More Than Just a Wish

In a quiet town where stars filled the night sky like tiny lamps, lived a man named Kemzi. He was kind, gentle, and loved by everyone, but he always walked alone. People often asked, “Kemzi, when will you find someone to love?”

Kemzi would smile and say, “Maybe someday, when the stars are right.”

He lived a simple life. He worked in a small bookstore, played soft music on his guitar, and took long walks by the lake. But no matter how peaceful the days were, his heart felt like something was missing.

One night, after a quiet walk, Kemzi stood by the lake and looked up at the sky. A soft breeze touched his face. And then, right in the middle of the dark sky, he saw it—a bright shooting star.

Without thinking, he closed his eyes and whispered, “Please… if you’re real, send me someone to love. Someone who sees me the way I want to be seen. Someone who feels like home.”

The star disappeared behind the clouds, and the night grew still. Kemzi didn’t know what would happen next. But something inside him felt warm, like hope.

The next morning, Kemzi visited his favorite coffee shop, a cozy place with wooden tables, soft music, and the smell of fresh bread. He sat by the window, sipping his coffee and reading a book.

“Excuse me,” a gentle voice said.

He looked up.

A young woman stood there, holding a book and a shy smile. She had honey-colored eyes, soft curls, and a scarf around her neck.

“Is this seat taken?”

Kemzi shook his head. “No. Please, sit.”

She sat across from him and opened her book.

“I’m Aria,” she said, glancing at him. “I just moved to this town yesterday.”

“I’m Kemzi,” he replied. “Welcome. This is a good place to start.”

They smiled. A soft silence followed—not awkward, just calm. The kind of silence where two people feel safe.

Days turned into weeks. Aria and Kemzi kept running into each other—at the bookstore, at the park, at the market. Then they started meeting on purpose. Long walks. Quiet talks. Laughter that came easily.

“I think this town is secretly small,” Aria joked one afternoon.

Kemzi smiled. “Or maybe the stars are just working hard.”

They sat by the lake often. One evening, Aria picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the water.

“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone,” she said.

Kemzi thought for a second. “I made a wish the night before I met you.”

“A wish?”

He nodded. “On a shooting star.”

She turned to him, curious. “What did you wish for?”

He gave a small smile. “You.”

Aria looked down, blushing. “Maybe... maybe I wished for you too.”

But then, one cloudy day, Aria disappeared.

She didn’t answer her phone. The bookstore felt emptier. The coffee shop felt colder. Kemzi walked to her apartment. The lights were off.

One week later, a letter came in the mail.

=====

Dear Kemzi,

I’m sorry I left without goodbye. My mother got sick, and I had to return home. I didn’t know how to say it. But please know this: you’re special. You were my wish too.

Love, Aria.

=====

Kemzi held the letter close to his chest, heart aching. Still, he waited. He believed she’d return.

Months passed.

Then one morning, he saw a photo online—a wedding picture. It was Aria, smiling beside another man.

Kemzi’s heart dropped. The caption read: “Childhood sweethearts, finally together again.”

He closed his laptop slowly. The world grew quiet.

“She found her forever,” he whispered. “And it wasn’t me.”

He sat by the lake that night, the same place he had made the wish. His hands were shaking.

“I asked for someone to love me,” he said, looking up. “Was it just a trick?”

His heart broke quietly. No tears, just silence.

He stayed there for hours, remembering her smile, her laugh, her voice. But mostly, he remembered how it felt when he thought she was the one.

The next few weeks passed slowly. Kemzi stopped singing. He barely smiled. He still went to the bookstore and coffee shop, but it all felt gray.

His friends noticed.

“You okay, man?” one of them asked.

Kemzi forced a smile. “Yeah… just thinking a lot.”

Then, on a rainy afternoon, the bookstore bell rang.

A woman walked in, dripping wet, holding a broken umbrella. She looked around and smiled.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m looking for something warm to read. And maybe a little hope too.”

Kemzi looked up from the counter. Something about her voice made his chest feel lighter.

“You’re in the right place,” he said softly.

She laughed. “I’m Sandara.”

He handed her a book and said, “I’m Kemzi.”

Sandara kept coming back. At first, it was about books. Then it became coffee, talks, and shared jokes. They talked about life, stars, music, and past heartaches.

One day, Sandara noticed the guitar in the corner of the bookstore.

“Do you play?” she asked.

Kemzi nodded. “I used to.”

“Play something for me,” she smiled.

With a quiet sigh, he picked up the guitar and began to strum a soft tune. Sandara closed her eyes, listening. When he finished, she clapped gently.

“That sounded like someone remembering something beautiful,” she whispered.

“Maybe I was,” he said.

One night, as they walked under the stars, Sandara asked, “Have you ever made a wish on a shooting star?”

Kemzi looked up. “Yes. A long time ago.”

“Did it come true?\"

He paused. “I thought it did. But I think I was too focused on the first answer, not the right one.”

She smiled. “Or maybe… the universe was still working on it.”

Another day, they sat by the lake—the same lake where Kemzi once wished.

Sandara looked at the sky. “You know, I always believed that broken hearts don’t mean broken people. Just people waiting to love better.”

Kemzi turned to her. “Do you believe in second wishes?”

She looked at him, eyes shining. “I believe in better endings.”

Later, as they sat quietly, her hand found his.

“I feel like I was meant to meet you,” she whispered.

Kemzi smiled. “You feel like the wish I didn’t know I really made.”

In the weeks that followed, Kemzi started to laugh again. He played music, told stories, and found joy in small things. Sandara was not loud like fireworks. She was calm like the moon.

And she was enough.

One evening, as they watched the stars together, Kemzi whispered, “You know, I thought I had already met the one.”

Sandara looked at him gently. “What changed?”

He smiled. “I met you.”

In the end, Kemzi didn’t get his first wish.

But he got something better.

He got the real answer to his heart.

And her name was Sandara.