As the Sun rose from the dimly lit horizon, Jacob opened his bloodshot eyes. As he slowly unfolded himself from the chaotic mess of blankets and pillows, he opened the window to indulge in the fresh air. A glimmer of a smile appeared on Jacob’s face as he inhaled the freezing air in his lungs. As he exhaled the bone-chilling air from his lungs, what dimly remained of a smile, faded from his face as he mumbled to himself, “I wish the night were a bit longer...”

That would be a normal response for a human being, but after spending another night with barely any sleep for the third time, he desperately wanted this to be true.

He slowly crawled out from the double bed that was clearly too big for him. As he got ready for the day, he opened the fridge to see nothing, but a half-empty carton of milk. When was the last time he went out to get groceries?

He grabbed the partially empty carton of milk, drank the entire box in one giant gulp, and then placed the empty carton back in the fridge. Taking out the trash was the least of his concerns.

Then he took a shower, brushed his teeth, and got ready for work. He felt the chilling air, it almost felt like it was telling him to stay home, but this was the day he would be reunited with her. He was ready. He took a deep breath and walked out from his front porch without even caring to lock his door.  Jacob looked at the house like it was the last time he was going to see it, then he drove off to his work.

Jacob worked as a normal businessman, not so exceptional in any way. He was nominated as the worker of the month once or twice, but just because the company felt the need to make things more random. Nor did he enjoy this achromatic workplace he worked in. In his opinion “This office feels like it’s been designed by a depressed and unpaid painter, who only had black and white paints to color this whole place.” And he still stood by this claim.

Once he entered the building, he was greeted by a familiar smell. A hint of coffee aroma which he always thought was disturbing and annoying, but after these days it felt plesently refreshing. He took his seat then looked at his table to see no change whatsoever.

It was just how he left it, a bit of dust was visible yes, but other than that the desk looked exactly how he left it. Ten paper cups of coffee, a computer screen that covered a large portion of his table, and a photograph of the happiest day in Jacob’s life, a life that he knew he’ll never get back, a life that’ll stay as nothing but a distant part of his memory…

Jacob sat down and waited for his computer to start, as he did so suddenly from one of the desks came a loud thud Jacob was so startled by it, instinct kicked in and he turned his head towards the origin of the ruckus. When he did so a figure was quickly and aggressively moving towards Jacob.

He squinted his eyes and then froze up right on that spot. It was the last person who he wanted to meet in this decrepit work place.

He stood up from his chair then looked into her eyes.

“Lots of nerves coming back here without a proper hello.”

Jessica snarled

“Well, you know it’s not like I owe you a notification that I’m here, I have the employee's card reader for that.”

Jacob responded.

The two then engaged in a stalemate that heated up the atmosphere around them, that other employees could almost cut the thick atmosphere that slowly clogged them from their work.

It was Jessica who broke the stalemate first, with one simple act.

She held out her hand towards Jacob.

Jacob, who had had enough of this tom-foolery, reciprocated her gesture by hugging her back.

“It’s been a long time, what were you doing!”

“I’ve been busy with some stuff…”

“Well I’m glad you're back, it’s quite hard working in this boring place all on my own!”

Then they caught up on the things that Jacob had missed, a few small talks here and there, and for a moment Jacob felt like he was a part of this world, well for a moment at least.

Soon enough, Jacob’s computer started to beep into life signaling the end of their conversation.

“It was fun talking with you again.”

Jessica spoke in a hardy laughter

“Yeah it was… nice.”

Jacob's face changed for a second with a bitter smile.

“Are you okay?”

Jessica asked concerningly.

“Yeah I’m okay“

He smiled, but couldn’t bring himself to look into her eyes.

“You know, we’re throwing a wild party tonight if you’d like to come…”

Jacob shook his head.

“No, I think I’ll be okay. You know how 5 days of workload is like~”

Jessica smiled.

“Well at least it’s nice to see you on your feet again.”

Jessica signed with relief.

