Heart on Fire | Noah Sebastian

Chapter 32

A few hours passed by and Belle was still sleeping soundly. I'd napped for about half an hour but held Belle for a little while longer before getting up, soaking up the sweet serenity of this moment. She was mumbling a little in her sleep, I think she's dreaming. I'm not exactly sure, but I think she's with Lucas. She has small smiles in the corner of her lips and she's mumbled 'miss you' and 'love you' a few times.

I gently removed myself from her grip and got dressed. The sun was beginning to set beyond the mountains and created a beautiful display. I thought to wake Belle up to marvel at the sight and encourage her to eat dinner, but I decided to let her rest. Belle has never taken a break before, nor has she even slept for longer than a few hours at a time. I guess her body felt safe enough to let her rest. She needed it. I kissed her cheek, tucked the quilt around her more and put some more firewood in the fireplace to keep her warm. I wandered onto the balcony.

I sat on the chair outside and took in the serenity. There was hardly a sound, it was truly tranquil. I watched as the sun faded from bright orange, to pastel pinks and then dark blue before it settled beyond the mountains. Lights from the neighbouring cabins, the main hall and the ski fields lit up the sky and contrasted beautifully with the stars. All the animals had gone to bed and the wind was low. It was a perfect night. I kept peeking inside to see if Belle had woken yet, but she hadn't moved at all. I decided to go to the dining hall and get some food to takeaway in case Belle woke up too late and the restaurant closed.

On my walk over, my phone rang in my pocket. It was Keaton. "Hey man" I answered casually.

"Hey man, what's going on?" he responds on the other end of the line. His voice sounded croaky for some reason.

"I took Belle away to Big Bear for her birthday this week. What are you up to?" I responded casually, thinking nothing of his voice.

I heard Keaton sniffle before he responded. "Oh that's so cool man. She must have been so thrilled. I can call you when you're back home".

Keaton was speaking in a low, saddened tone but tried to make his words sound happy. Something was off. "Keaton, what's wrong?" I asked directly. "You're my best friend, I know when you're not okay".

Keaton took a deep breath and broke down crying. My heart fell into my stomach. I knew what was wrong immediately. I stood outside the dining hall and listened to my best friend cry until he was able to speak. I let a few tears fall but tried to keep myself together. There were others inside.

"This is it," he cried. "There's really nothing else".

I fell to the ground. The ice on the path didn't bother me right now. I tucked my knees into my chest and held my phone close to my ear. I've gotten many calls over the years that he wasn't well but I'd never anticipated I'd get this call. I sat on the phone to my friend for what felt like hours, or minutes, I'm not so sure. Time kind of stopped. I guess if time did stop I wouldn't lose my best friend, he'd stay.

"I'm not going to leave your side, you know that right?".

///

I was gone for a little over an hour and grew worried that Belle had woken up without me, so I hurried back with our cold dinner. When I returned she was still asleep in the exact same position she'd fallen asleep in before 7 hours ago. I studied her closely to make sure she was still breathing and she was. I guess I was just nervous given my best friend just told me that he was dying. I wanted to wake Belle. I really wanted to hug her and tell her how much I loved her. I really just wanted her comfort, but instead I let her rest a little while longer. She didn't deserve this on her birthday. I took my cold dinner and a beer and sat outside in the dark and quiet. Surely she'd wake up soon.