The weeks after Lisa's final appearance were unbearable. Ricky Martin wandered through school like a ghost, his mind trapped in memories of her smile, her voice, the warmth of her hand in his. It was as if time itself had slowed down just for him—every classroom, every hallway, every corner of the school whispered her name.
He tried to keep himself busy, burying himself in studies, in football practice, even in his part-time job at the small bookstore near the station. But nothing worked. Every sunset, every breeze, every quiet moment reminded him of her.
Then, one rainy afternoon, as he was leaving school, he felt it—a familiar warmth, a soft presence brushing past him.
"Lisa?" he whispered, spinning around.
No one. Just the rain, falling steadily, washing the streets in silver.
"Ricky…"
His heart leapt. He looked around, eyes straining through the downpour. She was there, standing under the flickering streetlight, soaked but smiling. Her hair clung to her face, but her eyes shone brighter than ever.
"I… I thought you were gone," Ricky stammered, stepping closer.
"I am," she said softly, "but… I can't stay away."
Ricky reached for her, but his hands passed through her chest, leaving only a ripple of cold air. He staggered back, shivering. "How… how is this possible?"
Lisa looked down, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face. "I don't fully understand it either. I shouldn't exist like this… yet I can appear. Only when you're truly thinking of me… only when your heart calls me."
Ricky swallowed hard, his emotions twisting in a painful blend of longing and confusion. "So… every time I… dream about you… see you… it's because I… I want you?"
She nodded, stepping closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Ricky. Your feelings give me form. Your love… keeps me tethered to this world."
He felt a chill run down his spine. "But… if I love you too much… could you… disappear? Or… or fade forever?"
Lisa hesitated, her eyes glistening. "I'm already fading… Ricky. Every time I appear, it drains me more. One day… I won't be able to return. That day will come, and I'll vanish completely. There will be no traces left—no whispers, no shadows… nothing."
Ricky's chest tightened painfully. "Then… then why are you here now? Why appear if it could… hurt you?"
"Because I want to see you… even for a moment," she whispered. Her hands hovered near his, shimmering faintly in the rain. "Because I love you, Ricky. And that… that's stronger than the fear of disappearing."
Ricky's eyes filled with tears. He wanted to hold her, to never let go. "I love you too, Lisa. I don't care if it's dangerous… I don't care if you fade away. I just… I just want you."
Her smile was bittersweet. "Then promise me something. If I disappear… don't let this destroy you. Live… live for both of us. Keep your heart open. Keep remembering me… but don't let me chain you to the past."
Ricky nodded, gripping the railing of the streetlight as if anchoring himself. "I promise… I'll remember you. Always."
For a long moment, they stood there, separated by the invisible barrier of the living and the dead, yet connected by a bond stronger than anything Ricky had ever known.
Then, like morning mist under the sun, Lisa faded. Her form dissolved into the falling rain, leaving only the echo of her voice: "I'll be with you… always."
Ricky dropped to his knees, rain soaking him through. He wanted to scream, to call her back, to argue with the universe itself. But all he could do was let the tears mix with the rain, his heart aching with both love and loss.
That night, he couldn't sleep. He sat by his window, staring at the city lights, listening to the distant hum of traffic. And then, as if the world wanted to remind him of her, a faint whisper came through the darkness:
"Ricky…"
He froze. The voice was soft, almost like a sigh. He ran to the window, but saw nothing. Only the night sky stretched endlessly before him, filled with the soft glow of stars.
And then he realized something—he didn't need to see her to feel her. She was everywhere: in the wind, in the rain, in the spaces between shadows. She was a part of him now, a fragment of his own heart.
The next morning, Ricky returned to school with a heavy heart but a newfound resolve. He couldn't stop thinking about Lisa, couldn't stop longing for her—but he knew he had to continue living. He had to honor her memory, even if she was still… in some way… there.
But life had a way of testing resolve. That afternoon, in the school library, Ricky found himself drawn to a dusty, forgotten section filled with old yearbooks and student records. As he leafed through the pages, he saw her.
Not a photograph, but a name.
"Lisa Lima – Class of 2016 – Deceased"
He froze, his fingers trembling. The date… seven years ago… it matched what the senior had said. His chest tightened painfully. And then, beneath the listing, something caught his eye—a small handwritten note, almost faded to the point of invisibility:
"She watches over those she loves. Do not fear her presence. She is not gone, just… waiting."
Ricky's heart skipped. Waiting… for him?
He looked around, the library silent except for the faint hum of fluorescent lights. And then he heard it again—a soft rustle, a whisper of fabric. He spun around, and there she was, standing behind a shelf, partially hidden in shadow.
"Ricky," she said softly. "I didn't want you to find that… not yet."
He ran toward her, but his hands passed through hers again. "Lisa… why? Why are you like this?"
"I'm… a fragment," she admitted. "A shadow of what I once was. I can't interact with the world fully. Only you… only your heart… can bring me back, even for a moment. But each time… it weakens me."
Ricky's chest ached with both fear and longing. "Then why do you keep coming back?"
She smiled sadly. "Because I love you. And because you need to see me… to believe that love can transcend even death."
He reached out again, his fingers brushing hers, sending a shiver down his spine. "I… I believe you, Lisa. I'll find a way to keep you… even if it means everything else fades away."
Her eyes softened, a mixture of hope and sorrow in their depths. "Ricky… some things… even love… cannot change. But… you can change yourself. Live… and I'll always be there, in the spaces between your memories, in the shadows of your heart."
And then, like a whisper carried by the wind, she was gone.
Ricky sat alone in the library, his heart pounding. For the first time, he truly understood—the girl he loved existed beyond the boundaries of life and death, tied to him by something more than just memory.
And he knew, deep in his bones, that this was only the beginning.
Because some loves… are meant to challenge reality itself.