You said you'd never leave me.

You glance across the room.

A weight settles in your chest as your eyes pass by the lone picture that sits on your wall. You blink away the tears that threaten to fall; you've vowed to yourself never to cry over this. It's stupid. She's stupid.

It's been a whole year – no, two years. And yet, you haven't gotten over the harsh reality that she's gone.

This is the house that both of you had bought.

This is the house that both of you had agreed to live in.

This is the house that only you live in now.

Everyone makes promises, but whether they keep it or not is a different matter.

You said you'd stay by my side forever.

You can't remember the last time you left your house.

Each night, you'd tell yourself to go out, to get yourself a proper meal, that you can't live on instant noodles forever. By the next morning, you've long ignored your own instructions, gnawing unconsciously at a piece of stale bread.

You don't exactly recall being this skinny.

It isn't that you've never always had a small frame, but now you know that you're literally skin, bones, and a broken heart.

You wonder what would happen if you finally pulled up the blinds and unlocked the doors. Would all your old friends barge in and take care of you, try to soothe your aching heart? Would Nozomi grope you back into your usual happy, outgoing self? Or would everyone act the way you do, with sullen faces and eye bags? You honestly don't know.

Or care.

You said you'd always hold me tight.

It's another of those days again.

Those days where you don't leave your room, where you wake thinking that she's right beside you, that she's by your side. And your hand meets cold sheets.

You don't try to hold back your tears.

Feelings that you had tried so hard to bury away, love that you had tried to deny for so long – they finally surface. The pain that you'd been holding back finally strikes.

And for the first time since she passed, you weep.

You said you'd go through anything with me.

You curse loudly when you open the cupboard, only to find that it lacks any edible items.

It's about time, really, and you know it.

You tie your dark hair into a low ponytail, throwing on a jacket and slipping on shoes that are too small. You need new ones.

You need a new everything.

Sighing, you unlock the front door for the first time in months. Natural sunlight reaches your eyes; you flinch in response. You make your way to the convenience store down the street.

Half an hour later, you're trudging back to your house with several months' supply of cup noodles and an empty wallet.

You said you'd never let me go.

The next time you leave the house, it's only for a second.

Harsh knocks sound throughout the house as you run a hand through your hair, heading toward the front door.

"Nozomi?"

"Nicocchi." The face of your close friend is definitely not what you had expected, and she pulls you in for a hug. You don't return it.

"Are you okay, Nicocchi?"

You stare at her, "Do you think I'm fucking okay?"

Nozomi flinches, but you can't seem to feel guilty. It's as if you've lost all emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispers softly, and you're suddenly grateful for her inhuman level of understanding, "I know losing Maki-chan was hard."

"Is," you spit out. "It is hard. Losing the person you love most is never easy, Nozomi. But you'll never know that, won't you?"

You're not sure where the malice is coming from, but you can't bring yourself to apologise. Seeing the hurt in your friend's eyes strikes something in you, and you know letting out your anger on her isn't right, but tears return as you back into your house, no longer able to speak.

The last thing you hear Nozomi say is in a sad, gentle tone, "You're right. I'll never know.

You said you'd never forget me.

The impending weight crushing your chest is unbearable.

You can no longer pass through a single day without sobbing helplessly for the girl you loved to come back.

"I love you," you mutter, fists curled, teeth clenched. "I loved you."

You glare at the picture hanging on the wall. The tears in your eyes blur your vision, but you can still make out the beautiful face of the person you absolutely adored. Her sharp violet eyes, her soft red hair, her pearly smile.

"But I hate you," you continue, shutting your eyes, "I hate you for leaving me."

You said you loved me.

You don't feel like eating.

Frankly, you don't feel like doing anything.

With your face buried in your pillow, you let out racked, pained cries as you accept the reality.

Maki's not coming back.

She never will.

Loud sobs fill the empty house.

You liar.