5 DAYS BEFORE
Mila
I look at him like there’s no tomorrow. I look at the way he’s looking at the sky. His cheekbones and face features are perfect. He then turns to look at me and starts talking to me, but I can’t concentrate as his eyes are a captivating distraction. His aqua blue eyes are mesmerizing, like the tranquil waters in a tropical paradise. “Mila, I’m talking to you, are you listening?” he says loudly. I close my eyes and let a tear roll down my cheek. Time’s running short. The doctor gave him exactly 2 weeks left to live from today. “I love you, Roman, I can’t be without you.” I see him looking away from me and sighing. Roman’s the strongest person I know. When he was 14 he was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. He didn’t have an easy life growing up. His family was homeless, his dad dealt drugs in order to pay the bills and provide food for his family, and his mum was out of the picture most of the time. I met him 5 years ago, when he just turned 19 in June at a charity event. We both ran 5k, and ended up finishing second last together. He then asked me out on a date and that’s where it all began. After almost 3 and a half years of dating, Roman started feeling ill and nauseous. That’s when we found out he had diabetes mellitus. A disease that kills. Ever since 2017, he’s been in and out of the hospital and it’s taken a massive toll on his mental health. The only thing that kept him going was his passion and drive for playing chess. He used to play professionally but then stopped due to his illness and him going to the infirmary. “Let’s just enjoy the time that we have together now.” He said whilst playing with my long, curly brown hair. Every day I spent with him was heart wrenching, knowing that he wasn’t going to live long, but I tried my best to put a on a smile and be with him as much as I could.
1 DAY BEFORE
Roman
I met Mila at a charity event. She likes to say that we both tied second last, but in reality, she beat me seconds before. Mila has been my girlfriend for 3 and a half years, and I love her to death. I had a girlfriend before her, but she cheated on me. When Mila came into my life, she turned it around. I didn’t have the best upbringing, but she stayed with me throughout all my low times. I’m organising this whole dinner for her tomorrow, and it has to be perfect. I just want to see her beautiful face again. I am planning on taking her to this lavish hotel 30 minutes away from her house, in the middle of the city to her favourite Italian restaurant. I put on this fancy, blue suit with a light, pink tie on it and put on my socks and shoes. I get into my electric, black car and drive up to her small house. When I get there, she’s wearing this beautiful, long, blue dress with sparkles. I quickly get out of my car and walk up to her. She runs to me and gives me a long kiss. It was as if fireworks exploded on my taste buds, a celebration of the magic we created in that simple, yet profound, kiss. She comes in my car and I put my hand on her cold thigh. We get to the restaurant, and we get seated outside where there’s a gorgeous view of the city. The sky is pink and orange, which makes Mila’s dark blue dress pop out. Our waiter comes and we start ordering food. We both order arancini as an entre meal, ravioli as a main meal and I order some champagne for the two of us. We talk about what we love about each other and how we wish we could be with each other forever. I truly am thankful I met Mila, we’ve travelled everywhere around the world before I got sick. From the freezing, icy mountains in Switzerland, to the blazing sun in Australia. We’ve tried every cuisine imaginable, embarking on a culinary journey that spanned the diverse flavours of the world. Our favourite was Italian food for sure, hence I chose this spectacular restaurant to take Mila out tonight. We finish eating and hop back into my car. Streetlights cast a soft glow on the quiet roads as we navigate through the familiar neighbourhood. We don’t talk much but I can feel the sadness rising. Next week I have to be in the hospital for some checkups and I won’t see Mila for the next couple of days, so we’re both upset about that, so we’re trying to enjoy the last few minutes together until I get to her house. I stop at her long driveway and say goodbye to Mila. It’s one of our saddest goodbyes yet. I tuck her hair behind her ear and promise I’ll see her as soon as I’m out of the hospital. I start crying as she hugs me tight. I watch her open her door and enter her house while I’m getting into my car to drive home.
7 DAYS AFTER
Mila
Only today I got out of bed. I walk to the kitchen slowly in my dirty, ripped pyjamas. My hair is a bloody mess and I haven’t brushed my teeth in days. I still can’t comprehend what happened last week. I still think about the last night I saw him. Everything was okay. I was going to see him the week after he was in the hospital and we were going to go on another date. I remember getting the chilling call a day after it happened. I got a call from Roman’s dad that he died in a terrible car crash. It was his fault. He did it to himself. I rushed to the hospital straight away when I got the call. The doctors told me that he seemed like he did it on purpose, he intentionally hit a car while driving somewhere unknown. Apparently, before this happened, he snorted five grams of cocaine. I know where he got it from. His dad. But why did he do this? Why after our date night? I heard both cars were insanely damaged, but Roman’s was damaged the most. Luckily, the other driver just made it out alive with a broken arm and leg. After I heard this news, I went to my car and just burst out crying. I started blaming myself for everything.