Phantom in my Heart

Chapter 7

THE PILLS

Eirian woke up alone the following day. The midday sun brought forth warmth within the room and filled it with brightness.

He rubbed his eyes to chase the sleepiness away but his body felt lethargic.

He couldn't do anything for the past two months. He felt weak, so weak, so dependent.

And he hated it.

The door opened and a tall well -built handsome man entered the bedroom.

Eirian looked at the man in a white dress shirt and black trousers walking towards the bed.

"Did you wake up just now, love?" The tall man smiled.

Eirian nodded.

Albert carried him to the bathroom, helped him wash, and change his clothes for the day. It became a routine for them already.

At first Eirian refused help but his arms would shake and the things he held would often fall. In his frustration, he gave up and let the man care for him.

Eirian vowed to get stronger and become more independent.

Albert carried him downstairs for breakfast. It was a hearty meal. With Albert often goofing around, Eirian couldn't help but smile.

After the meal, Eirian took his medicines and washed them with fresh orange juice.

They went out to the garden for a bit of sunshine. Albert pushed the wheelchair as Eirian looked around.

He saw a trellis nearby with wisteria flowers in full bloom. The purple and bluish flowers seemed familiar to him and it gave him a warm feeling. But something suddenly flashed in his mind and caused a piercing pain to his head.

Albert noticed the young man squeeze his head in pain. He knelt down quickly to check up on him. "What is it love? Does your head hurt?" He pulled the young man's hand away and replaced it with his own. With gentle pressure he kneaded Eirian's temples.

After a while Eirian relaxed. The pain subsided.

"Maybe we should go back and get you to lie down." Albert said.

Eirian acquiesced and soon he found himself lying down on the bed. The pain seemed to exhaust him and in a little while he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already late in the afternoon. He tried to sit on the bed with much effort. After stabilizing himself, he reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. He drank as much water to quench his thirst. As he returned the glass back to the table, he noticed a book with an interesting cover. It was of a male dancer in an elegant pose.

Curious, he pulled the book and read the summary. Seeing as that it was interesting, he opened the book and started reading the first chapter. The plot was quite interesting. The main character was a young man, who was a very talented dancer. He fell in love with his childhood best friend. When he was 20, his lover aged 28 proposed to him and he said yes. On the day of their wedding, an accident happened. The car which was supposed to bring the main character to the church met with an accident. The main character lived but he was paralyzed. The main character's fiancé was abducted and was held in a warehouse. The abductors set the warehouse on fire, leaving the male lead to die.

Eirian cried as he read the chapters. Hoping to find a happy ending, he flipped to the next page. But he found a bookmark instead.

It was a gold bookmark with black printed letters on it.