Iris's POV
By evening, I had already took a bath. My head was still a little heavy but it was much more manageable now.
I slowly walked upto the mirror and saw my reflection.
Slowly, one of my hand reached up to my face.
I was smiling.
The picture of me holding his hand and–
The way we both just paused at that moment.
The way neither of us moved away immediately.
Heat slowly crept up my cheeks.
"It was just a crush." I said to nothing in particular. "You shouldn't make me fall harder for you."
The smile lingered for a moment before–
Suddenly, my gaze shifted towards my bedside. A few dark stained crumpled tissues were there.
My smile slowly faded as I walked towards them. I carefully collected each of them before throwing them into the dustbin.
Gradually, my hand reached for the cabinet beside my bed.
A hospital report caught my eye.
I cautiously took it out before carefully opening it.
*CENTRAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL,
DEPARTMENT OF NEURO-ONCOLOGY
DIAGNOSTIC SUMMARY: MALIGNANT NEOPLASM ( BRAIN TUMOUR )
Patient name : Iris*
As soon as I read the name, I quickly closed it.
A name that belonged to me.
A report that belonged to me.
A past that belonged to me.
Yet, none of it was familiar.
I exhaled deep before putting it back.
Kaizer's POV
Winter had begun arriving quietly. I could feel the cold breeze against my hand while walking forward.
Yet despite the cold, there was a strange warmth in my chest.
Something inside which felt a little lighter compared to everyday.
I ignored most thoughts around me as I moved forward.
Suddenly, my gaze shifted to the black rubber band in my hand.
Then, to my palm.
The warmth of her hand around my fingers.
The way she looked away hastily.
I almost smiled at her expression.
If the phone hadn't rung.....
"A thousand times I've seen your face,
Yet my heart still picks up pace."
I heard a child's voice. I stopped in my pace. Looked around, and found a familiar little girl standing behind me.
Isn't it the same girl, whom I saw while helping Iris shift her stuff?
"You are–"
"No matter how I try to pretend,
There's something about you I can't comprehend."
I paused.
It sounds like a poem.
A thousand times, I have seen your face.
A small face appeared from my memory.
It held a little smile and speaking about something I couldn't quite remember.
The face slowly faded into a mature one. It still held a smile. But this time it was because of the coffee she got without effort.
Both faces belonged to the same person,
yet they felt seperated by an entire lifetime.
Reality slowly settled in.
The little girl was nowhere to be seen. She left?
Whatever.
I continued walking towards Kuya's house.
---
The smell of coffee greeted me the moment I stepped into Rian's apartment.
It was a small place.
Not cramped.
Just lived in.
A stack of documents occupied half the dining table. Two coffee mugs sat abandoned near a laptop. A jacket had somehow found its way onto the back of a chair.
The usual.
I placed my bag near the couch.
"Your company is going bankrupt."
Rian glanced up from his laptop.
"Good evening to you too."
"You have papers on the floor."
"They're organized."
"They're literally on the floor."
"They're organized floor papers."
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Then both of us looked away at the same time.
Some things never changed.
Rian shut his laptop and stretched his arms.
"How's school?"
"Fine."
"How's life?"
"Fine."
"How's your roommate?"
My eyes immediately shifted toward him.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"...Fine."
The smile widened.
"Interesting."
"I hate talking to you."
"I know."
He stood up and walked into the kitchen.
A few moments later, he returned carrying two mugs.
I accepted one.
The warmth settled comfortably against my palms.
Outside the apartment window, the evening sky had already darkened.
Winter was arriving quietly.
The city lights flickered one by one beneath the fading sunlight.
For a while neither of us spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It never had been.
Then Rian suddenly spoke.
"Do you still visit her grave?"
My fingers tightened slightly around the mug.
I already knew who he meant.
"Sometimes."
Rian nodded.
The room became quiet again.
A different kind of quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not awkward.
Just heavy.
The kind that appeared whenever she was mentioned.
Our mother.
For a few seconds, only the distant sound of traffic filled the apartment.
Then Rian sighed.
"Next month."
I looked up.
His gaze remained fixed on the window.
"Next month it'll be one year."
The words settled between us.
One year.
Twelve months.
Three hundred and sixty-five days.
It sounded impossible.
My chest tightened.
Because part of me still expected to hear her voice sometimes.
Still expected her to walk through a doorway.
Still expected everything to return to normal.
But nothing ever did.
One year.
And she was still gone.
My gaze dropped to the coffee in my hands.
The surface had already grown still.
Rian leaned back into the couch.
"You know..." he said quietly. "She'd be furious if she saw you now."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"You barely sleep."
"I sleep."
"You passed out from exhaustion last week."
"That's different."
"It isn't."
I looked away.
Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.
Rian stared at me for a moment before speaking again.
Softer this time.
"Kaizer."
I didn't respond.
"You don't have to carry everything alone."
The sentence almost made me laugh.
Because if he knew what was actually inside my head these days, he wouldn't be saying that.
Thoughts.
Voices.
Whispers.
Questions I couldn't answer.
Abilities I never asked for.
And somewhere in the middle of it all—
A girl who looked at me like we'd never met before.
I lowered my eyes.
"Some things can't be shared."
Rian was silent.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Maybe."
For some reason, that answer hurt more than disagreement would have.
The apartment fell quiet again.
Outside, the wind rattled softly against the window.
Winter was coming.
And for the first time since arriving, I found myself wondering something I had avoided for months.
If Mom were here...
Would she finally tell me why I was supposed to stay away from Iris?