Shut Down

A strange snap in the middle of my chest made me jolt and cough. I suddenly got so dizzy that I had to sit on Tetsuya's bed. I placed my hand on my chest.

Please, no.

Each beat made me cough, feeling like my heart was going to explode.

"Are you alright?" Sachiko asked as she stepped into the room.

"I don't know. My chest feels weird and it's getting hard to can't catch my breath."

She stood still in silence. I looked up at her and she stared at me expressionless.

Eventually, she sat down beside me, grabbed my hand, and entangled her fingers with mine.

"I'm here with you."

I stared down at our hands, trying to catch my breath. It slowly became easier. The coughing stopped and only every other heartbeat felt like a punch.

"Sorry for being like this," I said.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, it's not like you wanted to be in this situation. I'm here and I'll be here forever because I love you."