When We Were Young

Death and All His Friends

Our conversation left us both exhausted and Skylar could barely keep her eyes open. She drifted off to sleep and I sat watching her. Every time she moved, she groaned softly. She said that her bones hurt so no position was comfortable. But moving was difficult. It was after nine when she finally woke up and she was surprised I was still there. I reminded her that I wasn't going anywhere.

"Did the nurse come?"

I made a face and shook my head. "I have a nurse that comes when Rachel can't be here. Not always, just when I'm having bad days. I guess Rachel canceled."

"She didn't mention anything about a nurse."

She crookedly smiled, and blushed slightly. "I guess she assumed the best and not the worst with you being here. She doesn't do too much. Just tries to make me eat, helps me take a bath or shower if I'm too tired to get up, and of course shoves pills down my throat."

I glanced around as inconspicuously as I could. There were no medicine bottles to be seen. In fact, there wasn't anything around to remind Skylar she was sick. I nodded and chuckled to myself. "I'm happy to help however I can."

"You are welcome to stay here." She didn't specify whether she meant in her bed, or just in the apartment in general. "But um...I will need the nurse sometimes."

I assumed there were some things that she didn't want me to help her with and I respected her privacy. It had been thirteen years and for me to just come in and takeover, I wasn't sure I was comfortable with that either. I nodded. "Will you be okay if I go get my stuff from the hotel?"

She nodded, appreciatively. "Go. I'll probably be reading when you get back. And you should get something to eat. I don't think there's anything really here. My appetite isn't much these days."

I leaned over her, pulled up the sheet and kissed her forehead. "Can I get you anything?" "I'm okay."

Before I could walk away, she grabbed my hand. "I love you."

I knelt down next to the bed and clasped her hands. I kissed the soft flesh between her knuckles. Her breath tickled my forehead. "I love you."

"Albert," Skylar whispered, her hands tightening around mine as much as they could. I could feel the frailness. "Could I ask, would you..."

I swallowed her words, my mouth against hers. I was gentle, remembering the shape of her lips against mine. She gasped slightly but then her fingers curled around my neck and into my hair. I slid my arm under her waist, trying to push away the fact that she was so light in my arms that I thought I would hurt her.

Her mouth was urgent against mine and when I pushed her mouth open and my tongue moved against hers, her hands clenched my shirt. Kissing her felt normal, like we hadn't been apart and this was how it was always supposed to be.

Skylar was my home.

I finally pulled away, only for my own benefit because I was getting extremely aroused. Skylar's lips were wet, her eyes blown wide open. "I was just going to ask you to run a bath for me."

I started to laugh and she giggled, resting her head against my shoulder.

"I'll be back as fast as I can." I brushed my lips against hers one last time before heading out.

***

Death is imminent. It's not a novel idea. I've had to face death before. Not my own, of course. My grandfather, my mother. My grandfather passed right after I moved back to London. I was still in shock from leaving Skylar so when my father called me to tell me, I shut down completely. My father wept like I had never seen him cry.