Theme song: "Unsteady by x-Ambassadors"
"When you know time is short, you stop wasting words. Every glance becomes a vow."
— Mira
---
I started memorizing the things I used to overlook.
The way Elian's eyebrows furrowed when he concentrated.
The soft hum he made before falling asleep.
How he always tried to make me laugh—especially when I was on the verge of crying.
Everything he did became something I stored away, like pressed flowers in a fading journal.
Because deep down, I was terrified that one day I'd need them to remember what it felt like to love him.
---
We were transferred back to London a few days later.
The hospital room was different—larger, brighter—but colder somehow.
The windows showed a view of the city skyline.
Elian joked that at least now, if he was dying, he could do it with a decent view.
I didn't laugh.
Not that time.
---
"Let's run away," I said suddenly, one evening as the city lights blinked like tired fireflies outside the window.
He turned to me slowly. "Where?"
"Anywhere. The beach, the hills, even if it's just in your wheelchair. One last stupid road trip. Just you and me. No hospitals. No machines."
His eyes softened.
"Borrowed time, huh?" he murmured.
"We've been living on it for months," I whispered.
He reached out, took my hand in his.
His grip was weak, but the fire in his eyes—
That hadn't left him.
"Okay, Mira. Let's steal one more moment from the universe. One more page for us."
---
That night, I began planning the escape.
Not a big one. Just two days, maybe three.
Doctors protested. Nurses warned.
But I didn't care.
Elian deserved to feel alive again.
And I needed to see him free—one last time.