"So this is it," he spoke in soft recognition. "By the time I wake up tomorrow all of my memories of you will be gone? It'll be as if we've never met." As his voice cut off into a whisper, his hand caressed my cheek softly. My eyes pricked with tears, when he should have been the one crying. "Yes, after tonight you won't remember me. It'll all just appear as a dream to you. The three years we spent together will mean nothing." His hand moved down my cheek to my chest where he laid his hand, palm down, over my heart.
"It's hard to believe I won't remember this: that I won't remember you. Like you said, we've spent three years together. How can I forget the love I have for you?" His fingers curled around one another forming a fist over my heart. The tears were sliding down my face freely now but I was able to speak. "It'll feel like a dream: a very long and real dream. You'll have these feelings for someone who you don't even know exists. Their face will be blurred in your dreams, they'll have no voice, and no matter how hard you try you won't be able to remember their name." I took his fisted hand in my two warm ones and brought it to my lips. I kissed it gently before continuing, "You're going to feel empty inside and confused, but nothing you say or do will make you remember me or the times we shared together."
Tears started to form in his eyes now. He pulled his hand away to wipe them quickly, "What about everyone else, won't they remember you?" I shook my head slowly, inching closer to him on the bed. "No one will remember me because I'll just be a dream. I won't exist after tonight. It's going to be as if I had never met you." Our voices were soft and filled with sorrow. The silence that filled the room was unspoken feelings that couldn't be voiced. He filled the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me.
"I want you to stay for the rest of the night. I want to wake up to your scent and know that I wasn't alone all night. I have to have at least something to remember you by." The way he spoke this was almost desperate that I couldn't answer him truthfully so instead, I just nodded. He hugged me tighter while he choked out a sob of desperation. My hands tightened around his back, grasping his shirt. We stayed in this position for about an hour before his breathing began to even out. I knew he had fallen asleep when his grip around me loosened substantially. The time was growing closer where I knew I'd be gone from his world and everyone else's, but I wasn't ready to let him go just yet. I held on tightly waiting for sleep to overtake me and pull me away from this life I had grown so attached to over the years. I had to force myself to not think about our time together lest I wanted to have a panic attack. My eyes were getting heavy now and it was getting harder and harder not to hold onto the love of my life. I believe he sensed this because before my mind gave into slumber I heard him whisper the words, "I love you" very softly. I couldn't help but smile as my world went dark and the sound of his voice filled my sleeping mind.