"Rose is dead." Kanaya said so softly I almost couldn't hear her.
"What." I said, mind reeling.
"Overdose." She said looking at the ground.
"Kan.. Are you alright?" She looks up at me with big green eyes welling with tears.
"No." I pull her close and she starts bawling. Between her cries she mutters apologies for crying.
"Sh. It's okay Kanaya. Really. Just let it all out."
"I just, I thought she was getting better. She made so much progress. Really. Now here we are."
"She had a serious problem Kan. It sometimes happens that way."
"She promised she would wake me. God why did I have to sleep." I shake my head and pull her so I can look into her eyes.
"Listen. I know you loved her. And she loved you. But she had an eating disorder and a self harm addiction. You helped as much as you could. And yes she was getting better but relapses happen. I'm just sorry I wasn't there to help."
"I just miss her."
A year passed and Kanaya survived her matesprit's death. She stayed with me nearly every day. I felt bad whenever she couldn't sleep or when she physically forced herself to stop crying. She expected too much of herself. But I knew Kanaya was strong and she could get through this. Some days all we would do is talk, other times she would be quiet for days at a time. Rose's birthday was a strange day. She had died in September, a few months before her birthday. So it was over a year since her death. We talked during the day a lot, Kanaya seemed a little happier than usual and we reminisced about her beloved. But as the sun set the life drained from her eyes and she returned to the room that was now her's. In the wee hours of the morning I knocked softly at the door with a small plate of oatmeal cookies, her favorite. I heard nothing so after another knock and no answer I slowly open the white door. She's asleep on the recliner with a scrapbook laying open on her lap. I set down the plate and pick up the scrapbook, only to close it then set it down next to the cookies. She looks so uncomfortable but when has she not since her other side died? I sigh, lift her small frame, and carry her to the bed covered in a lavender comforter. I pull the soft blanket over her and kiss her forehead lightly. I pick up the scrapbook and fold it under my arm and turn off the light. I close the door softly and walk to my room. I flop down on the bed and open the book. One page after another was happy memories between the two. Both had smiles on their faces and love in their eyes. I felt like I was intruding so I closed it and set it aside.
Years have gone by now. Kanaya moved out but I still hear from her time to time. Especially times around September and December. She's accepted her best friend's death but she has shown no interest in dating. She has a cat now. Her name is Rosimay and she's helped Kanaya greatly.
I think about those two sometimes. About how not even love saved Rose. And how someone can shatter like a mirror and those left to pick up the pieces keep bleeding and end up with scars that last forever.