The sky was painted with hues of gold and lavender as the sun lazily sank behind the mountains. A warm breeze danced through the cherry blossoms, carrying the faint scent of spring through the town. It was a day like any other—ordinary to anyone else, but to Akira, it was the day he would ask her.
Akira had known Hana since they were children. Theirs was a bond so effortless, it felt like they had been connected in some past life. Every memory he held of happiness, she was a part of. They had spent countless hours sitting beneath the old cherry blossom tree that stood proudly on the hill overlooking the town, dreaming of their futures, whispering secrets, and imagining stories that only they could understand.
And yet, this day felt different. Akira's heart raced as he approached the hill. His easel and canvas were strapped to his back, his fingers nervously clutching a small, delicate ring hidden in his pocket. He had spent months preparing for this day—saving up money from odd jobs to buy a simple silver ring, just as Hana liked things: plain but beautiful. Today, he was going to ask her to stay with him forever.
When he reached the top of the hill, Hana was already there, sitting on their usual bench beneath the tree, the petals falling around her like soft pink snow. She gazed out at the horizon, her face bathed in the soft glow of sunset. She looked so peaceful, so distant. For a brief moment, Akira hesitated, feeling like he was intruding on a moment that didn't belong to him.
But this was Hana. She was his best friend, the person he had loved more than anything in the world. He pushed the doubt away and approached her with a smile.
"Hana," he called softly, his voice trembling just a little.
She turned, her expression brightening at the sight of him. But there was something in her eyes—something that made Akira's heart skip. It wasn't the usual warmth or the playful spark she always had when they were together. It was something else, something distant, as though part of her was already far away from him.
"You're late," she teased, patting the spot next to her on the bench.
"I know, I know," Akira laughed, trying to shake off the strange feeling creeping into his chest. He sat down beside her, his easel resting against the tree. "I brought the canvas. I thought I'd paint today. For you."
Hana smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You always paint for me."
Akira chuckled nervously. "Yeah, but today is special." He reached into his pocket, feeling the small box that contained the ring. His heart pounded louder with every second, drowning out the sound of the gentle wind.
For a while, neither of them spoke. They sat there, side by side, watching the sun dip lower and lower, its fading light casting long shadows over the fields. Akira could feel the weight of the moment pressing on him. He had always imagined this day would be filled with joy, but something was wrong. Hana was too quiet, too withdrawn.
"Hana… there's something I want to tell you," Akira finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She turned to him, her eyes soft but unreadable. "What is it, Akira?"
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He wanted to tell her everything—how much he loved her, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But the words seemed stuck, frozen somewhere between his heart and his lips.
"Hana, I—"
Before he could finish, she cut him off, her hand gently covering his. Her touch was cold.
"Akira… I need to tell you something too."
He froze, his pulse quickening. There was something in the way she said it, something in the way she was looking at him. He wanted to stop her, to tell her not to say it, because whatever it was, he knew it was going to change everything.
"I'm leaving," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling of the cherry blossoms.
The world stopped. Akira felt like the ground had been pulled out from under him, his heart plunging into a void he hadn't known existed.
"Leaving?" he echoed, his voice hollow. "What… what do you mean?"
Hana looked away, her gaze distant again, as though she were seeing something far beyond the horizon. "I've been accepted into a writing program overseas. It's a great opportunity, Akira. I… I can't pass it up."
He stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying. They had talked about their dreams for years, always together. She wanted to write, and he wanted to paint, and they had imagined traveling the world, creating their art side by side. But now she was saying she was leaving? Without him?
"But… what about us?" Akira's voice cracked, the words spilling out before he could stop them. "What about our plans? Our dreams?"
Hana's eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away, biting her lip to keep her voice steady. "Akira, I— I can't stay here. I can't stay… with you."
His chest tightened, a sharp pain slicing through him like a knife. He couldn't understand it. They had been so close, so perfect together. Why would she want to leave him behind?
"Why?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Why are you doing this?"
Hana's tears finally fell, sliding down her cheeks. She looked at him, her heart breaking with every word she spoke. "Because… I don't want you to see me fall apart."
Akira's blood ran cold. "Fall apart?" he repeated, his voice trembling.
She hesitated for a long moment, then finally, her voice cracked as she spoke the words that would shatter his world. "I'm sick, Akira. My heart… it's failing."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. His breath caught in his throat, his mind refusing to process what she was saying.
"No," he shook his head, his eyes wide with disbelief. "No, you're not. You're fine. You're… you're fine, Hana."
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I've known for a while now. The doctors… they said there's nothing they can do. I don't have much time left."
Akira stared at her, his world crumbling around him. All the dreams they had shared, all the hopes for the future—they were slipping through his fingers, like sand being blown away by the wind.
"I don't want you to see me like that," Hana continued, her voice shaking. "I don't want you to spend the rest of your life taking care of someone who's going to die. You deserve so much more than that, Akira. You deserve a life full of color and beauty, not… not this."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The girl he loved more than anything in the world was slipping away from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"Hana, please…" His voice broke, the tears finally spilling from his eyes. "Don't go. Please, don't leave me."
But she just shook her head, her hand still resting on his, cold and fragile. "I have to, Akira. I have to go."
For what felt like an eternity, they sat there, both of them crying silently under the cherry blossom tree. The world around them continued to move, the sun setting on another day, the petals falling like soft snow, but for Akira, time had stopped. He knew in that moment that his life would never be the same.