Augustus rushed into the hospital the moment he heard about you. Dread filled his veins as he walked, his legs feeling like they would give in any moment. As he reached your room in the hospital, he stood still for a moment or two, calming his nerves to the best of his abilities. He wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead and took a few deep breaths. Augustus forced his breathing to turn normal even if his heart was thudding against his rib cage in a speed unimaginable. He calmed himself down and feigned a smile on his face. He had to be strong, for your sake.

There you were, staring blankly towards the ceiling as you lay limp on the hospital bed. The environment was eerily quiet save for beep, beep, beep coming out of the machine keeping track of your heart beat. It was the only sign that you were still there, hanging on, albeit by a loose thread. Augustus stepped into the room, his footsteps echoing but still, you didn’t react to his presence. He sat down on a chair beside your bed, looking at you closely. You had gone scarily pale and thin. Your eyes were sunken deeply, the eye bags seeming like bruises around them. Your lips were dry and cold. But the most terrifying part was your hair. Your once beautiful, luscious locks were gone. Nothing remained, not a trace of their existence. It was a constant reminder of what you were struggling through. What you had been suffering from all those years in silence. Cancer.

“Hey..” Augustus started and immediately cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “Remember me? Your bestest friend ever?” He said, his cheeky smile doing nothing to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. best friend. That’s all he had been ever since childhood. Nothing more, never more, even if he wanted to. He had been a coward. And now, it’s too late.