"What are you doing here?" she asked as she smiled, touching his face gently, before she embraced him.
The ice that started to envelop Alex's body started to melt. His cold and empty mind began to work as the icy numbness in his heart started fading away. It was like his lifeline had been re-activated and he became alive again.
He hugged her back, as tight as he could but suddenly, he pulled away, looking at her worriedly.
"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her face with all the gentleness in the world.
Abi smiled. "I'm fine."
His brows creased and then he lifted her up. He carried her back to the bed and slowly settled her there.
"It's still midnight. You're supposed to be sleeping," he told her as he tucked her in the bed. She noticed his hair was still damp. Did he just take a shower in the middle of the night?
"Alex…" she called out, softly, holding his wrist. "I'm sorry…" her eyes began to well. "I'm sorry I hid everything from you."
"Shh… Abigail, you can't –"
"Please, Alex, listen to me… please let me say it…" she begged as she sat up, clinging on his shirt.
Alex could only grit his teeth and nod. He promised her, after all, so he would listen to her. "Fine, tell me everything you want to say, I will listen."
Abi took a deep breath and wiped her tears before she looked at him intently. "I'm very sick, Alex…"
"I already know. Your dad already told me," he mumbled softly.
"I only have a little time left…" she continued and Alex's face turned dark. She knew he didn't want her saying that, she knew it was cruel but she had to tell him everything. Before Alex could speak again, Abi held his hand and placed it on her face. "That's why I… I approached you that night in the garage. I wanted to fall in love. To experience love before my time was up," she confessed, a tear falling from her eyes.
Hearing her, the memories started playing like a song in Alex's head. He remembered how she looked that night, when she told him to try her despite him telling her he was dangerous and that he didn't do love. He finally understood why she was so brave that night, so determined to be his girlfriend despite it all...
"So, you chose me because I said I don't do love?" he asked and Abi's tears fell as she nodded. A bitter smirk left his lips.
"I'm sorry…" she mumbled.
"Did you decide to leave me that night because you realized I was falling in love with you?" he asked again.
"Yes," she cried and Alex threw back his head, biting his lips hard. "I'm so sorry. I was scared. Even though I've been longing to experience love, I was scared because I didn't want to hurt anyone. You said you would never fall in love and I naively believed that, believed that you'd be fine, that you would not get hurt because you would never love me back even when I was gone…"
Suddenly, Alex rose and paced back and forth before her with his hands tugging his hair. And then he slammed his hands on the bed as he looked at her. Anger burned fiercely in his eyes.
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