It was a quiet Tuesday night at 2:12 am when Arin's life came to a grinding halt. His ex-girlfriend, Suzy, had just informed him that Danny, his best friend and secret crush was in the hospital for attempted suicide. In his shock he rushed out of his apartment, slamming the door, nearly breaking it off its hinges. Opening his car door, he threw himself into the vehicle and shoved his keys in the ignition.
After arriving at the hospital, Arin was led to Danny's room by a nurse. He slowly opened the door, only to find his best friend laying on a bed, attached to what seemed like hundreds of wires and cords.
"D-Dan?" Arin called softly, stepping forward and shutting the door behind him. After a few seconds of no response, he approached Danny's bed. A soft, steady beeping could heard from the monitor next to him.
Arin gently pulled his best friend's hand into his own and sat in the bed next to him.
"Why would you do this Dan?" Arin whispered softly, clenching his eyes shut in an effort to keep his tears from falling. He laid his head down on the hospital bed, holding Dan's hand tightly. A small knock on the door broke him from his thoughts.
"Arin," Suzy whispered softly, "I think you might want to see this," she said, handing him a torn sheet of notebook paper. Suzy hugged Arin gently, glanced at Dan, then left the room.
Arin looked at the note, clenching Dan's hand tightly.
Dear Arin,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for being a bad friend. I'm sorry for always being annoying. I'm sorry for being me. I know you're probably mad, and you should be. You should be happy. I've made too many mistakes and I don't deserve to be forgiven. I think my worst fault was falling in love with you. I did my best to keep it in, but everyday it became harder and harder. I just couldn't take it anymore. Knowing that you would never recuperate my feelings, I decided that I would be better off out of your life.
Yours forever,
Leigh Daniel Avidan
By the time he finished reading the letter, tears were streaming down his face.
"Dan..." Arin whispered softly, lifting his head up to look at the other male. "I love you too...so much."
It wouldn't be until twenty-one (pilots) days later that Dan would wake up from his slumber. His eyes squinted in an effort to escape the bright, while light of the hospital room. Although he tried to open his mouth and speak, only a soft whimper came from his throat.
A gasp came from the doorway of his room. It was no one other than the man he'd had a crush on for several months. Arin stood there, willing himself to move his legs closer the the bed. It took every ounce of power he had just to take a step forward. Once he was next to Dan, he sat down on the chair beside him.
"Hey," he said softly, "I um...I missed you." Dan looked like he was going to say something, but Arin cut him off. "I read your letter. And I wanted to say that I...that I love you too," he paused for a breath as Danny looked on, eyes wide and watering, "I just wish you would have told me. Then we could've avoided all of this. But I'm happy you're awake. I've missed you so much." Dan only smiled, tears trickling down his face.
The older male's process to rehabilitation and therapy was long, but worth it in the end. The best friends became lovers, Dan healed, and they both lived happily ever after.