“Good luck on your work load then~”

Jessica waved her hand then returned to her seat.

Jacob was glad that he had a friend like Jessica. She was there when he was at his lowest moment, her company was what made that day somewhat bearable to him…

At least for a second…

As Jacob continued to think, his computer finally turned itself on, and as soon as the computer’s screen was on, Jacob was only fixated on the work he had. The other workers approached him during break and asked things like

“What were you doing the last five days?” or “Are you okay?”

However, Jacob didn’t answer, the only thing that he could do was to type away. So he did just that.

Soon after the others just stopped caring.

How long has it been? Jacob couldn’t tell anymore; this world had nothing for him now, now that she was gone...

Jacob eventually lost track of time. He was so focused on his work. He felt like he was in another dimension, another plane of existence where time flows differently.

Even though Jacob submerged himself in his pile of work, something inside him couldn’t stop wondering

“Why?”

Why did these bad things happen to him?

Why did she have to go? Why...

Did he survive when the only person who loved him had died...

Soon after that, Jacob realized all of his work was already done,

and he was just typing aimlessly on his keyboard as if he was trying to find another purpose to excuse himself from facing the agonizing truth, that Sara was gone. Slowly he felt his senses coming back.

He looked out the company’s window to see the bright orange sky that reminded him of the time he spent with Sara on that hill.

“What do I think about death?”

She said

“Hummmm... The concept of death is unknown, vague, and obscure, but it is inevitable. So I think the people who tried to achieve immortality are petty.”

“Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“Of course if you ask me if I’m afraid of death... I’m terrified of dying, but I like to think of death as a part of a cycle like how the moon eclipses the sun, and the sun comes back from the horizon, dethroning the moon once more.”

On that day Jacob could have sworn he saw her eyes shining like the thousands of stars in the night sky. It still felt so vivid the grassy hile Jacob and Sara were lying on, and the gentle breeze on their faces, and the promise they made...

Jacob calmly rose from his chair and took the company’s elevator to the top floor. There he took the stairs to the roof of the building. His footsteps echoed against the walls.

With every step he took he could feel as if there was extra weight trying to pull him down the stairs.

Then, when Jacob reached the door, he felt like the whole world was trying to pull him down. Jacob held out his hand, and twisted the door knob, then suddenly all the restraints that held him back faded away like a gentle breeze. Jacob’s eyes squinted because of the sudden bright light. After his eyes adjusted themselves, Jacob looked out and he saw a bright golden ball slowly submerging itself into the horizon. It strongly emanated a trail of bright orange light that somehow made Jacob’s heart accelerate with joy.

Jacob smirked and took one step and then another slowly walking towards the guard rails. His eyes were preoccupied with the setting sun.

Jacob was now in front of the guard rails, he took a deep breath and stretched out his neck, breathing in the chilling air once more. Then saw the sun that looked right into his eyes.

“You know, I tried so much to keep our promise. These last few days were a lot to take in…”

Jacob’s neck clogged up, for he found it hard to say the next word.

“I thought maybe my work could distract me for at least a few days, but that didn’t work either. Why did you give me such a big burden that I couldn’t carry before you left…”

Jacob looked up towards the sky. The partially benighted sky revealed itself to a gradation of stars

Jacob signed, then wiped his eyes to see nothing, nothing but the void that swallowed him whole. He was so tired, the only thing that he now wanted was to finally take a rest.

Jacob jumped to the outer skirt of the fence, both of his eyes a bit blurry.

He took a glance towards the street beneath to watch out for any people, and to his relief, nobody was there. When he stood between the sun and the roof, it felt as if one step was enough to meet his loved one, one step was all it took to be reunited with her once more… But then, the promise he made on that hill, capt him from taking that last step, that one last step.

“I’m sorry Sara, but I don’t think I can keep that promise.”

Jacob took a deep breath and calmly took one step towards the sun, and with that one step, Jacob felt for a second like a free bird hovering through the sky. Then Jacob felt the shackles that pulled him down.

