Prompt :  I stood at the airport, watching them walk away, not knowing when or if I’d see them again.

Use the above line in your story.

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“Kindly return to your assigned seats at the airport. A solar flare is expected in the next hour. All flights will experience a delay.” The announcement was being played repeatedly.

The carmine sky outside looked intimidating. While unpredictable weather conditions made living difficult, humans were becoming slaves to technology—just a chip to handle everything, including emotions. As the chief designer at MI Chips, I was aware of the weirdest chips in the pipeline.

“Mommy, can I pet that DogBot?” The toddler next to me pleaded with her mom. She looked adorable with blonde hair and green eyes. Green eyes—my favorite…

“No, Kyle. Remain seated.” Her mom tried distracting her by pulling out a picture book.

“Wow, a book?! In today’s world? ” I exclaimed.

“Yes, she loves reading,” she replied. Her flawless dusky face curved with a smile.

“That’s remarkable.”

After an interesting conversation with her, I excused myself.

I rushed to the only Starbucks in the terminal.

“One latte capsule in a cup of hot water, please.”  As I spoke, I heard a gentleman behind me repeat the same order.

His baritone voice tugged at my heartstrings. Turning around, I found myself staring at his green eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

I shook from my reverie as the salesman handed me both the drinks.

“Here’s yours, Dave,” I told the gentleman.

“Thanks. Did I mention my name?! ” he asked.

“Well…your bag has a name tag,” I said, pointing to it.

“Hmm, that’s hardly legible! And you are?”

“Amy.” I almost choked.

“Amy! We’d better hurry to our seats,” said Dave.

Dave sat next to Kyle. A perfect family indeed. I suppressed my tears.

“He’s my husband, Dave,” said Kyle’s mom.

“We just met,” chuckled Dave.

We spoke for a while. After that, with a heavy heart, I tried sleeping, but the past flashed in rotating frames. I was oblivious to the solar flare and the instructions that blared for the next hour.

“Goodbye, Amy. Our boarding has begun,” said Dave.

“Have a great trip,” I replied, hugging Kyle.

“Thanks. Amy, you seem familiar,” said Dave with an unsettling expression.

I just stifled a smile. I stood at the airport, watching them walk away, not knowing when or if I’d see them again. Dave is the only love of my life. I still regret my decision. If only…

 

Eight Years Ago

Dave and I met during a gadget expo. We both felt an instant chemistry and fell in love. Though I loved him deeply, having signed a long-term contract with MI Chips, I had demanding projects with long work hours. My emotional unavailability took a toll on Dave. It pained to see him suffer, so I asked him to leave me, but he refused.  To free him, I injected the ‘Erase’ chip into his brain while he was asleep. The chip was programmed to function in such a way that our first meeting and all the subsequent memories with me would get erased. Zilch.

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Word Count: 499