07• Matthew.

"Huh. Haven't you gone back to school?" I raised my eyes at Leah who walked towards me, smiling suspiciously.

"I should have. But I had to escort someone back here." Leah replied.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Keith is paying a visit," Leah told me smilingly.

"Visit? To whom?" I arched an eyebrow. "To me?" I asked surprisingly and she nodded.

"I thought you weren't friends." Leah scorned glaring playfully at me.

"Why? Why would he visit me?" I asked with curiosity.

"Should I let him in?" Leah asks instead.

"Of course wait... Wait." I tried to catch my breath.

Imagining a whole Keith visiting me... I blushed secretly.

I hope he gets to touch me again, I prayed brushing my blushing self away. "Yes," I answered Leah's last question, trying to look calm.

"Alrighty, I'll be on my way to school then." Leah strode out of the ward while I adjusted myself on the bed, using my fingers to smoothen my hair and licking my lower lips as if the act would make me look cuter at the sight of Keith.

The door opened and Keith walked in with a bouquet of tulip flowers, it would have made me think I was some kind of special person to him.

I heard him clear his throat meeting with my eyes, and I wasn't disengaging the eye contact either and he seemed to be taken by surprise by that.

"Hi," he pronounced.

"Hi, Keith." I returned trying not to be that introverted shy guy that he knows.

He walked closer to me with his usual flair trousers that always covered his long legs. "Huh. Get well soon." He sounded awkward and I would have thought he was shy like me if I hadn't known the kind of person that he is.

"Thank you." I tried not to smile too much, but my butterflies were eating me up making it hard for me not to stop staring at his eyes, lips, and even ears.

Geez... Who in the holy heaven created Keith Schuler?

His grey eyes were prettier and bigger than Jenna's at a close look, and his smooth fair skin and golden hair seemed to compete with the color of the sun outside, I had to snap myself back to life, or else he might think of me not just a shy boy but a looker.

"Thanks." I collected the flowers from him. "It smells nice." I complimented wanting to keep the conversation long.

I didn't care at that moment if he was wondering why I was suddenly getting friendly with him as I wanted to enjoy his company without any lady interrupting or even his friends who never gave me a chance to get used to him.

"I'm glad." He replied. "And, I wanna apologize for yesterday... I was thoughtless." He commented and I grinned secretly, my thoughts kicking in.

I'm fucking having a conversation with Keith! And I'm not going to ruin it by acting like some introverted idiot that I am in class.

"No, it's not your fault." I tried to sound manly so my blushing mood wouldn't let him know how much I was crushing on him like every other girl. "And it's nice to have you here," I replied still hoping I wasn't sounding girlish.

"Yes. It's good to know you're feeling better..." Keith responded. "When, will you get discharged?" He asked as if already comfortable with me just like I was beginning to feel and I liked how he looked at me with his eyelashes cooperating with every expression of his.

Although I'm trying not to be too comfortable since Keith is everybody's friend, especially ladies.

The fact that he hasn't held a relationship for long made me rethink being friends with him.

I had fainted on my bed due to my heart condition and when I had woke up my parents and Doctor George pretended as if everything were alright when my mother asked me why I cried, I made up a lie and I was advised not to shed any tears while on the sickbed since my heart rate is yet to balance.

I had made up my mind not to cry about me dying soon or getting buried after three months... The thought alone frightened me and I had decided to just do what I love until my last breath.

Well it was a hard decision to make while I was alone in the ward, but I can't help it. I'm dying soon so I need to come out as my real self to my family and confess my feelings to this everyday-dream man who would turn me down.

But I don't give a devilish fuck...

I planned on being friends with him after telling my family my sexuality and afterwards, confessing my feelings to him then probably go on a vacation and wait for my death.

"Excuse me?"

"Ugh. I'm sorry." I apologize with a smile. "I will be discharged after a week," I replied and Keith took a glimpse at the heart monitor beside the bed I was sitting and laying on and he seemed to run his eyes on whatever was on the monitor before glancing back at me.

"I hope you recover soon." He said, sincerely.

"Thank you." I appreciated. "You would be late for school." Somehow I had to remind him he gotta go.

"Yes. I would be on my way now." Keith said taking a quick look around the ward before meeting with my eyes. "Bye." He pronounced softly turning to go and I glanced down at the tulip flowers in my hand but I felt him to have turned back and glanced at me as if pitiful then I heard that door closed shut.

I raised my head staring at the door.

It's been so long since I felt this way. I thought replaying the face of Keith staring at me and how cute he must have been while picking a flower as a gift for me.

I couldn't help but blush.

.

It's been over four hours with me, still in the ward, lying on the bed and staring at the flowers as if my life depended on it.

It smelled nice, the aroma of Keith's cologne still lurking around the ward, reminding me of when we had met.

He had been introduced to every youth in church as Deacon Schuler's son who had been in the US since his mother's death and I was sure I was the first person who started crushing on him before every other lady.

I was still staring at the bouquet of tulip flowers when I heard the door creak open.

I quickly take a look at who entered the room, realizing it was Doctor George.

"I thought you would be asleep," George says walking towards me with a file in his hand.

"Well..." I paused sitting uprightly while leaning my back against the headboard of the bed. "I didn't feel like sleeping," I add in watching him check the monitor before glancing at the IV drip.

George with my parent didn't inform me that I would be dying soon, and I was sure it wouldn't be easy if they were to tell me. Including George who still looked guilty, my mother's eyes the past night had held unshed tears that threatened to fall off her eyes.

I had pretended as if I didn't hear their discussion about me having less than three months to live and I didn't even dare to question about my health feedback.

I wondered if they told my sisters already.

"Are you feeling any pain?" Doctor George asked.

"No," I answered sharply and he shot me a glance, his face seemed to be holding guilt.

"Feeling dizzy or short of breathing?" George asked concerned and I smiled.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry." I said like an assurance. "I am."

George smiled a bit before glancing back at the IV drip. "I would send the nurse to bring your medicine." He says not sparing me a look.

He took the file he came with before turning to go and I had to stop him by calling his name and he stopped abruptly. "You're the best cardiologist ever," I commented hoping to ease his guilty conscience but seemed like I made it worse as I noticed his cheeks moving as though he was gritting his teeth in disappointment.

George didn't say a word until he disappeared from the door making me sigh.

If a doctor that I've known for over six years is feeling this way then how would my mother be coping?

I sighed again, glancing at the flowers that trembled slightly, catching my eye. Their shaking seemed to mirror my trembling thoughts, and I felt a wave of sadness at the thought of dying so soon. But I knew deep down that it was more important to me to fulfill my final wish before I passed.