Four long years have passed since Julia Soler Gavira and Pedri González parted ways in a messy breakup. Julia has since been travelling the world and pursuing her graduate studies in the United States. But now, she's returning to Barcelona for a spe...
Julia squinted her eyes open even though they felt sore like the rest of her body. What did she do, run a marathon? Her gaze shifted around the room and found the people she held most dear looking at her with concern.
"Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?" her mother said gently.
"Like I have cancer," she replied bluntly but truthfully.
"Oh cariño" she teared up.
"Can we get you anything? The doctor should be here soon." her father offered from the other side of the bed.
"No I- Sira? What are you doing here?" Julia croaked out when she looked at the corner.
"Alright, maybe this is our cue to scram before things get too mushy," Pablo chimed in.
"Shut up, Pablo!" Julia and Sira yelled in unison.
"Why didn't you tell me, Jules? I was so worried about you," Sira's voice sounded angry, catching Julia off guard.
"I wanted to, trust me, but I didn't want you to worry about me," she said.
"You should've still told me." Julia closed her eyes because she felt all of their wondering eyes staring at her.
"Why?"
"Because I'm your best friend, and I'll never let anything bad happen to you," Sira said.
"What did you want me to do, blurt it out that, 'Surprise, I have cancer' at your wedding!"
Sira's expression softened, and she took a deep breath before responding, "No, but you could have trusted me enough to share it before it got this serious. We promised to always be there for each other, no matter what. You out of all people should know how cancer makes me feel."
Julia sighed, her throat feeling dry and scratchy. "I know, Sira. I just... I didn't want everyone to treat me differently. I didn't want pity or sympathy. I wanted to keep living normally for as long as I could."
Sira nodded, understanding flickering in her eyes. "I get that. But shutting me out isn't the answer. We face things together, remember? That's what friends do."
"I'm sorry, Sira. I should have told you," Julia admitted, her voice softer this time.
"It's okay. Just promise me you won't keep me in the dark anymore." Sira said and reached for Julia's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I promise till the day I die."
"I swear Julia, I will kill you if you ever talk about dying again," Pedri said crying while watching them make up.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Hola Julia. I wish it were under better circumstances, but I'm glad to see you again." Dr. Alvarez said politely as he entered.
"Hola Dr. Alvarez. What's the news?" Her father greeted the doctor worriedly.
"I'm so sorry to say, but I think it would be best for you to bring by some of Julia's things and make her comfortable. It will be a little while before we can send her home. But we are just going to monitor a few things." the doctor replied.
"Okay, thank you again, doctor." her mother said before Dr. Alvarez left the room.
Julia turned her head slightly, meeting Pedri's eyes. He offered a small, reassuring smile and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "You know," he said, his voice soft and teasing, "you still owe me that date."
Julia managed a weak laugh, the sound bringing a brief moment of lightness to the room. "Don't think you're getting out of it that easily," she quipped back, her tone playful despite her exhaustion. She squeezed Pedri's hand.
"Ok, lovebirds, let's go home before I get nauseous and faint too," Pablo complained as he walked past them.
"Shut up." Julia said slapping her hand on his back.
Pablo grinned, shaking his head as he made his way to the door. "Yeah, yeah. Just get better, Jules. We've got a lot of teasing to catch up on."
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