Chapter 171 : Melancholy

Chapter 171 : Melancholy
Rayline. 

For the next almost half an hour or so, Cole was making sure that I ate every last bit of food that was given to me, as well as drink enough water. Right now, we were both lying under the blanket, my body curled up on his side, holding him tightly. 

He gently stroked my hair as I listened to his heartbeat. I have no idea what he told my parents to let him stay, especially since they of course still figured that I was sick, feeling the pain of being sick, but I was grateful to be able to hold him like this. 

"Cole?" I asked him softly, and he hummed. Hesitating before asking the next question, my mind not really wanting to think about it, but... I couldn't help it, "How much time do you think we have?" 

Just then I felt a sharp intake of breath in his chest and turned my head to look at him. "I don't know... From your condition, I..." He shook his head and looked into my eyes, telling me, "Not long enough." 

I leaned my head down and cuddled into him, while his arms wrapped around my body to hold me close. The weight of fatigue began to set in, and I struggled to keep my eyes from fluttering shut. He adjusted his hold to bring me closer to him. I love his warmth, I love his touch, I love him, I really do. 

"Ray?" he called softly, and I hummed softly in return. "You need to sleep," he told me. 

My eyes slowly opened, but I did not move my body. "I don't want to," I whined, and I felt his hand stroking my hair gently. "Because when I wake up, you won't be here." 

Then he leaned over and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "I know..." His thumb rubbed my cheek gently. "But you need to rest." 

"I just want to be with you. No matter how much time I have left." 

"Don't talk like that," he whispered, a hint of pain in his tone. 

"But our time is getting too close." I trailed off for a moment. "I don't want to think about it either. But we don't know what will happen next. I just..." 

Stealing a glance at him for a moment, his eyes flashed blue, and so I tightened my grip as my eyes fluttered shut again. 

"I love you," I blurted out, and I could feel his body trembling. "I will always love you, Cole." 

A hush fell over the room as darkness began to creep into my mind, and I felt myself begin to slip away into sleep. He then presses a kiss to the top of my head, his lips lingering before he rests his forehead against mine. 

"I love you so much. More than you will ever know... Thank you for always loving me and everything about me that I am." 

Just like that, I drifted off to sleep. 

 

Cole. 

My hands trembled as I tried to write on a piece of paper, while every time I started, my vision would get blurred by tears. Leaning my head back against the bed, I sucked in a deep breath before trying again to write the words I needed to get out. 

While sitting on the floor with my back leaning against the bed frame, I glanced at her, who was sleeping peacefully. I was already using my strength to put her into a deep sleep, because I knew that I would probably wake her up with the sound of my crying, and also because her fever would most likely return, so any pain I could get away with I was going to give. 

My chest felt heavy as I wiped away more tears and finished my letter. I took the paper and folded it carefully before writing her name across the top. 

My hand then reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Scrolling through the list of names and taking a deep breath before pressing one of the names. The phone rings a few times as my fingers fiddle with the fabric of my jeans before I finally hear it pick up. 

"Hey, Cole?" 

"Hey, brother..." My voice sounds weary and weak. 

"What's wrong?" I knew that he was frowning on the other end, I could hear it in his tone. 

"Um... nothing, I was just with Rayline... and it was bad." I paused to swallow. "I... um, I wanted to talk to you, but I... I don't think I will be coming home tonight, and I just wanted to let you know this..." 

"You don't have to go into this now..." 

"No, I..." I trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I just want you to know, I don't hate you, and I don't blame you for what happened, and... um... I know you don't think so, but you're an amazing brother." I told him the truth, mixed with a sincere and honest tone. 

There was silence for a few moments till then... "Cole, are you sure that you are okay?" He questioned, his tone laced with worry. 

A sad laugh escaped my mouth as I replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." My eyes looked up at the ceiling. "I know you blame yourself for the past, but I really appreciate the things you have done for me... I'm sorry I could not do more to help you." 

"Don't apologize for anything." I just opened my mouth to speak. "Don't," But, he cut my words off. "You have nothing to apologize for, not now, and not for the past, okay?" I just kept quiet without responding. "Okay?" 

"Okay." 

Then the line went back to being quiet for a moment, and I could hear murmuring in the background. 

"Cole, Taylor wants to talk to you," he announced. 

"Okay, I was going to call him too." 

"...Okay." I could hear some movement and footsteps. 

"Hey, Cole. What's going on?" 

"Nothing, Ty. Just wanted to talk to you guys." 

"Alright... do you want me to fly to Rayline's place?" 

"No, no. She and her parents are sleeping, so I don't want to disturb them. I just..." Biting my lip, emotions started to get the best of me. "You are an amazing friend, Ty. I'm... um, I'm so glad you came to talk to me that day, and I'm so glad I got to know you... you let me get to know you, and you were willing to put up with all kinds of shit to be my friend." 

"Hey, why are you being so sentimental? I'm not going anywhere." 

"I know... I just want you to know how much you mean to me." There was silence again. "Is Jesse listening?" 

"Uh, yeah." There was a slight movement from across the phone. "You are on speaker now." 

My mouth let out a faint laugh. "I... uh, I love you guys." A slight sniffle escaped through my lips. "Please just know that." 

"We love you too," Taylor said, to which Jesse added, "Yeah, we all love you." 

My lips curled up into a smile as tears fell and my eyes dropped to the ground. 

"And Jesse?" I called out as I heard Jesse humming. "Can you tell father that... um, despite everything that has happened, I'm glad he tried." 

There was a dead silence between the two of us. 

"Yes... I will." 

Letting out a heavy breath, I said, "I will... uh, I will see you guys later, okay?" 

"Okay," Jesse said. "We'll see you later." 

I swallowed. "Bye." 

"...Bye," Taylor said, then I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the hang up button. 

I tilted my head back while looking up. My eyes fluttered shut, causing more tear streaks to run down the side of my face, and I lifted my hand to my eyes to wipe them away. Looking back down at my phone and seeing the last name I had to call. 

Then I pressed the button and brought the phone to my ear. The phone rang, but not for long, and I could hear the voicemail start. A sigh escaped from my mouth and looked down, and when I heard the beep, I sucked in a deep breath. 

"Um, hey, brother. Sorry to bother you. I kind of knew this would not get through... messages usually take a bit of time, and I know you have a lot of things to do." I paused for a moment. "Things with Rayline have taken a turn for the worse. I... I don't think there is any other way." I said with a gulp as my tears flowed again, and I sniffed. "Chase, I just wish you were here... I don't know what else to do... It's the only option left." My voice broke into sobs. 

"I miss you... You have done so much to help me over the years, me and mom. I don't know how we could have done it without you. You really are an angel," I said with a chuckle. 

"I'm sorry I can't talk to you in person... I don't think there is time. But I love you," a sob slipped from my mouth. "Thank you for being there for me..." 

With that, I pulled the phone back and ended the message. 

I got to my feet and put my phone in my back pocket before turning to look at her. She was sleeping peacefully as I made my way over to place my little note on her nightstand. Then, I reached out to pull the blanket over her bare shoulders and bent down to place a kiss on top of her head. 

"Please forgive me," I whispered to her before pulling away. 

Then I walked to the balcony, but as I pulled the handle to open the door, I glanced at her bag lying on the floor. My whole body froze for a moment, hesitating, before picking up the bag. I rummaged through it until I found the sheathed dagger at the bottom, and I pulled it out, its silver blade reflecting in the moonlight. 

I swallowed sharply, gripping the dagger tightly before standing back up. I went to the door and glanced over my shoulder one last time before disappearing into the darkness.