5 Minute Reads | Anthology

A Kiss of Death

By ghvstly

Jace loved Vi so much and everybody knew it. In fact, it could be smelt from quiet a distance. It radiated off of him like aura even though he knew the feelings were not mutual.

Just the thought of loving such a person like her made his whole day light up like a fireworks display.

Vi's fiance ditched her on their wedding day and left her heartbroken. Jace was the only one who could do something and comfort her as she felt she couldn't love anyone again. He was so madly in love with her so he asked her parents for her hand in marriage and surprisingly she accepted.

After all, he was her best friend and she knew he wouldn't do what Gale did to her.

They get married but Vi still had no feelings for Jace. To think that as a child, she was the one who liked him and he didn't like her back then suddenly, the tables turned one day. She just really cared and respected him for saving her from drowning emotionally by marrying her but still did not love him.

Jace had been diagnosed with brain tumour some days after their wedding and decided to hide it from her and just spend the rest of his days with his beloved.

He knew that she'd be broken once she found out that she'd soon be a widow. He asked his entire family not to tell her.

Everything was going smoothly and fine. He'd go for his occasional check up at the hospital and still refuse to let her know. There was trust between them so she did not accuse him of some ungodly act like cheating.

When he was diagnosed, he was already in the last stage so at most he had a few weeks remaining.

Then came a day when Vi received a call that changed everything. It was her mother in law.

"Vi, come quickly to the medical centre. Jace has been rushed to the emergency room! Quickly! It is really serious."

She cut the call.

Vi was confused and didn't know what to do. A part in her broke but she just prayed nothing bad had happened.

She got in the car, speeding like no tomorrow. She just had to be there for him as he has always been there for her.

When she got there, most of their close family members were scattered around the waiting area, crying and sobbing. She too slumped in a corner and waited for the doctor for 18 hours straight.

Finally, he came out. Everybody's attention was on him but Vi had already jumped on her feet and was already throwing questions at the doctor.

"I'm sorry to say but... he has just a few more days to live. I suggest you spend all your time with him so I'll allow all of you to see him at any time. You have to part with him happily, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Vi fainted. Immediately the doctor rushed towards her and examined her.

"Don't worry, she's okay. She just went into shock. She'll wake up in an hour." He informed everybody and they thanked him.

They picked her off the floor and placed her on the other bed close to Jace. He was also asleep and he looked so pale and tired.

When Vi woke up, she remembered everything that happened and started to cry. She went over to his bed and held his hand. She cried her heart out begging him to wake up. When he finally did, he was happy that she was the first person he saw. He just started to smile, looking at her.

A few days passed by, with everybody spending most of their time at the hospital.

It was Jace's birthday and Vi had baked him a cake and cooked a lot of food for him. She took it to the hospital and together they celebrated it.

As everybody was chit chatting, Jace asked for a pen and a paper and his sister gave it to him.

Vi was so consumed in her thoughts. She knew that caring for him wasn't enough to make her cry as much as she did the other day as she was not really a sensitive person. So maybe it must be love.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and everywhere went quiet. Even the fans and the mosquitoes stopped squeaking at once. A cold chill settled in the room.

Just then, a clanking sound was heard as Jace's pen dropped to the ground. Immediately, Vi knew that death had kissed Jace with a burning passion.

Tears just started to drop from her eyes. Just when she finally realized her feelings for him, he leaves. It was true the saying that you never really appreciate someone until he was gone.

The loud flatlining of the heart monitor was what snapped everybody out of their state of silence. Jace was gone. He was really gone and never coming back.

Vi silently crawled towards his bed and picked up the small piece of paper that was lying askew on the ground. The rest of his family broke into sobs and loud wails but Vi tuned all of them out.

On the paper and in his very neat cursive handwriting read,

'If only I could live to see the day that we-'