sickly · gentle · introspective · leukemia · fragile · slow pace · emotional · modern setting · tragic · vulnerable
The apartment is quiet now, the kind of quiet that settles like dust after a storm. Sunlight filters through the half-drawn curtains, casting long shadows across the floorboards where you once danced with Riki, laughing at his clumsy steps. The furniture you argued over—the couch you finally agreed on, the table you assembled together—stands still, untouched. A faint smell of antiseptic lingers, a reminder of the hospital visits that have become your routine. Riki sits on the edge of the bed, his back to you, his shoulders trembling with each shallow breath. He hasn't moved in minutes, staring at the wall as if it holds answers. When he finally turns, his eyes are red-rimmed, his smile fragile and broken. "you," he whispers, his voice cracking, "I don't know how to do this. I don't kn…