Isabelle

The sun began to creep through the faux wooden blinds of Isabelle's bedroom. Sunlight washing over her boyfriend's face as he lay asleep in her bed. Victor and Isabelle have been together for 2 years, but they were a hard 2 years. Isabelle's lymphoma progressed for the worse and was told she had only about a year to live.

Victor was her rock, he helped her to doctor appointments and told her she was beautiful even when all her hair fell out from chemotherapy. Isabelle's pending death drove her mad. She could not stand seeing Victor waste his time watching her die. It seemed the more Isabelle pulled away from him, the more Victor pulled her close.

"Good morning, baby," Victor yawns as he stretches awake in bed.

The blonde girl stays perched on the edge of her favorite green wingback chair. She regards the brunette boy carefully before speaking, "morning."

"Come back to bed," He says softly as he pulls back the edge of the comforter for Isabelle to slide in. Victor pulls the girl's small frame to his chest. He notes how boney her arms feel and how hollow her face is from the weight loss she has suffered. His fingers trace her jaw, ending at her chin as he pulls her face towards him for a kiss.

Isabelle pulls away from the kiss, looking up at her boyfriend she whispers, "I won't be here in a year."

Hurt begins to mask Victor's face. His eyes begin searching the girl's face, memorizing every detail. The way her lips curved, the smattering of freckles on her nose, her wide doe-like blue eyes, and the tiny scar above her left eyebrow from where her younger brother's baseball bat hit her as a kid.

Victor smells alcohol on the petite girl, his face falls in disappointment, "You know you shouldn't be drinking."

The various cancer drugs that Isabelle has stashed in her bathroom cabinet clearly state no alcohol consumption, but she started ignoring those labels a few months ago when her oncologist said she was fighting a losing battle.

"Vic, you know I can't sleep and besides even if I stop drinking that won't reverse the cancer."

Victor pulls the girl close and gives her a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. "I don't want to lose you. Please consider the trial treatments."

The young girl sighs, "It's very painful and it's not guaranteed to work."

"But you have a chance of the cancer going into remission." Victor's eyes flick between Isabelle's blue ones. "Marry me! We can go get you a ring today and get married in a couple of months."
Isabelle pushes away from the muscular man next to her and pulls herself into a sitting position, turning her back away. "I can't do that to you! I can't marry you just to die within a year. It's not fair to you."

Victor pulls himself up to wrap his arms around the girls frail body. "Baby, I'd do anything for you and I want more than anything to call myself your husband, even if it's for a short while," he whispers the last part, as if talking too loud would make the situation worse.

Tears push their way down Isabelle's soft cheeks as she furiously scrubs them away. "No," her voice cracks, "you can't ask that of me."

"Then please just try at least one trail for me. You can stop as soon as it gets to be too much. Please Izzy, I love you so much," Victor could feel the tears sting his eyes but he held back. He had to stay strong for Isabelle. He had to find a way to show this girl how much she meant to him, even if he had to resort to begging.

Isabelle regards her boyfriend for the second time this morning. She remembers the first time she felt something romantic towards her boyfriend, how she wanted to stay up all night chasing the stars with him. The couple had been neighbors growing up and never actually considered dating until one random day. It was like meeting each other all over again, relearning everything about one another in a new light.

She remembered how Victor's little quirks soon became endearing and how he loved making her smile. He would act silly just to be rewarded with a small giggle. During her chemo treatments he would sit next to her, singing her favorite songs softly as he held her hand. They would spend their evenings binge watching TV shows on Netflix, cuddled up under a throw. Everything they did together they did it with love. Isabelle's heart hurt thinking about losing the man she loves.

With a shaking hand, Isabelle pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. She slowly turns to face Victor. She can see sadness and hope marbled in his chocolate eyes. Everything about his demeanor screamed love and passion for her. Isabelle reaches a hand out to touch Victor's cheek and it is as if she can feel electricity buzzing under his skin. She closes her eyes and whispers in defeat to the man she loves, "Okay, just for you."