"How could you just let him go? Mrs Waters, she is your son."
I threw my hands in the air in my exasperation.

"Look, I know what I did is wrong but I had no other option. He is in pain and I want that pain to be relieved. His disease is terminal and there is no way he'll come out of it..." Daniel's mother's spoke in a strained whisper.

"Oh great! So you ignore all the doctor's orders, all medicines and all hope and sign up your son for death," I screamed. "The hell, Mrs Waters, Daniel is lying in your face to get the easy way out, to end his life so that he doesn't have to let us see him in pain. He isn't in any pain now and doctors say that his conditions are not deteriorating at the pace it should have."

"Phoebe, look, I'm not God and I can't save him. Besides, who says that he's refusing treatment? He will undergo palliative care for the last days of his life and for that we're going to Oregon."

"He needs to recover and win over the disease, not prepare for death in some palliative care setup. What the heck? You're going to Oregon. I mean he never told me..." my voice turned to a sob.

They were finally going to Oregon to carry out the physician-assisted suicide. I knew this decision of his was to prevent me from interfering. Once he was out of state, he would be free of my interference. I couldn't believe my ears that he was so adamant of getting rid of me.

"You never asked me!" Daniel barged into the room, interrupting our conversation.
"It's rude to eavesdrop, Master Waters," I was aware of the coldness in my voice.

He looked like I had punched him in the face, but I didn't regret it. I was furious on his entire family.

"Anyway, do whatever you like, I'll not set foot in this house anymore. I'm done with you weak-willed people, no offence to you Mrs Waters," I slid back the kitchen chair and stood up.

Without a glance back at his mother, I came towards the door, where Daniel was blocking my way. Our eyes locked for a second but I lowered her eyes and pushed past him to the door.

He caught my hand before I could get out and silently dragged me out of the kitchen.
"Leave me alone. Let me go..." I squirmed, trying to break free.

He dragged me into the drawing-room and closed the door behind us.
"I need to talk. You can't ignore me anymore," he glowered.

"I don't know you, "
I was careful that my disapproval clearly shone through my crisp words.

"Damn you. Just listen to me once and then you can go."

"I'm a hundred per cent sure that I don't know you. I knew the Daniel who was my friend, who was genial, lively and open. I knew the boy who had changed my existence. That Daniel, my lover, is dead."

He flinched.

"I know that I hid things from you. I thought I was protecting you and I know that it is wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going away and this is the last time you're going to see me, unless you come to see me off this weekend."

"I don't care. Go away. You're a stranger to me," I folded my arms for emphasis.

"Don't try to stop your treatment or attempt anything equally foolish, that's what I wanted to say."

"Who are you to tell me what I should do or not? Besides, I never wanted to do treatment and I had made it very clear to you."

"But you wanted to take treatment and you need the chemo now to stop the advancement of your cancer. Now you're being a stubborn girl, just because I took the decision."

"It was the earlier Phoebe, the one that was with the earlier Daniel. I know it sounds cliché, but that Phoebe is long gone. I was a different girl. You came to my life and set up an elaborate trap, showing me love and a life I hadn't ever seen. You made me an optimist, instilled the love of life and made me a believer. The moment you're gone, I'll be back to the brooding pessimist and the atheist. You were the sunshine, the ray of hope. When the sun is eclipsed, the darkness will take over. That's expected."

"I should have stayed away from you and never ruined your life, but it isn't too late. So I'm going away now, to relieve you of my shadow. You'll take independent decisions and do whatever you think is best for you. Whatever it is, I want you to live and be happy. That was the basis of our friendship, isn't it?" his voice was low, defeated.

"Fine! You wanted me to stay away, I'm going away," I caught his shoulders and shook him in my anger, "But do you really think it is that easy to forget someone? That someone who changed the core of my being? What do you expect me to do? Pretend that you never existed? I'm not that unfeeling."

He shook me away and there was a hint of roughness in it, "Look, Phoebe, if you want to stop treatment or do anything foolish, you'll do it at your own risk. No amount of emotional blackmail is going to dither me now that I've made the decisions. I'll get the formal papers soon and the morphine when I get to Oregon. It'll be all over before you even know it and I'd be happy. If you can't see your friend's happiness, then you don't deserve him."

"You know what Daniel," I hissed, "I was a fool to trust myself that I can change you. I existed before you came, and I'll exist after you go away. You go to Oregon, go to Timbuktu, and go to hell for all I care."

I couldn't say anything more because I knew I would slip and cry. I didn't want to show weakness. Not anymore. I was strong, and I was brave. I had seen so much in life, obliviously I could handle one small blip, just a blotch in the diary called life.

"Phoebe, I'll love you no matter what and remember you till the end," his voice softened at my rising temper.

But it wasn't enough to melt my heart. I had steeled my resolve. I would never let him play with my emotions again. I had been lenient, indulgent and it's almost as if he took advantage of it.

"It's over between us, once and for all, don't you understand that? Please don't make it any harder."

"You mean you're breaking up with me?" his expression was shock and surprise.

"Take it as you will, after all, what is left in between us except tears?"

I closed the distance between us in one long stride and touched my lips to his. It was just a brush but that one touch mean the world to me.

"W...Why did you do that?"

"Because I don't want your last memory of me to be crying. This is the least I can do as a token of our love," I tried a smile but it came out rather weird.

Without looking back, I turned around and opened the door. He didn't attempt to stop me.

Drowning in the pool of tears, I shot out of his house and started running, running aimlessly through the streets, not caring where I went anymore.

My heart, whatever was left of it, was shattering with each step as my feet cried for mercy. Yet I kept running.

The vibration of my phone made me stop for a while.

"SORRY"
A text message from Daniel plopped up.

I sank onto a bench under a tree and responded to the message.

"Don't say sorry when you've nothing to say sorry about."

My hands itched to write more. I wanted to scream at him, cry and write to him that love him.

Instead, I just pulled the dropdown menu and hit the BLOCK button.

We were officially over.

A/N... I'm so numb right now... I dunno what you all think of it.