a lifetime in repeat

From the corner of his vision Phil saw Dan swallow the lump in his throat, his tongue flickering out over his lips a brief moment before he snapped back from his silence. But his attitude had changed in that fraction of a second, his pretense dropped, and the gravity of what he was about to explain took over the entire room. "Guys, I..." He laughed. "I guess there's no easy way to say it so I'm just going to- I'm dying."