He pounded on her front door. As it creaked open he did his best to ignore her disheveled state.
“What the hell is going on with you?”
She flinched at his anger then straightened her posture. “Go home. We’re done.”
“Why are you doing this? To me, to us?” He demands.
“Ask the whores you’ve been sleeping with.”
“Babe-”
She raised a hand cutting him off. “Go. Home.”
“Do I mean nothing to you?” He shouted tears filling his eyes.
“Don’t give me that crap! I gave you everything I could!”
What’s going on?” Her mother trudged down the stairs.
“It’s nothing,” he snapped.
“Leave. Now,” she glowered.
His anger vanished when her guard slipped and he viewed the heartbreak in her eyes. He couldn’t stand to see that. With a somber face, he turned his back and made his way out. The last words she heard were, “I still love you.”
~
She sat in the hospital room anxiously awaiting the results. Her mother tearfully squeezed her hand.
“You’ll be alright. You’ve bounced back from worse.”
Even if she was going to respond it was cut off from the doctor entering. She knew it was odd, no tears, no reaction whatsoever. She felt completely numb.
“Could it be a mistake?” Her mother cries.
He shakes his head.
She only has a few months to live.
~
He couldn’t stand to be around any other girl. She is the only one he wants and he has no way to speak with her. It’s already been months and she stopped appearing in school. She won’t answer he, hasn’t since that night.
Finally, he could wait no longer. He stands in front of her door, his mind and stomach churning. Just as he goes to knock her father throws open the door. They were equally shocked to see each other.
“Where’s-”
He pulls on a coat. “She’s in the hospital. She doesn’t have long.”
He runs to his car and follows her father to the hospital. When he arrives his heart breaks. There she lies, his girl, his love. The disease eating away at what’s left. Outside he could hear her family crying. They were told she only has hours.
When she sees him, she struggles to sit up,
“Stop,” he tearfully whispers.
“I’m so s-sorry,” her voice was weak. “This was never meant to be a secret.”
He didn’t know he was crying until she wiped his tears away.
“I should have-”
“It’s okay...I forgive you.”
He plants a kiss on her soft lips and holds her hand as if she were a doll mere moments away from breaking.
“I love you,” he murmurs.
She attempts to smile as she intertwined her fingers with his. It felt as if everything had finally fallen into place. Only too late. He could tell she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
“I’m so tired.”
He plants a kiss on her hand, “It’s okay. You can sleep.”
She smiled and as she slept the remaining life left her body with a shuddering sigh.
He could feel his world crashing as the monitors went off. He was pulled out by someone but he couldn’t hear or see anything but her shrunken body. He was never going to see her brilliant smile, her loving eyes. Never going to feel her touch. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live without her. He’d forgotten how. He didn’t want to know.
“Where are you going?” Her mother asked.
He didn’t respond. He walked away knowing what he had to do to reunite with her.