever—it is a promise we make to ourselves in our final moments, a concession to the inevitability of goodbye.

Lucas sat on the old wooden bench, staring out at the horizon. The sun was beginning its descent, casting the world in a soft, golden hue. He had always loved this time of day, the way the light stretched across the sky, painting it with shades of orange and pink. But today, it felt different. It felt like the end of something—something important.

It had been a year since he last sat on this bench. A year since he last saw her. Sophie. Her absence still hung in the air like an unspoken word, a reminder of the love they had shared, and the loss he could never quite come to terms with. They had been inseparable, bound together by years of laughter, tears, and whispered promises. They had talked about their future, about growing old together. But life, as it often does, had other plans.

The cancer had come out of nowhere, a sudden storm that tore through their lives, leaving devastation in its wake. Sophie had fought with every ounce of strength she had, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. She was gone, and Lucas was left behind, clinging to memories of what could have been. They had always said that when the time came, they would find a way to say goodbye—one last moment, one last memory to hold onto before the inevitable.

And so, he had come here, to their spot. It was the place where they had spent so many afternoons together, talking about everything and nothing at all. She had always said that the sunset was her favorite time of day. It was a time for reflection, for looking back on everything that had come before. A time to think about all the things that might have been, if only time had been kinder.

Lucas closed his eyes, letting the soft breeze brush against his skin. He could almost hear her voice in the wind, like a whisper from the past. He had promised her that when the time came, he would be strong. He would let go. But how do you let go of something so deeply ingrained in your soul?

It was then that he heard it. The sound of footsteps, soft but steady, approaching from behind. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. He had known the moment he had come here that she would be with him. That was the thing about love—it never truly left. Not if you were willing to listen closely enough.

“One more, then forever,” Sophie had said to him once, in a moment of rare vulnerability. It had been after one of their many conversations about what would happen when she was gone. It was her way of reassuring him, of telling him that even though their time together was running out, they would have this one final moment—a last chance to be together before the world would go on without her.

He turned around slowly, as if afraid that if he moved too quickly, the vision before him might vanish. And there she was—Sophie. Not as she had been in the final days, pale and frail, but as the woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago. She was vibrant, full of life, with that familiar smile playing at the corners of her lips. She looked exactly as she had the day they met, before the world had turned upside down.

“Sophie,” Lucas whispered, his voice catching in his throat. He couldn’t believe it. It felt like a dream, a beautiful, heartbreaking dream that he wasn’t ready to wake from.

“Hey, Luke,” Sophie said, her voice soft but steady. She took a step closer, sitting down beside him on the bench, just as she had done so many times before. The space between them felt like nothing. It felt like no time had passed at all.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Lucas said, his eyes filling with tears. He wiped them away quickly, not wanting to show her how much he had missed her.

“You never really lose me,” Sophie replied with a small, knowing smile. “Not really. I’m always here, in the spaces between your breaths, in the quiet moments when you stop and listen.”

Lucas swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. “I don’t know how to keep going without you, Soph. I don’t know how to say goodbye.”

“You don’t have to say goodbye yet,” she said gently, her hand brushing against his. “You just have to promise me something. Promise me that you’ll live. Promise me that you’ll keep going, even when it feels like the world is too heavy to bear.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Lucas admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You can,” Sophie said firmly. “You’re stronger than you think. And when you’re ready, when you’ve lived enough, I’ll be waiting. We’ll have our one last moment, our one final goodbye. But not yet. Not now.”

Lucas closed his eyes, the weight of her words settling into his chest. He had thought he was ready. He had thought he could face the future without her, but now, sitting beside her, he realized how much he still needed her, how much he had yet to learn about letting go.

“One more, then forever,” he murmured, repeating the words she had spoken to him long ago. He wasn’t sure if he was saying them for her, or for himself.

Sophie smiled again, a look of quiet understanding in her eyes. “One more. Then forever.”

The silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable kind of silence. It was a silence filled with love, with the knowledge that they had shared something beautiful, something that no amount of time could ever take away. Lucas knew that Sophie’s spirit would live on in him, in the memories they had created together, in the love they had shared. It would be with him, always.

As the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, Lucas stood up, feeling the weight of the moment press down on him. Sophie remained seated, watching him with a gentle smile. He turned back to her, wanting to say something, but the words didn’t come. He didn’t need to say anything. She understood. She always had.

He took one last look at the place where they had spent so many afternoons, and then he turned and walked away. The bench, the horizon, Sophie—they were all behind him now. But they were also with him, in every step he took. One more, then forever. He would carry her with him, always.

And when the time came, when he had lived enough, he knew that Sophie would be there, waiting for him in the quiet spaces between the breaths, ready for their final moment.