Chapter 1: The Radiant Glow

Talia sprawled in the grass, her mind adrift in the clouds. As she lay there, she felt the warmth of the orange light filtering through her closed eyelids. In that moment, she absorbed his energy, a force that seeped deep into her bones. Though they had never been particularly close, she greeted him every morning on her way to school. He would smile and wave, returning to his work in the yard.

At school, Talia often fantasized about escaping his omnipresence. His influence was inescapable; it invaded every corner of her life, stretching farther than she could ever fathom, even with the longest of reaches. This constant reminder of him filled her with frustration—an emotion she directed towards him, even though she recognized it wasn’t his fault. His dazzling smile and extraordinary beauty were gifts he had no control over, a force that could be both enchanting and destructive. She recalled a time when a mere grin from him had caused a woman to crash into a tree.

Yet, it was not the radiant brother who brought her comfort. It was the quiet one, the one draped in a chill. Talia once imagined she saw frost on his shoulders but dismissed it as an illusion. He rarely ventured out during the day, and when he did, his presence would catch you off guard, making you wonder what had drawn him out on that particular day. In truth, he was always nearby, often just a few steps back from his brother, or perhaps a town away, yet perpetually close. He lingered in the shadows, waiting for his brother to retreat so he could tend to the yard in his own way, not with watering can in hand but by whispering gentle breezes to the plants.

"Hello," Talia announced, breaking the silence. Without her greeting, he might not have known she was there. "Do you take pleasure in the flowers? Your brother spends a lot of time here; he must care for them well." She paused, waiting for a reply from the cold man, whose eyes resembled white stones with dark centers.

"I do," he replied, his voice as frigid as his demeanor. "Haven't you noticed me tending to them as my brother does?"

"I have—well, sort of. Your brother does most of the work, doesn’t he?" She spoke with certainty, having watched their contrasting energies at play. Homework often went undone because she was too busy observing the brothers.

"Have you been watching closely?" he queried.

"No! Not at all; I’ve just noticed you two..." She crossed her arms, attempting to shield herself from his icy aura.

His presence was as chill-inducing as his brother's was warm.

"If my brother does the bulk of the work, why do you watch me from the window?" he pressed.

Taking a seat, Talia prepared her answer, one that puzzled her as well. "Perhaps it’s because of how you make me feel. Your soft glow makes me believe I can achieve anything. In your stillness, I feel free to dance. Your light fills me up, and with you, I don’t need to grow—I can simply exist in your presence." She gazed into his pale eyes, the dark voids in them resembling craters. "Do you think I could remain here with you, suspended in time like a dream or a celestial body?"

He shivered in his dark sweater, his sleeves snug against his wrists. In that moment, he appeared more at home in the night than he ever did beside his brother.

"No," he said definitively. "You must remain where you are." The rejection hung in the air, the words she had feared since they met.

"But why? Aren’t you lonely? I could be your companion, sitting beside you on your rocky throne. Together, we could explore the cosmos, just you and me." But the cold brother shook his head, his disapproval evident.

"It won't work, Talia. And you’ve just explained why."

Talia recoiled, "Was it something I said? I’ll take it back, I promise!" She pleaded in vain. The cold brother was right; how could he allow her to develop feelings for him when he had just articulated the impossibility of love? Both brothers were bound to one another, existing as a system of life. The only love he was permitted was for his brother. To love anyone else would make him vulnerable, jeopardizing the delicate balance that allowed the flowers to thrive.

He couldn’t risk shattering either their hearts. "Go home," he instructed her. "Accept my decision, and one day you'll understand why it is for the best. Leave," he urged, pushing her away with a force akin to gravity.

"Go, Talia. Understand that if it were my choice, it would have been you."

But it was not his choice.

This dynamic had been written long before, a narrative of years past.

It was always the two of them—his brother, the embodiment of life; and him, the essence of love.

Chapter 2: Unwritten Destinies

In "The Hopeless Romantic with Marialuisa Monda," we delve into stories of longing and desire, exploring the depths of love and its complexities.

"A Video For Hopeless Romantics" reflects on the struggles and beauty of romantic endeavors, resonating with the essence of Talia's journey.

If you enjoyed this tale, please share your thoughts. A clap or a tip would be greatly appreciated, but simply knowing you read it is thanks enough.

Goodbye,

B