He took her in his arms and held her close to his body. So hard it felt as though their hearts were in sync as their chests pounded into each other’s. Only their coats between them, his hands laced into hers; they stood silent, the sound of their breathing taking up any available space for sound. The air thinned but their breaths were shallow as though their lungs were momentarily paralyzed from the sound of their lover’s heart. One heart causing the implode and explode of the others own beating. She felt his warm breath against her cheek but yet her lip trembled. It was as though every cell on her body was heightened causing her to feel even the slightest touch like a rush fire through her body, exploding through her veins and lighting up every atom of her being like the lights of city; flickering on consecutively as the darkness slowly encompasses it within a blanket of inextricable uncertainty but inescapable comfort. They looked wholly into each other’s eyes, scared of what they would see but terrified that looking away could be losing precious moments within this conjured third space, where in, only the two of them exist. He examines every freckle, every crease on her nose from her laugh, a slight indent on her cheek from sleeping against the tube, every memory he has; which all now only consist of the memories he has with her. He kisses her lips slowly allowing him-self to memorize the feeling of her lips caressing against his own and whispers in to them “most people want to live forever but I would rather live now with you”. His voice catches in his throat towards the end as he begins to feel his chest tightening, unsure whether it is caused by a cocktail of endorphin's and natural chemicals which are flooding his body as he looks into her now pooling eyes or if it’s simply that the chemicals that normally course through his veins from the drooping bag at his side are slowly fading away. He holds her close, hands and tubes intertwined, memorizing her smell and hoping that he doesn't have to be the one to remember her. The ache of cancer is undeniable but the death of true love is unbearable.