Shiuli looked at the stranger standing in front of her. He had tanned skin with short blonde hair and his eyes were the color of the ocean. He was handsome. Not as handsome as Death, but this man had his own charms. He looked like a teenage boy around Shiuli's age, but she knew better. She knew that this was a creature of the universe and that he was older than dinosaurs themselves. The man smirked at her and his eyes seemed friendly yet uncomfortable. Shiuli did not want to have this conversation with him, but she knew that if he was a creature, then she could not ignore him and had to face him. After all, she was now part of something very big. Bigger than her stupid fears.
"So…" The creature took a step towards her, "This is the Shiuli Basu everyone has been talking about?"
"And you are a creature of the universe. What is your name?"
"Oh honey, can't you tell just by looking at me? I'm Life."
Life threw his head back and laughed. Shiuli did not find him funny at all, but she wanted to be polite so she just smiled a fake smile at him. He eventually stopped laughing and his eyes stared at her like they were searching for something in her. This is Death's brother. Shiuli remembered how Death had told her that he and his older brother, Life, were both the children of the Moon herself. He had also mentioned how he was obligated to follow Life's instructions when it came to his work. Shiuli wondered how different it would be to work under Life instead of Death. Would it fill my heart with joy to watch him create new life instead of taking away their lives?
"With all due respect to you" Shiuli bowed, "Why have you come here?"
"To see you."
"And why is that?"
"Because I wanted to see for myself who this special human was. It is not every day that humans are made immortal. Now, you are a part of our family in a way. You work with us. We are like… uh… colleagues?"
"Does Death know you are here?" Shiuli frowned, "He didn't tell me you'd visit me."
"I don't have to inform him about everything I do. In fact, it is him that has to keep me updated about his whereabouts."
"Would be nice to hold such power over him."
Shiuli couldn't help, but be sarcastic. Life was nice, but something about him made her very uncomfortable. This was very weird for her. Shouldn't Life make me feel all warm and nice? But as soon as that thought crossed Shiuli's head, she realized that it was in fact the cold-hearted creature, Death that ignited those feelings in her. She felt warm and mushy just by the thought of him. She pictured his perfect face in front of her eyes and realized how different Life and Death actually looked.
"You two don't really look like brothers." Shiuli commented, "He is as pale as snow while you are as bronze as a statue. His eyes are grey and cold, while yours are the color of the ocean. His hair is as dark as the night sky and yours as blonde as the rays of the sun."
"Wow. I'm flattered thank you." Life laughed again, "You are pretty too, you know."
"Exterior beauty is only a mirage. The real beauty lies within."
"Very wise. I like girls that are smart and witty. They are the best."
"So, what brings you here? Just to look at my face?"
"Isn't that a solid enough reason for a young man like me to come to visit a young and beautiful girl like you?" Life smiled flirtatiously.
"You are not a young man, sir. You are thousands of years old."
"I'm an immortal. My age is what I look like."
"As I said, looks aren't everything," Shiuli smirked.
Shiuli felt sick. This man is so full of himself. Shiuli knew flirting when she saw it. She got hit on a lot at her school. This man was a creature and flirting was only something he did for the fun of it and Shiuli knew it very well. He was trying to charm her with his chocolate boy looks. But Shiuli had seen a lot of such boys and such charms did not work on her as they did on most of the teenage population.
"You have seen me now and you have given your stamp of approval on my looks." Shiuli's smirk faded and her eyes turned to stone-cold, "If there isn't anything else for you to tell me, I think I will take your leave and head inside."
"Isn't Ms. Amisha waiting inside for us with snacks and a heart full of hospitality?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't think she is. Maybe, the next time you come over, stay invisible to her? That way she will not give you a stink eye."
Life laughed, but Shiuli could sense the rage in his laughter, "This kind of rude behavior with a creature is not good for a human, you know."
"I know."
Shiuli turned around before Life could say anything to her. She was done with him. She was terrified and scared, but she was also furious. She knew that she had made him angry and that was definitely going to cause her some trouble, but she didn't care. Her head hurt and she wanted to head inside her room and sleep. It had been a long day at school and this drama just added to her tiredness. All she wanted to do was sleep and free her mind of everything that was going on in her life.
***
It was 11 pm and Shiuli was in her room studying History. The teacher she had for the subject was very strict with his tests and she had one in two days. She did not want to fail the test. Shiuli was engrossed in her textbook when she heard a knock on her window. Shiuli froze. Life's face materialized in her mind and she refused to take a look towards the window to see who it was. Her curtains were drawn and she couldn't get herself to turn her head towards the window. But then another thought made its way into her head. What if it's Death? The thought filled Shiuli with warmth and calm. She slowly turned her head towards the window and undid the curtains. As soon as she saw the man who was standing outside her window, Shiuli let out a sigh of relief and gave the brightest smile she could muster.
Death looked at the love of his life smiling so genuinely and brightly at him. She looked relieved to see him and he didn't know why. But all those thoughts vanished when Death saw how beautiful Shiuli looked in her red pajamas and white camisole. Her long black hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her big brown eyes shone with such zeal that Death couldn't help but exhale deeply with awe. He watched as Shiuli opened the window and her scent rushed into his nostrils. She smelled like sandalwood and honey and it was the sweetest smell he had ever smelled.
