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"I should have said something—no, I should have done something."
Phainon stood across the eerie white door, his hands trembling against the doorknob. His gut was screaming at him but, for what? There was something here that felt wrong, it felt impossible to pinpoint.
Hesitantly, his hand twisted against the golden knob. The door creaked open slowly, light seeping in to reveal…
Cyrene, sat on the dull hospital bed with her eyes staring off into the beautiful midday skies.
With her pink hair, the dull atmosphere of the hospital didn't suit a girl like her. It felt so out of place, like she was ripped out of a storybook just to be here. Maybe a part of him struggled to imagine how the sweetest Cyrene could ever get this sick.
It was evident that others have already visited. Beside the bed was a table filled with balloons, flowers, and adorably colorful. All of them said the same thing, "feel better soon" and "we miss you." Phainon glanced down, finding he had nothing but his trembling hands.
He finally remembered. He was told the news and bolted to the hospital. His skin finally felt the beads of sweat rolling against his face. The entire time, his bind was blank, imagining his best friend in a coffin, forced to wear a black dress that Aglaea would call tacky and unfit for Cyrene's bright nature.
"Phainon..?"
His head snapped up, finally seeing Cyrene.
She was so sick. Skin pale and arms so fragile.
"I… I didn't think you'd be here!" she said cheerfully, resting her hands against her lap. "Big sis Tribbie said you've been really busy with schoolwork and clubs. I—"
"I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath.
Cyrene blinked. "Huh? What did you say?"
He took another step forward. And then another. He slowly approached the sickly girl sat up on the bed, closing the gap. The more he approached, the more the thought settled in. He hadn't seen her in forever. He didn't bother to check in or anything. He was too busy with everything and didn't bother to see his best friend in so long.
"Phainon?" she called out softly, "Why are you crying?"
Huh?
He raised his hand up to his face. It was wet. Before he realized, tears flowed down his cheeks, one drop after another landing against the tiled floors.
Even then, he forced a painful smile on his face, taking Cyrene's hand into his. "I'm sorry," he spoke, much clearer now. "I was so distracted, I never even knew till now how sick you've gotten. I should have check in on you more often, I'm sorry."
He stripped himself bare, wearing his faults on his sleeves in hopes of forgiveness. The feeling of utter guilt and shame was all he could stomach, a sensation that only worsened if he dared to look her in the face.
And yet, she laughed. Her soft laughter singing against his ears. It was unexpected. When he glanced up to finally face her directly, she held the sweetest smile with tears threatening to fall.
"You're so silly," she whispered. "You don't have to apologize, you couldn't help it."
"No, I do," he replied, his voice trembling. "I should've been more considerate—I will be more considerate. I'll stay by your side until you can get better. And, I'll keep staying by your side after that."
"Where's all of this coming from?" Cyrene laughed.
Where was this all coming from?
Phainon thought about the imagery of her stuck in a coffin. The thought of living another day without her by his side. The thought of her presence slowly withering away in his daily life. He couldn't imagine a day without her. That alone was enough to crush him.
"Because, I love you."
Her laughter fell silent. Instead, her smile dropped to a look of shock as she sat there, processing those three words.
The lump in his throat become more obvious as he stood there, waiting for her to say something back. No, he shouldn't expect a response. Not when he just blabbered that out there.
"Sorry, I'm not—" he stammered, hands retracting so he could fiddle with the cuffs of his sleeves. "I don't expect an answer or anything. I just care deeply about you and… The thought—the thought of losing you… I can't—"
"I love you too."
His ramblings came to a halt as those words seeped into his mind. He had to let it simmer for a moment, as if he was processing the fact it was real.
"You're so silly," Cyrene said once more, breaking into a little laugh. "Come on, sit beside me. You have to tell me about what happened in school now that you're here."
Phainon blinked, taking a moment to wipe his face and share her laugh. "You're right, there's so much you haven't been able to see…!"