Shilah awoke to the sound of rain pelting the side of the glass window of her room. She sat up in bed and looked out at the grey clouded skies. The medical room was small, with a single bed and enough room for doctors to move around. The sound of the rain pelting the window and the beeping of the heart monitor had a blissful chorus together.
The room was dimly lit, only the dull outside light illuminated the room. She fiddled with her thumbs and wondered when Sev would get back. He had left to on his mission a day ago but had not returned. He promised he’d visit her everyday until...until that day arrived. This was the first time he had missed a day.
She stared without motion, down at her feet. She wiggled her toes a bit to see if she could still move. Paralyzation was a sign that it was over. Though the plague had consumed her body she still...tried to act lively in front of her beloved Sev.
They both had met on a dull rainy day just like this one. He had found her walking along the base, soaking wet and without an umbrella. Soldiers didn’t need one. It was the cliche boy meets girl trope that everyone was use to. Eventually the two continued enjoying another’s company and decided to take it a step further. Though it was possible for her to retire, he could not. Not until the war that would last forever, was over. It didn’t matter to him. He said he’d become the strongest and end the war by himself if he had too. It was a small joke at the time he said it.
The door swung open and Sev came into the room. Her eyes lite up with excitement and she smiled, though it hurt to do so. With both hands, he held a pot full of clean water. Floating on the water was a white lotus flower.
“Look what I got for you,” he said.
“It looks gorgeous,” she replied.
Sev smiled and placed the it on the table beside her. “Sorry I missed a day,” he said.
“I understand, missions can be tough sometimes.”
Sev shook his head. “No, I got back from my mission on the same day. But I got pretty banged up so I had to spend it here.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Well that’s what East told me. I just woke up a few minutes ago.”
“Well I’m glad you came to visit me.”
He sat down on the bed beside her and gazed into her eyes. She looked paler than before and when he grabbed her hands they felt much colder and...fragile.
“So did you figure out what you want?” he asked.
She smiled and shook her head. “Not yet, but I’m coming close.”
She turned her attention to the white lotus that he brought. It reminded her of her family back at home. Her mother loved flowers and was an avid collector. Though she could only collect pictures of flowers since physical ones were impossible to come across.
“So how did you come across this flower? These are very hard to find. I’m sure the commander would let you just waltz it right in here.”
Sev bit his bottom lip and winked.
“I’m serious why don’t you tell me?”
“It’s a secret,” he said joyfully.
“Now I feel kind of bad since I never got you anything.”
Sev held her hand firmly. “You’re the reason I’m not a corpse. You give me reason to keep fighting.”
Shilha looked confused. “What do you mean by that?”
“Heh, just something AJ and I had talked about after the mission.”
“Ooh, that reminds me. Where is AJ anyways? I haven’t seen him in days.”
Sev looked out the window. The rain had turned into a drizzle. “He went out to riding and won’t be back for awhile.”
Shilah’s eyes widened and a smile stretched across her face. “That’s what I want to do.”
“What?”
“I want to ride with you on your spear,” she said. “I’ve never ridden one and I’d like to ride with you to anywhere that isn’t here.”
“Sure, we can go right now if you don’t mind a bike with bullet holes.”
Outside the base at the entrance gate, Sev leaned against his spear. He looked down at his silver watch. It’s been two hours since Shilah said she’d meet him here. He yawned and looked up at the grey clouds above. Just the way it is, he thought. Thought it took a bit of begging, he managed to get East to approve of him taking Shilah out for a ride. A few lip quivers and some crocodile tears later and East gave up.
“Sorry I took so long.”
He looked up and saw her standing there. Her grey plaid skirt fluttered in the cool moist air. She wore an olive sweat and a white hat.
“You look really nice,” Sev said. “If I knew we were dressing casual I wouldn’t have worn my military gear.”
“You look really nice Sev.” She walked over to him and stood right beside his bike. She saw her reflection clearly in the spear’s frame. She thought how silly she looked with the hat on but Sev assured her he didn’t care and that she looked beautiful with it on or off.
He grabbed by the hips and lifted her off the ground. His strong arms held her firmly as he placed her on the back of the spear. He then swung his leg over the side and sat down. He fidgeted a bit when he felt arms wrapped around his waist and her cheek pressed against his back.
“Are you ready?” he asked in a soft voice.
“Mmmhmm.”
Sev kicked up the stand and pulled down on the throttle. He walked the spear forward and when he did, Shilah grew nervous and her body shook. It was not until Sev reached back and placed his hand on leg that she felt better. It was something about him, when he touched her she always felt as ease even in the worst situations.
After walking the spear out for a bit, he lifted up his legs and began to pick up speed. The road felt smoother than normal, maybe he didn’t notice or maybe the roads just wanted to be nice for a change. He went at a constant speed, never exceeding past forty miles per hour. He wanted her to experience everything.
“Hey Shilah, you can open your eyes if you want,” he whispered.
She clenched tighter on his shirt and opened her eyes. The wet air brushed against her face as they rode along. She gazed at the vast distant desert. The sun had begun to set off in the distance. But for some reason it felt static, standing between the grey clouds above and the moist dark sand that glimmered like thousands of gems in the distance. It was like she was in a tunnel and the sun’s light was shining in through an opening.
“This is amazing,” she said, pressing her cheek against his back. Just a half mile away she saw AJ driving along the desert on his spear. Sand went out from underneath his wheels like a wave people used to surf in the old days. He noticed them riding along and smiled before changing slowing down and changing course.
“Guess AJ is a true gentleman huh?” Sev said.
“He’s just a good friend,” Shilah said. “Just like your a great person for doing this.”
“I did this because I love you.”
Shilah felt her heart pounding and her face blush red. It had been the first time, in the single year the’ve been together, that he finally said those two words. It felt as amazing as she thought it would.
“You know these roads go on forever, right?” Sev asked.
“That means we can ride along like this forever.”
Sev smiled. “We could if gas wasn’t the problem.”
After riding around in bliss for a good hour, Shilah had finally figured out what she wanted. It wasn’t a bike ride but something else. It wasn’t something one could buy at the store. Sev couldn’t use his powers for this wish nor could he use his sword. It was something which required only him and him alone to do.
“Sev, I know what I want for my one wish.”
“Huh, I thought this bike ride was your wish,” he said.
She snuggled her face into his soft sweater. “No, this was just a simple want. What I wish for is for you to be there on my final day. I want the last person that I see to be you.”
“That’s a wish I can easily grant,” he said. “I promised the last things your eyes will see are my eyes looking into them.”
…
“Thank you.”