October Writer Event '24

Sibling's Best Friend

Author: Minnie

Theme: Sibling's Best Friend

Where to find them: https://www.wattpad.com/user/_badunicornbitch_

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The sterile smell of antiseptic lingered in the hospital room, blending with the distant hum of machines. Chan sat beside Felix, his fingers lightly grazing the cover of a worn leather-bound diary. It had become part of his daily ritual he would sit here, every evening, reading the story of a life that was no longer his own. Felix's peaceful, unmoving face reflected the haunting silence that filled the room. A face Chan used to know so well, now barely recognizable under the shadow of motionless time.

The days following the accident blurred together. He could barely remember how it happened. One moment they were driving down an empty road, laughing about something stupid his brother Minho had said earlier, and then there was a flash of blinding light. The crash, the sounds of twisted metal and broken glass... and Felix. Felix hadn't been the same since.

The doctors said Felix was in a coma, a deep one which he might never wake up from. But Chan refused to believe it. He clung to the diary in his hands, as if it was some lifeline connecting him to the person Felix used to be, the person he needed to believe was still in there somewhere.

He turned the page and continued reading.

It feels strange to write this, like I'm already preparing myself for something I don't want to face. But today, I met someone I can't stop thinking about.

Minho introduced him as his best friend, this awkward-looking kid with bright eyes and a laugh that made me feel lighter. His name's Felix, and when he smiled, the world around us disappeared for a second. He had that effect, making everything feel okay even if it wasn't.

Chan smiled bitterly at the memory. It was the beginning of everything, back when life was still simple. Minho always teased him about Felix, noticing how Chan's eyes would linger just a little longer than they should have.

He flipped through a few more pages.

We spent the entire summer together, the three of us, me, Felix, and Minho. Days bled into nights, and I started to realize something. It wasn't just Felix's laugh that made my heart race; it was him. All of him. The way he would talk about things he cared about, the way his eyes lit up whenever he mentioned his latest baking project.

By the end of that summer, I knew one thing for sure: I had fallen for Felix. Hard.

Chan closed his eyes, remembering those days like they were yesterday. They had grown closer, inseparable even, as if the universe itself had pushed them together. He remembered the long walks by the river, the way Felix would brush his fingers against Chan's arm whenever he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. They were happy. For a while, at least.

But everything changed after the accident.

The guilt gnawed at him, replaying the crash over and over in his mind. Why hadn't he been paying more attention? Could he have swerved in time? Chan shook his head, pushing the questions away. It didn't matter now. Felix was still here, still fighting.

He turned to the final entry.

It's hard to believe how much has changed since the day I met Chan. We've had our ups and downs, but through it all, one thing remained constant: him. He's my anchor, my home.

I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost him.

Chan stopped reading. His breath hitched as a tear slipped down his cheek. He hadn't read this far before. Felix had written this entry just days before the accident, a promise of the life they were supposed to have together. But now, that future was a distant memory, lost somewhere between hospital walls and the ticking clock.

The door creaked open, but Chan didn't look up. He knew it was the nurse coming to check Felix's vitals again, to tell him there had been no change. There was never any change.

But this time, there was something different in the air. A coldness. A silence.

Chan could hear the nurse's soft voice talking to the doctor, hushed whispers exchanged in the hallway. Then, as if the world itself had slowed down, the words hit him.

"I'm afraid he didn't make it," the doctor said, almost too softly.

Chan froze. The world felt unreal, distant, like he was trapped in some nightmare he couldn't wake from. The blood drained from his face, and his hands trembled as he clutched the diary tighter.

"No," he whispered, the word barely escaping his lips. It couldn't be. Not Felix.

Tears blurred his vision as he turned back to the last page of the diary. His hand shook as he traced Felix's final words with his fingertips, the ink smudging slightly from the wetness of his tears.

And then, a tear from Chan's eye fell, landing gently on the last page of the diary.

He wiped his face with the back of his hand, took a deep breath, and slowly closed the diary. The soft sound of the cover snapping shut echoed in the room, final and unforgiving.

Chan stood up, his legs feeling like lead, and walked over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. His hand hovered for a moment before placing the diary back where it belonged, nestled among the other memories of a life that had slipped through his fingers.

Without another word, Chan turned to Felix's still form one last time. He took in a shaky breath, his heart breaking into pieces he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to put back together. But he knew it was time.

"I'll miss you," he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. Then, with one last glance, he walked out of the room, leaving the diary and the memories of their life together behind. The love of his life left him on the 2nd of October 2024, their anniversary.