He plunged toward the ground, and as he fell, he saw his life flash before his eyes. The snapshots of his life flashed chaotically in front of his eyes like a rain of shooting stars. As he saw the impending doom in front of him, he thought to himself of the promise he made to her,

“I’m sorry Sara.”

However, after discarding everything, something lingered within Jacob’s mind, was it Sadness? Anger? No, it was Regret, although he had the feeling that it wouldn’t last.  Jacob closed his eyes, as the ground closed in every second…

“Hey, Jacob?”

“Yes, Sara?”

“Can you promise me one thing?”

“Yes, anything.”

“I… If I don’t make it out alive after this surgery. Can you try to move on from me?”

Jacob stared at Sara and her boney face. Despite her weakened state, the way she conveyed those words, as if she knew that she wouldn’t make it, managed to cut Jacob.

“Sara… I…”

“I saw you more than anybody in this world… So for my final wish, I want you to be happy when I’m gone.”

Jacob stared at Sara and her pale face.

“Promise me.”

She smiled as if to calm Jacob down, then proceeded to pull Jacob’s ear with strength too strong to believe that it came from a patient waiting for her surgery.

“Ow, ow, ow, Okay I promise!”

Sara released Jacob and then smiled at him. It was a smile that looked so glistening in Jacob’s eyes.

“You swear it?”

Sara asked as she tilted her head.

“I swear it”

“I swear it…”

That was the last conversation he ever had with her.

After that point, Jacob stayed and lived on that day. As the world around him proceeded to move on, leaving him and Sara behind…

The idea when Jacob threw himself off the company’s roof he was, at first, conflicted. He knew that it would hurt like hell when he made impact with the ground.

But then again, if he had learned anything from the last 5 weeks, the world with knowing that she was gone, the world when he opened his eyes to see the shadow in the corner, hoping, wishing that it was her just to turn around and see nothing but an empty room.

That pain, that excruciating pain that felt as if hundreds and thousands of needles were puncturing his heart, outweighed that instantaneous pain that he would feel at that moment.

However, despite the resolution that he had when he took the jump. The pain never came, not even a crunch of his bones snapping as it made contact with the grey, rough board block.

Jacob was admittedly puzzled at first, he was an atheist so when he thought of death. He would expect the usual, nothing.

Less of a sense of self, and more of the elimination of his existence as a whole thing, but that never came either.

He still felt like himself, now that he think of it he could feel his limbs and body, he still had control over them, and at some point the current of the wind had changed as well, unlike the cold and slashing wind that he felt initially when he fell from the building, the current felt warm and gentle. As if tickling him to open his eyes.

He did as he was told, and was greeted by that familiar beam of orange light.

The rising of the sun, covered with the green hues of trees from his backyard, vibrant, but not too much as in the way, it was just perfect, as he sat on the saturated tint of red tiled rooftops of his house to take in the view.

As Jacob’s eyes stood enamored by the sight of the sun, someone tapped on his shoulder with a familiar voice.

Jacob in disbelief turned his gaze to his left and then saw her.

Her skin was as sickly pale as the surface of the moon, and yet her eyes which shined like the stars were all so filled with life, her dark black hair was silky and smooth like the current of the cosmos were in it.

It was

“Sara”

Jacob stood there speechless for a few seconds, his hand moved in to touch her face, but stopped in their tracks.

“What’s up with you? You almost look like you’ve seen a paranormal entity.”

Sara chuckled to herself.

He was afraid that this was just a dream, a dream that he’d wake up once he touched her.

However, he knew there was only one way to find out.

He leaned in closer to Sara.

Then with a deep long breath Jacob swooped in to kiss her.

Sara at first was a bit dumbfounded, but soon enough she went along with it.

He could feel the warmth of her once more in his arms, a fleeting flicker of light that he once protected, was now restored.

As Jacob could feel the colours of his world returning to him, he could hear a small buzz at the back of his ears.

He shook it off now that the colours of his world had returned to him.