I'm woken up by the sound of my alarm clock crashing into my ears. I curse under my breath and get out of bed to turn it off. With eyes still foggy from peaceful sleep, I sit at the side of my mattress and stretch for what seems like an eternity. . I scan around the room for a few seconds and spot my medication for my recently diagnosed condition.
Arrhythmia.
Depression sweeps over me by just looking at the bottle. Somehow, I muster up enough energy to get up. I head over to the kitchen and get a tall glass of water; thus beginning my daily ritual of taking seventeen pills ever day and night to keep me from having a painful heart flutter, or even a full-on heart attack. I shudder at the thought as I swallow the last one, nearly choking on it.
I walk over to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. "God, I'm a mess," I mumble to myself. My short, dirty blond hair is in complete chaos, I have massive bags under my eyes from apparently not enough sleep, and signs of stubble are already appearing on my face. I give myself a dry chuckle. "I'm really not a morning person." I take a hot shower and enjoy the barrage of steaming water pummeling into my back. I turn the water off, grab a towel, and dry myself off. I take a few minutes putting on my clothes, shaving, brushing my teeth, and putting a small amount of gel in my hair to give it a slightly spiked look. I go into the living room, turn on the TV, and check my phone. There's an unread text from my girlfriend Lilly. Seeing it automatically brings a smile to my face.
"Good morning Noah! Please, don't forget to take your meds."
I get that same text with little variation each and every morning. It feels good that somebody cares about my well being though. Ever since my first heart attack about three months ago, she's been very diligent in making sure I take every precaution to avoid any injury. I greatly appreciate her caring so much for me, even though I feel like I'm being treated like a child at some points.
"Wouldn't dream of it," I respond. "Who knows what you would do if I forgot."
"Well, let's hope you don't find out. :)"
"Haha. So, anyway, what's up?"
"About to make lunch, you?
The thought of food makes my stomach rumble as I remember I haven't eaten anything yet. I then get the idea of us going somewhere to eat instead. It's Sunday, and I genuinely feel pretty lonely since we haven't done anything for the past two days.
"Speaking of lunch, do you wanna go out and grab something to eat instead?"
"Haha, I was actually hoping you would ask that."
"Haha, what a coincidence. All right, I'll be over there in a few".
"Okay, seeya then!"
I was generally surprised that she said yes. Even though we've been dating for about three months, I'm still very nervous and awkward around her. She, however, seems to be the exact opposite. It seems like she always knows what to do and when to do it, and I've always been slightly envious of her for that. "Oh well," I say to myself. "Better get a move on"
