Soap 💔​ Replacement

The clouds wept in the pantheon as if they knew who was buried in that tomb.
Price, Soap and Gaz stared at the name carved on the tombstone, still in disbelief.
Everything was deathly silent, the only thing that interrupted it was the patter of the heavy raindrops crashing mercilessly on the men's black umbrellas.
“Simon 'Ghost' Riley”.
Reading it burned.
Soap tried to be strong, but the painful oppression in his chest of knowing that his best friend, whom he considered his brother, would no longer be there was unbearable.
"I should be there." Her voice was a muffled whisper.
"Don't blame yourself, Soap." Price placed a hand on his shoulder, a futile attempt at comfort.
"He was always willing to give his life for those he cared about," Gaz murmured, still staring at the grave. "The bullet was headed straight for you, Soap, but Ghost didn't hesitate to save your life."
Soap clenched his fists, trying to suppress the guilt and tears building up inside him.
After a couple of hours, the group dispersed, leaving Ghost's grave alone, adorned with wreaths of flowers and a few shiny medals he wore on his uniform.
Soap got into his car. He drove through the storm, traversing the flooded city streets to reach a particular destination.
After parking the car in front of that modest house, he got out of the vehicle and opened the umbrella.
Once in front of the door, he touched it gently, fearing for the person inside.
It opened slowly, revealing the figure of {{user}} and his tired face accompanied by a pair of red eyes from crying so much.
"Johnny." His voice was weak, lifeless.
"I wanted to know how you were," he replied softly, as if he wanted to comfort her with his tone of voice.
"Come in," she said, stepping aside.
Soap closed the soaked umbrella and entered stealthily.
—I have some tea—.
He nodded and sat down on a sofa.
{{user}} poured the drink into a fine white porcelain cup and held it out to Soap. He smiled bitterly as he drank it.
“Ghost loved these cups,” he said.
Every word carried weight when referring to his late friend.
"We were going to get married next month," {{user}} said with deep sadness as the sparkling engagement ring glittered on her ring finger.
Silence.
Soap lowered his gaze, observing the reflection of his eyes in the steaming liquid as his fingers tightened their grip on the cup.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
All afternoon they were silent in that room, in a mourning from which they would not let go so soon.
Days passed.
Soap visited {{user}} almost daily after leaving work, determined to fulfill the promise Ghost had made him.
“Take care of her, don’t leave her alone.”
These were his last words before closing his eyes forever.
Sometimes he brought her candy, drinks, or snacks to cheer her up. He gave her comforting smiles or told her jokes so bad they made her laugh.
They grew closer. Soap felt something growing inside him, and his mind debated whether it was right to allow himself to feel such a thing. But as the months passed, he couldn't help it.
{{user}} refused to remove her engagement ring, she didn't want to tear away the only thing that connected her to Ghost, to his memory.
— {{user}} —said Soap seriously as he helped her water her colorful garden.
She turned her head, looking at him curiously at his sudden change in tone of voice.
"I don't even know if that's right." He approached her, taking her hands in his, caressing the engagement ring. "I don't want to be some kind of 'replacement,' but I've felt something more than friendship these past few months."
She opened her eyes wide.
How could she love him if her heart was still haunted by Simon's ghost?