I couldn't sleep with her next to me. i was half scared that she would just disapear, it had been so long since we had been here like this and I could hardly beleive it was real. I just wanted to watch her, soak in every last detail of this moment I knew couldn't last.
I wanted to remember how her hair fanned on the pillow. Some might liken it to a halo, but to me it seemed more like a lion's mane. I wanted to remember how she smelt, how her chest gently rose and fall as she slept, how warm and soft she felt. She looked so peaceful, so happy. I wanted to remember this. I didn't want to have to think about ever losing her, though it was inevitable. Things this good could never last. It was like an unwritten rule of life. Nobody could be this happy forever.
I watched her as the sun cast shadows on her face, trying desperately to commit this image to memory in case it would be my last chance.
Her eyes flickered open, and a smile lit up her face.
"Morning." she whispered, her voice weak and coarse from the illness.
I smiled back. We would have at least one more day. One more night to cherish.
I couldn't sleep with her next to me.