The rooftop was quiet.
Not the kind of silence that feels empty or cold, but the kind that wraps around you, cradling a moment so fragile that even a whisper could break it.
Kana stood near the railing, her hospital slippers barely making a sound on the sun-warmed tiles. The sky stretched above them, wide, pale, and endless; its calm almost cruel compared to the whirlwind inside her chest. She wasn't even sure why she had brought John up here. Maybe because the rooftop felt like the only place where time didn't move. Where she could pause everything before it shattered.
She hadn't looked at him since they stepped outside.
She couldn't.
Not yet.
John stood beside her, not speaking, not pushing her. He just waited. Like he'd done since the first day he responded to her anonymous post online and like he'd done when she opened up, one message at a time. Like he'd done when she told him who she was and when she didn't even know who she was anymore.
But telling him to shut up in the middle of his confession still hurt him a lot.
Kana gripped the edge of the railing, her knuckles pale and she finally spoke.
Kana: I wasn't trying to hurt you when I told you to shut up. I sort of panicked. I'm sorry.
John didn't answer.
Kana: I… I didn't want to hear you say it… because I didn't want to believe it. That someone like you could actually love me.
Her voice cracked, and she hated that it did.
Kana: I'm not… normal, John. I'm not healthy. I'm not strong. I'm not some quirky hospital girl who's going to have a miraculous recovery. My story doesn't end like that.
She finally turned to face him. And her eyes wet and tired and brave looked into his.
Kana: My sickness has been getting worse.
John blinked.
John: What…?
Kana inhaled shakily as she spoke again.
Kana: Yesterday wasn't the first time that has happened. It happened in February, right after that phone call we had.
John's mind immediately flashed back to the moment where Kana said she'd want to start a family with him.
Kana: My body is beginning to shut down, piece by piece and I don't know how long it'll be before I…
She paused, unable to let the words come out of her mouth and then she began to get emotional as she continued to speak while John stayed quiet and listened.
Kana: Yesterday proved it. What happened… the pain, the collapse, the way I could barely breathe… it wasn't just an episode. It was a warning.
Her shoulders trembled.
Kana: I'm running out of time.
There it was. Spoken into the air like a confession. Like a curse.
Kana looked down, gripping her own wrist as her voice broke again
Kana: When someone says 'I love you,' John… It's more than a feeling. It's a promise. A hope. A belief in forever. It means I'll be there. I'll fight for us. I'll grow old with you. And I can't promise any of that. I just can't find it in myself to do that…
She met his eyes.
Kana: I don't want to give you something beautiful only to have it ripped away from you. I don't want to love you, then leave you. I don't want to promise you a future I know I don't have.
Tears welled again and spilled down her cheeks.
Kana: So… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But I can't give you what you want. I can't… return your feelings…
She covered her mouth to muffle the sob building in her throat.
John looked down at the ground for a moment. His hands were balled into fists at his sides. Not in anger, but in pain. He exhaled deeply, letting her words sit in the air between them like a wall.
Suddenly, all the memories of his time with Kana from the first time they texted to their first video call and then meeting face to face and how happy he felt when she was with him. And then, as he looked down, he saw the bracelet Kana had given him was still on his hand.
And then he looked up and finally said something.
John: No…
Kana blinked.
Kana: What?
He stepped forward, eyes burning with something fierce and raw.
John: No, Kana. I won't accept that.
She took a step back, startled.
John: I know that I might sound selfish, I know you think this is all about forever or promises or dreams that won't come true. But it's not… At least not to me…
He placed his hand against his chest, trying to slow his breath.
John: I don't care about forever.
Kana froze.
John: I don't care if we have ten years or ten weeks. I don't care if it all ends tomorrow. What I care about… is this moment. Us, right now. That's all I've ever cared about.
His voice was shaking, but there was no hesitation in it.
John: You're not a ticking clock and you're not just some sad story, Kana. You're you. And I love you, not because you're dying, not because I pity you, not because I feel like I'm supposed to. I love you because you make me feel alive. You make me look forward to everyday because I'll always get to talk to you or see you.
Kana's tears were falling again, but she didn't try to stop them this time.
John stepped even closer to Kana and held her hands with his own.
John: And if all we have is now, then let me have now with you, because in this moment, right now… I LOVE YOU, KANA.
The wind blew softly as those words softly flew into Kana's ears for a moment everything went silent as Kana stared into John's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.
And in that moment, every memory she had made with John right from when they first texted till that moment replayed in her mind and at that point, she couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes…
Kana rushed into him, crying harder than she had in months…
Then she whispered her reply, as her voice shook again in-between the tears.
Kana: I LOVE YOU TOO…
She didn't want to say it, but the words had lived in her heart long before her mind gave them permission.
Kana: I love you so much, John. I didn't want to… but I did. I can't stop it. Even with everything going wrong, even with this stupid body, I still… I want to be with you.
John didn't say anything right away.
He just held her tighter, arms wrapped around her like he could somehow keep the pieces of her from falling apart. Like maybe, if he held her long enough, the world would stop breaking her.
The wind brushed against them, tugging softly at her hospital gown and his jacket. But neither of them moved.
Finally, John spoke again, quieter this time.
John: Then let's not waste the time we have.
Kana sniffled, her face buried against his chest.
Kana: But what if I get worse?
John: Then I'll be there. I'll be right here. With you.
She pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes swollen and red but soft with something like hope.
John: We don't need to talk about forever. Just... let me be here now. Let me walk with you, even if it's not for long. I'd rather have a short time with you than a lifetime with anyone else.
Kana looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time. Their faces were inches apart. John leaned in slightly, almost as if guided by instinct.
Kana's eyes widened and she quickly raised her hand and gently placed it on his mouth, stopping him. John was initially confused but when he saw Kana's cheeks flushing, his confusion disappeared.
Kana: I… I'm too embarrassed to do it right now. I'm not ready for that part…
John blinked, caught off guard, then chuckled softly and Kana giggled too, wiping her eyes.
And they both stood there, two broken pieces trying to become whole, laughing under a sky that didn't promise them tomorrow.
But for today, it was enough.
And today, they were in love.