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"NO!!!" Norma screamed as she watched Ryan close his eyes.  How was this even possible? Barely a few months ago she had said farewell to a young, handsome and most importantly, healthy man. Now all she saw in front of her was a weak and pale person, too tired to even keep his eyes open.
"Don't worry, Norma," his soft voice said in an attempt to comfort her. It did just the opposite. Hearing his quiver only made her feel a lump rising in her throat threatening to make her weep. She tried to suppress it as she watched Ryan struggle to open his eyes, but as soon as Ryan gave up, so did she. The tear trickled slowly down her cheek.
"Don't cry, love," Ryan said, much to Norma's surprise. His eyes were unmistakably shut, yet he could easily sense her sadness. And had he called her his 'love'? Norma blinked as she brushed off what she had heard as a mistake. It was all too much for her; she had to be hearing things.
"No, Ryan," she wept, squeezing his large hand. "I don't want you to leave... not like this... not now, not ever!"
"I have to," he whispered, as he attempted to squeeze her hand back. It felt, however, more like a butterfly landing on her palm. He looked as white as the sheets of the hospital bed he was lying on. "I have to go... but not like this..." he agreed.

***FLASHBACK***
"Congrats Ryan," Norma smiled as she gave him a hug. Her flight departure was merely a few minutes away. She breathed in deeply to always remember the scent of the man she loved, and swore she would never forget it.
"I just wish you could stay," Ryan said causing her eyes to brighten visibly. "Just because I'm married now..." he paused as he sensed a hint of sadness as Norma's face fell. "...doesn't mean that you're not my best friend anymore."
"I know," Norma said, not daring to look him in the eye. She was too afraid to let him see the love she had hidden all the while. She couldn't even bring herself to be near him any longer, knowing full well that he would never belong to her. "I'm glad the University accepted me," she lied.
Ryan nodded. "You come back in two years, my little writer girl," he said as he hugged her yet again. It was driving her crazy. Truth be told, there was no University, much less a writing scholarship. She just had to find an excuse to leave. But she was glad that she could keep the memory of him holding her close for one last time." I'll come back," she lied yet again. "I love you, Ryan," she muttered. She wondered if she had masked her tone well enough to come across as a farewell between two friends instead of what it truly was; a confession.
"I love you too," he said without hesitation. He held her by the shoulders as they locked eyes, and for a moment, Norma thought she saw a longing in his eyes.
Ryan had obviously noticed the hope that she had on her face as he snuffed it with a few unintentionally baleful words. "Pat sends her regards too. She says she wished she could've gotten to know her husband's best friend a bit better."
Norma laughed, partly to hide her disappointment and partly at her own wishful thinking. "Yeah, well," she replied, praying that her tone would not betray her. "Now she can have you all to herself."
"No," Ryan said, his voice softening. "Part of me will always be
yours."
She smiled wistfully. "Goodbye Ryan," she said as she heard her flight being called. A single tear fell as she turned her back to him and muttered under her breath, "Forever."

Norma smiled despite the situation, as Ryan slowly ensconced his head on her lap. Too long she had yearned to be close to him. Now that the chance had arrived, she knew how easily it could be taken from her. God could take him away anytime; Ryan had a brain tumor. A malignant one.

"I've always loved the sunset," he said, looking up at her. It was a change; all this time she had to look up at him. He had always towered above her in his 6'6 frame. "It makes me feel alive."
It was true. Ryan looked better than he did in the hospital ward an hour ago. Somehow they had managed to sneak out and drive to the beach. Norma's pretty face was marred by the worried expression she wore.
Ryan reached out his hand and touched her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. She placed her hand on his and prayed that the moment could last forever. It was too perfect. Ryan and her were in a lovers' embrace, on the beach, watching the sunset together. A fantasy, if not for the baneful diagnosis the doctors had bestowed upon Ryan barely six months ago.  Norma had come tearing back home the moment she heard about it, which was, unfortunately, just a week ago.
"So beautiful," Ryan said as he marveled at her.
"Yes, it is," Norma sighed, thinking that he was referring to the
sunset. She had unconsciously begun to play with Ryan's blonde hair as she looked at the vast blue sea.
"No, you are," Ryan said, making sure his feelings were crystal
clear. "So beautiful, it almost makes the pain go away..."
"What?" Norma asked, unsure if she was merely hallucinating.
Maybe she had gone crazy. It wasn't impossible. She loved him so much, she was sure that going insane for him was a relatively simple task.
"It's always been you, Norma," he said huskily. "I love Pat, but the person I'm in love with is my best friend. And I've been in love with her since the eighth grade. I was just too afraid to tell her."
Ryan closed his eyes to wait for a response, but none came. Just as he was about to open them to look at her, he felt a drop on his face. It wasn't the rain; it was her tears.
"Oh Ryan," Norma sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, knowing it was as much her fault as it was his. "All this time we've wasted... all those times..." her voice faded as her mind drifted to all the memories she had with him.
"God, I love you," Ryan smiled, a look of contentment on his face.
"I love you too," Norma wept her tears with her hands. She couldn't seem to stop them from flowing. "And I'm sorry I was too late..."
Ryan shook his head. "Never too late..." his voice was fading quickly. It was like he was experiencing an inner tumult in his mind. "Between now and then, I'll see you again."
Norma shook her head violently as she realized what was going on. "NO! God, no! Ryan, please stay with me! I can't... I... I love you so much, I haven't told you enough!" she said hysterically. But he could no longer hold on, and at the back of her head, she knew it. "It's time..." he mumbled, a look of acceptance on his face instead of fear. "I love you Norma..." Ryan said as his hand fell limp.

"What were..." Pat sobbed as she struggled to maintain her composure. "What were his last words?" she asked, visibly affected by her loss.
"Ryan said," Norma paused as she recalled him professing his never-ending love for her before he had lay lifeless in her arms. "He said..."
Pat looked at Norma with miserable, yet questioning eyes.
"He said he loved his wife," Norma lied as she thought about all the wishes she had to be with him and all the unattainable hopes she still harbored. "And he said he wished he had just one more day, one more time and one more sunset... with you," she continued. 
The look of happiness within comfort on Pat's face made the lie worth the while. Pat nodded as she excused herself from the room. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
Norma turned to the window and watched the sun set slowly in the horizon, each second crawling. She looked up to the sky and mumbled, her heart breaking into a million pieces. "Just one more sunset, just one more day with you, Ryan."