"I didn't know we had to work tonight." Shiuli's smile faded a little.
"No" Death looked down at his feet, "I'm just here to talk."
Shiuli then noticed how worn out the creature in front of her looked. Something is bothering him. The thought made her heart feel heavy and concern took over her eyes. Shiuli liked this man and even though he could never feel for her the way she felt for him, she did not care. She liked him and she would continue to like him, even if that meant feeling worried for him and caring for his well-being.
"Then come inside." Shiuli said, "It's cold outside and I think it would be more comfortable to talk inside my room rather than on the grass."
"No, I'm just fine standing here."
"I'm not." Shiuli frowned, "Come inside, or else I'll have to pull you this side."
Death's eyes filled with wonder, "You realize I'm way stronger than you right? You cannot move me one bit."
"Oh come on! Step in already! I need to close the window as I'm cold. Be a little considerate."
Death felt so much love for the beautiful angel in front of him that he could not explain it through words. He slowly got rid of his shoes and brought his legs to the base of the window and got inside the beautiful room. As Shiuli's bed was adjacent to the window, he landed on her bed right next to her. Her face was inches away from his and it took him all his strength to not reach out and hold her.
Shiuli smiled yet again and then slowly locked the window and put back her curtains. After a few seconds of silence, Shiuli slowly reached her hand out towards Death's and held it. The action took Death by surprise, but he did not pull away. He let her hold his hand and draw soothing circles on it. As Death's posture started to relax, Shiuli looked intently at Death and he just kept gazing at those eyes that held concern for him.
"I know something is bothering you, Death. You know you can share things with me right?"
"Can I?"
"Yes. I don't know if you need a friend when you have such a loving family of creatures, but I see that something inside you is bothering you and I want to help. Consider me a friend maybe?"
"You would want to be my friend?" Death looked shocked, "But I'm Death. Why would a human as bright as you want to be my friend?"
"Because you are not as bad as you think you are. You are a good person and unlike others, I see you for who you truly are. The world might think that you are grim and heartless, but I know that you have a heart inside you and it is beautiful." Shiuli smiled reassuringly.
"I feel like a monster sometimes." Death confessed as he gazed into his love's eyes.
"You are not a monster, Death"
As soon as Shiuli said that, she slowly moved closer to Death and embraced him. It was not an embrace of love, but an embrace of reassurance and friendship. Shiuli thought, now that he had accepted her as a friend and not just a stupid human assistant, she was allowed to give him a friendly hug. Death's body was tense, but as a few seconds passed he relaxed under her arms and the awkward silence turned into that of comfort.
"You feel better now?" Shiuli whispered.
Death did not answer, but Shiuli got her answer in the way he relaxed in her arms. Shiuli could not help but smile at how right it felt to hold him. It felt like he belonged right here in her arms. He felt so good. Does he feel the comfort? Shiuli wondered as she slowly pulled away from the embrace and stared intently at him. She searched his beautiful silver eyes. She did not know what she was searching for in them, but her heart ached a little.
"I wish you could love." Shiuli blurted out.
"I can." Death answered honestly.
"I know you can. You can love your mother, brother, and kin, but I'm not talking about that kind of love." Tears escaped Shiuli's eyes, "I'm talking about the kind of love a man feels for a woman."
As soon as Death saw tears in Shiuli's eyes, his own started to pour. Shiuli went rigid. Is he crying? Shiuli had never seen Death show any kind of emotions in front of her. In fact, she was starting to believe that he could never cry, smile, or laugh. Her heart broke at the sight in front of her. As she gently reached out and wiped the tears off his face. To her surprise, Death did the same. Her eyes went wide at his actions. This was it. She couldn't stand it anymore! She forgot about all her reservations and jumped right at him. She threw her arms around his neck and sat on his lap. She thought he would push her away, but he immediately took her in his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He gently rubbed her back and she ran a soothing hand at the back of his head. By now they had both stopped crying.
Shiuli slowly backed her head to stare at the man holding her so intimately. I love him. This was it. At this moment, Shiuli knew that she would do anything for this man right here. She would fight the universe if she had to, for his love. She would endanger everything for him. She saw the look in his eyes and saw love in them too.
"I don't care how pathetic I sound right now, but god I love you! I don't know how it happened and when, but I cannot explain in words the things I feel for you. I don't know if you can ever love me the way I love you, but I don't care. I love you, I love you and I love you!"
And then it happened. Death smiled. Not a barely-there smile, but a smile filled with joy and relief. Shiuli couldn't believe how something as simple as a smile could become the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. His face lit up a thousand times and his silver eyes shone. They shone! God, he is so beautiful! Shiuli kept staring in awe.
"And I love you. With all my heart and soul. I did not know this was possible, but I love this feeling. I'm happy for the first time in my entire existence." Death whispered, "And it's not just love, it's the kind of love a man feels for a woman, his woman."
And with that Death pulled Shiuli back to him. He hugged her tightly. He didn't want to let go. She is mine. He buried his face in the crook of her neck yet again and inhaled the scent of sandalwood and honey. He felt so happy that he thought his heart would burst from all the happiness he newly felt.