Page 52 of Goodbye To Tomorrow

"You know what?" He asked me.

"What?" I followed his tone of voice.

"When the chemotherapy is finished, I’d like to take a trip to the coast." He said.

"I am feeling better than ever. Aren't you the best witness to say how good I am feeling?" He said seductively and kissed me passionately, leaving me breathless.

"Yes, Darling. I am." I whispered while his naughty lips were teasing me again.

"So, are we going?" He asked me.

"You should decide...I am just the nurse." I said.

"No. You're not working for me anymore." He said with a smile.

"Am I fired?" I asked while the tips of my lips curved upward.

"No. You’ve been promoted." He whispered in my ear.

"To what?" I asked, trying to focus on his words and not on what he was doing to me.

"To housemate," he explained.

"That's a big step." I said.

"Oh, really? Sorry, my lady, I forgot that you've lived with me for a long time before this. Yes, it really is a big step to continue doing the same thing you used to do for the past few months." The king of sarcasm, that's who he was.

"I am happy with how everything is going." I said slowly.

"If there were time, I’d gladly, date you, wine and dine you and more. But I don't have time." He said, becoming sad.

"I didn't say that as a bad thing." I whispered, slowly touching his cheeks, trying to remember every feature of his face.

"I know, I was just repeating that. You know, if you repeat something enough times, you come to accept it. Maybe that's the way I'll accept the fact that I’m going to die." He said, and in that moment, he couldn't stop his emotions.

My lover was crying, and I wasn't able to comfort him. I just hugged him as close as I was able to hold him. Seeing him cry, I had to force myself not to cry; not in front of him. A few hours later, he was smiling again. Maybe that's how life really is. First, you need to cry. And then you need to laugh. The stupid balance of the universe.

"We are moving tomorrow," he informed me.

"How come?" I asked, not believing how fast everything was finished.

"Your boyfriend is fast," he said, looking at my reaction for his new title.

"Yes, my boyfriend is fast." I accepted and smiled.

My boyfriend, my lover, the source of my happiness, yes, he really was all of that.

*****

Jiraiya

I rented a house for us for the weekend and we were ready to go. No, I didn't pay attention to the clothes I was packing; I just focused on bringing morphine, something which was making me act strong in front of her. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that. Nor could I tell her how bad my condition had become.

Death was coming. I had lost my hair. I lived in constant pain. My reason to fight, my light in the darkness, my direction, everything I had, and everything was for her. Morphine let me cover up the secret and I was happy. Her face was shining when she entered our rented house for the weekend; she began to organize it immediately.

"You'll be tired," I warned.

"Who cares? I want to make this the best weekend possible!" She responded.

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