7. Birthday

"Make a wish, Ravi," his father spoke as he offered a cake with birthday candles lit on it to Ravi.

"Dad, I don't believe in things like this," Ravi said, smiling as he looked at the cake in front of him. He shifted his gaze to his mother and Daniel, who were waiting for him to do as his father instructed.

"Come on, Ravi, just make a wish. God will grant it," Daniel said, walking over to stand beside Ravi and placing his arm around Ravi's shoulder.

"Go on, dear. Your father is struggling to hold the cake," his mother added, making his father and Daniel laugh heartily.

"Alright, Mom," Ravi closed his eyes. Even though Ravi didn't believe in such things, he reluctantly made a wish. The problem was, that Ravi had no specific wish in mind; he felt like everything was sufficient in his life. So, he made a wish that seemed impossible, or if it did come true, he would be very happy with it.

I wish on my birthday, a beautiful girl will descend from the sky like a winged angel, love me, and accept both my flaws and strengths with sincerity.

Ravi smiled at his own wish, feeling quite foolish about it. Then he opened his eyes and blew out the twenty-shaped candles, causing a thin wisp of smoke to rise to the ceiling.

"What did Ravi wish for?" Daniel asked curiously.

"It's a secret, Daniel," Ravi replied with a smile.

After they all had their cake, Ravi decided to go to his room. He climbed the stairs with a warm heart, thankful for reaching his current age in good health and still having a loving family.

When Ravi reached the door of his room, he touched the cold doorknob, in stark contrast to the current weather. He opened it and was immediately greeted by a man standing there, with large black wings on his back. He was holding a chocolate in his dirty hands, and he smiled innocently. The man's eyes, each a different color, gazed directly into Ravi's eyes without blinking. Then, with a smile and a voice that entered his ears, the man said, "Ravi, the chocolate is sweet. Just like you."

***

Ravi woke up from his sleep, still haunted by a vivid nightmare as clear as daylight. The dream was a part of the reality he experienced on his birthday earlier that afternoon, with Raymond welcoming him at the door. It was indeed a nightmare he had never expected.

Ravi massaged his temples, which suddenly throbbed. He scolded himself for listening to Raymond's words with his heart rather than his ears. It was strange to hear such things from a man like him. It wasn't the first time Ravi had heard such a sentence from someone like Raymond, but Ravi was a normal man and had never become accustomed to it, let alone felt so disturbed by it.

Ravi glanced at the clock on the nightstand, and he sighed when he saw it was only 2:30 in the morning. He lay back down and hoped the darkness would envelop him, but it didn't. Ravi couldn't sleep. So, he threw off the gray blanket and began walking out of his room to get a glass of water.

Ravi's eyes were met with a gentle light coming from Raymond's room in front of him, illuminating the corridor leading to the dark staircase. The door was left ajar, as Raymond couldn't open it.

Ravi began walking slowly, not wanting the sound of his footsteps to wake up Raymond, who might have sharp hearing due to not being entirely human. Ravi expected to find Raymond lying on the bed when he reached the doorway, but instead, he saw Raymond sitting by the window, facing outward. Raymond's head was tilted upward, gazing at the dark sky with its twinkling stars.

Ravi gazed at Raymond's outstretched wings, which slowly flapped with soft feathers dancing in the biting morning breeze. The black feathers of Raymond's wings were as dark as the night sky, and something stirred in Ravi's chest as he watched those wings, as if he was living in a fantasy tale he had once read.

Ravi was captivated when Raymond turned and descended from the window, his eyes widening as he locked eyes with Ravi.

Raymond's smile suddenly blossomed, and he walked with his bare feet toward Ravi. Ravi's gaze dropped to Raymond's chest, where a tattoo was etched perfectly before him. Raymond claimed that the inscription had always been there, but it seemed unreal to Ravi to see his own name on a stranger's body.

Ravi looked up to meet Raymond's gaze again. Disregarding the intense aroma of rich chocolate that caressed his senses, weakening his knees, Ravi tried to speak in his normal voice, suppressing the dryness in his throat. "Why aren't you sleeping and sitting by the window?"

They continued to gaze at each other. "I'm looking at the stars and the moon."

Ravi's throat went dry as Raymond's gaze deepened and intensified. He nodded slowly, attempting to ignore Raymond's large wings, each tip of them seemed to envelop Ravi as if they were about to embrace him.

"Aren't you sleepy?" Ravi asked. Raymond was like a spell that always managed to draw Ravi's essence, making Ravi unable to look away. He couldn't ignore how Raymond's wings seemed to press against him, and the intoxicating scent of melting chocolate left Ravi bewildered and disoriented.

Raymond shook his head, making his black hair sway. "No, Ravi. Elves only need a few hours of sleep."

Raymond cleared his throat as Ravi remained unresponsive. "Why did Ravi wake up from his sleep?"

"I woke up from a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep," Ravi replied, holding his breath as Raymond's black wings swiftly retracted into his back.

"Why is Raymond a nightmare for Ravi?" he asked hesitantly.

Ravi remained silent, leaving the question hanging without an answer. The question raised new concerns in Ravi's mind about Raymond, who seemed to know about Ravi's dreams. He took a deep breath, and regret washed over him as the scent of chocolate dominated the morning breeze.

Unconsciously, Ravi rubbed his arms as the cold pierced his skin. He jolted when the window closed by itself. Ravi's jaw tightened as he witnessed the magical occurrence with the window.

"What just happened, Raymond?" Ravi asked, his pupils dilating as he glanced at the window behind Raymond.

"Ravi is cold, right? So, I closed it," Raymond replied in an oddly low-toned voice that sounded strange to Ravi's ears at the moment.

Ravi only mumbled indistinctly, unsure how to react. "I should go back to my room, or Daniel will find out and scold me."

Ravi glanced briefly at Raymond's face, his jaw lowered, and his eyes blinked occasionally. Not knowing what it meant, Ravi turned and walked back to his room, where Raymond remained silent.

As Ravi closed his bedroom door, his heart still pounding and his cheeks feeling hot, he was haunted by the recent dream he had experienced. Part of it was true: he had made a wish like that, but Ravi never expected it to come true.

Ravi walked over to a glass window similar to Raymond's, slowly opening it. The cold air began to brush against his skin, and he took a deep breath. The morning air was refreshing, unlike the city's usual, and this was the first time Ravi had woken up so early, savoring every passing second.

Faintly, Ravi heard a low, deep singing voice coming from Daniel's room. Ravi had never known his brother could sing so melodiously, even though it sounded like meaningless murmurs to him because Ravi didn't understand the language. It sounded foreign to his ears.

Ravi peeked in, and he saw Daniel leaning on a small balcony in his room, gazing into the distance. It was clear that Daniel was the one singing softly.

His brother was always an early riser, but Ravi had no idea that Daniel would be up so early. Then, Daniel looked up at the starry, dark sky with dim lights.

Ravi heard Daniel's voice again, which sounded quite loud in the quiet morning atmosphere. "Stars, tell him. I despise him. So much, more than I can bear."