I was 15 when my spleen ruptured and I was rushed into surgery. The bright lights, loud machines, and strange room were shadowed only by the smiling face of my best friend. He stood beside me until the iv was inserted, sending me off into a deep sleep. Hours later when I awoke that face greeted me once more; a little less enthusiastic but smiling nonetheless. I felt his hand grasp mine as the nurse explained complications had arisen but everything was fine now. I sleepily spoke to Chance until I once again dozed off not knowing he hadn’t left my side even to eat. A doctor came in to check up on me and laughed as he asked if Chance was my boyfriend. This happened often and I chucked before hearing an “I wish” escape his lips. 

When I woke again he wasn’t in the room. My heart sank as my eyes swept the room hoping he had just gone to the bathroom. A note was left with only three words written in rushed print. “Check your phone”. 

Boom~beep~boom~beep~boom

The machines hooked up to my palpitating heart matched the blood pounding in my ears. What did he need? Why wasn’t he here? What does my phone have to do with anything? My heart monitor continued its monotonous song. “Honey? Are you okay?”, questioned a concerned nurse as she ran in to check my vitals. I turned beat red as I replied, “Yea... I’m fine.. I just.. do you know where my phone is?” She walked across the room and handed me my phone, reminding me to stay calm so the doctors could properly monitor me. I chuckled a bit and tried to steady my racing mind. 

My recent notifications were flooded with odd messages from people I barely knew:

“G_raceir29: Pleeeease say yes!”

“Klein76bon: this is sooo cute”

“55tripkech: aghhhh!”

What are they talking about?

The app opened and I was met with a collage of Chance and I. Photos of us from our first day of kindergarten to our most recent drive to the hospital were carefully pasted together in a way only Chance could compile. A smile crept on my face matching the one plastered in most of the pictures. “He’s probably just being sappy because of my surgery”, I thought as my eyes crept down to the caption. 

“Emaline, from the first day we met, I knew you would be my best friend forever. But recently, when you had to go into surgery, I realized....see more”

BOOM~beep~BOOM~beep~BOOM

“Get it together Ema”, I told myself as my thumb creeped towards the button marked “see more”. “It’s probably just an appreciation post or something.” I clicked the button.

“Emaline, from the first day we met, I knew you would be my best friend forever. But recently, when you had to go into surgery, I realized that if you didn’t make it, I wouldn’t be able to go on. How could I live without the person who had stood by me through scraped elbows and tremendous heartbreak and was there to hold me when I cried or celebrated with me when things were good? I couldn’t. So, when the nurse came out in the middle of your surgery and told me you might not make it.. I prayed to god to let you live. I said to myself, if Em makes it, I’ll tell her how I feel. If Em makes it, I’ll never take her for granted, I’ll never skip out on our plans because another girl wanted to go to the movies or the boys asked me to come over. I vowed that I would finally tell Em, you, that I love you. If you don’t feel the same way I understand but I can’t be on this earth knowing that you might’ve left it without knowing the truth. I love you Emaline”

Tears filled my eyes and crept out slowly down my face. Wow. He.. loves me? Well of course he loves me. We tell each other we love one another all the time. But this time... this time is different. I have to.. I have to see him. I glanced towards the tubes and wires inserted all over my body. I can’t go like this. But I can’t just reply to the post. No. That won’t work. Grabbing my IV, I attempted to walk across the room to my open door. The jingle of keys approaching stopped me in my tracks.

“Excuse me, nurse?”, a voice from the hallway spoke. The voices faded and only pieces of the conversation could be heard. 

“Is.....awake?”

“She’s.... stable....no......”

“.........see....line”

As the noise continued the voice became a familiar tune. Another step towards the door sent me sprawling on the floor and as I fell I called out “Chance!”

“Ema!”, a blue pair of sneakers ran into the room followed by white keds. “Em? What are you doing?” Out of breath and seeing double I looked up to Chance as he gathered me in his arms. 

“Chance! I...”

“Hey, don’t strain yourself kid.. it’s okay”

“No Chance... I.. l”

The room turned dark and my body became dead weight in Chance’s arms.

I woke to see Chance sleeping in the chair beside my bed, his hand resting softly upon mine. He blinked awake and his tired eyes spoke words my lips could never find. He asked how I felt and the only words I found were “come here, I need to tell you something”

He inched closer to me and I reached up to grab his face. Worry washed across him as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. 

“Em..”

“I love you too”, I interrupted his sigh and a smile erupted between us, drawing us closer. As our lips met, years of yearning released as passion sparked, filling the room with heat and desire.  

“I love you too”, I repeated.