Rom's Love Story:

*TING!* *TING!*

The sounds of their utensils hitting their plates echo audibly. The quiet afternoon goes on as they eat their meals. They haven't uttered a word ever since they started. The boy's meal is one that is typical of a hospital, green peas, potatoes, carrot sticks, and a piece of meat. A modest meal in comparison to Rom's.

She remembers how uncomfortable to eat with so much piercing silence. How he eats right now reminds her of the last she visited him in his room. She wonders where all her excitement prior to coming here had gone. She admits that she was looking forward to this day. Yesterday's events, she thought he was opening up even a little. Now she feels like she's back to square one.

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The long silence continues. Eating their meal indifferently. In fact, Rom can't eat anymore. The rice was dense, and it she only ate half until her tummy is full. Rom jumps down from her chair, reassembles the steel canisters dividers from the bedside table and puts on the lock. She takes a peek at the boy, thinking that something might happen, but much to her dismay he still eats without interruption.

"*Sigh*…" she sighed inaudibly. Maybe this was a bad time, she thought. She went back to her chair, dwelling on that matter.

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"…Are you going home?" the boy suddenly asked, his utensils have stopped.

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"…I… don't know…" she answered.

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"…Was this…"

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"…a bad time?" she asked wanting to make sure. She had felt it when she came in, something was wrong. It's as though she was being choked, it was as though something was tugging on her sleeve.

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"…" the girl stands up once more and picks up her bag.

"…Stories…"

"…Eh…?" she turns to look at the boy.

"…Read some more stories…"

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"…Mhm" Rom nods with all seriousness. She puts down her bag, opens up the zipper and pulls out a book. She hurriedly sat down on the chair and began reading.

The words escape her mouth smoothly without stutter. Her steady voice slowly fills the room. The boy listens as though it was for his life's sake and resume his eating as he did so. Rom's voice did not stutter on the words. And once again, the room was engulfed in by her own that is silently detaching from the world outside.


Rom closes the book, finishing her 6th for the day. She stretches since sitting in the same posture for a good amount of time hurts. Rom takes a look at the boy before she puts the book back into the bag. He still wears the same posture and face as before, staring blankly out through the window looking as though finding something.

She puts the book back inside her bag and prepared herself once more to read aloud her 7th and last book.

"…" feeling the softbound cover of the book, she didn't need to confirm what book she was about to pick up next. Overwhelmed with embarrassment she pulls away from her hand and fixes her sitting posture instead.

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"…Are you done reading…?"

"Ah… mhm…"

"...No more…?"

"…Mhm…"

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"…Those were good stories…"

"…Eh…"

The boy turns to the girl, his blue eyes meeting hers.

"…Those were good stories…"

"…Mhm!" she gives a smile. Her heart beating aflutter.

Seeing such a bright smile from her, the boy feels slightly nostalgic. A distant memory had caught up. Remembering something important that he had never opened. Sitting on his desk collecting dust. Right now, he feels he wants to open it.

"…I…" and feeling that, his mouth escaped him.

"…Hm?"

"…I have a story as well…"

"…Mhm…"


"…!"

Rom stands suddenly, slightly pushing away her chair in the process. The boy stops for a moment to look at her, a shocked expression, beads of tears slowly building up on the corner of her eyes. Rom doubts what she had heard from the boy. Rather, she is doubting what the boy is saying.

"…But… you look…!"

"…" the boy shakes his head.

"…Then…!"

"…Mhm…"

"…!"

All the strength escaped her. It feels like a thousand other pieces of herself had shattered all around her. Tears are welling up, but can't even find the resolve to shed them. Her brain is too shocked to even process the meaning of this revelation. Or rather, it's her heart that denies this fact.

Her thoughts are all over the place, she wants to help him, but she can't. There's nothing that she can do. But she wants to help him, she screams inside. She wants to. She wants to. She wants to. Those thoughts consume her mind, blanking her out. And in the middle of these wave of thoughts, she asked, why was she so keened on helping him.

"…If there's one thing…"

"…!" she looks up, his voice knocked her out of her state.

"…I don't want it to be here…" he looks outside, looking far away.

Ah. Now she understands why he was looking out through the window all the time. He was always searching. Always, always searching. A quiet place? Or a place that he sees fitting. A small bit of courage sparked inside her. What was giving her that courage? She might know, or might not. But if it's all for that one last thing he wants, if she can, she'd give it. That's how she feels.

"…Then…" she stands, takes his hands which are lying on the sheets.

"…" he looks at her, a smile forming on her lips, and eyes that are different 3 seconds ago, the unexpectedness made him breathless for a moment.

"…Let's go!" she said, with much glee as she pulls him.