Author’s Note didn’t appear so: This is my submission to starconstruction's Under Pressure challenge. I wrote this in a span of 2-3 hours so.. don't expect much.. Also there’s no chapter 2.. idk why it isn’t registering as a one-shot..
Trigger Warning: Angst, Major Character Death. Please proceed with caution. You have been warned :>
For a better reading experience:
Alternative for Filos:
You must be dreaming.
The love of your life, Karina, is slowly making her way through the church towards you. She looks like an angel sent from heaven in her pearly white dress, bouquet in hand, smiling at you. And as she walks gracefully towards the altar where you’re standing, you can see her teary eyes staring at you as she stands face-to-face with you in front of the priest.
“Hi, are you nervous?”
“Hi, are you nervous?” The same four words she asked you when you first met each other at a school competition. You knew about her already despite being from different classes, I mean, how could you not? Campus Beauty, Student Council President, Top Student and so much more. Her face was basically plastered all over the school as the model student that everyone likes, including you.
So it was to your absolute shock (and delight) when she approached you first, smiling at you like she just saw a lost puppy in the middle of the Quiz Bee. You managed to blurt out a mix of yes and nos at the same time, which made her chuckle loudly, earning the stares of the other competitors in the room.
“That’s fine, here have some candy, helps me out when I’m nervous” she says as she hands you the candy and turns toward her designated seat a few chairs away, but before she starts walking, she turns, smiles and says “Goodluck! We should hang-out sometimes, you seem like a chill dude”.
You ended up losing that Quiz Bee, but you felt like the biggest winner out of all of them.
You and Karina started out as friends, hanging out around each other as you both just instantly clicked, but you couldn’t deny your growing feelings for her as time went on. So at your graduation, you finally mustered up the courage to tell her how you felt.
As Karina delivered her valedictorian speech, you couldn’t sit still in your seat, dreading the moment of your inevitable confession, and what consequences it might bring to your friendship with her. It was then when you heard her say your name. Yes, your name. In front of all the other students.
“To my safe harbor, my number 1 supporter, and the person who makes my heart skip a beat. Thank you for always being there for me whenever I need you. Thank you for helping me grow as a person and become who I am today. I don’t say it too often but your presence brings comfort to my otherwise chaotic world, and I thank you for that.”
The speech continued, but you could no longer focus as your cheeks burned up hotter than the sun.
As the program ended, you approached her slowly, bouquet behind your back. She quickly saw you approaching and rushed to you to hug you. It was as if the world stopped time for the both of you. “Hi” she said as she pulled away, “Did you hear what I said earlier?” Of course I did, you thought. However, you handed your bouquet of flowers, and said the four words that have been on your mind the whole time.
“I-I like you, Karina!” you manage to blurt out. “I-It’s okay if you don’t like me back, I just wanted to get that off my che-.”
Karina didn’t even let you finish what you were saying before she kissed you softly on the lips. Your cheeks turned red instantly, and as she pulled away with a slight giggle, she said:
“You’re such an idiot, of course I like you too.”
Before you could even fully process what she said, she was already dragging you to take a polaroid photo together while intertwining your hands together.
Dating Karina was much easier than you thought, as you both knew each other like the back of your hands. You went on a plethora of dates, picnic dates, amusement parks and more. On one particular movie night at your place, she said:
“Really? a DVD? of Inside Out?? Who even watches on DVD anymore?” She said, laughing at you.
“I just thought that if I bought a DVD of your favorite movie, we can watch it a million times over, even when we grow old” you said, trying to reason out your purchase.
“That’s so sweet of you, but I doubt they’d still have working DVD players in about 10 years.” She said, still giggling at you with a soft look in her eyes. “But alright, I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t you dare fall asleep on me.” she says as she cuddles up next to you under the blanket draped over the both of you.
You didn’t notice that she was slowly growing pale.
On the day you were supposed to propose to her, everything that could’ve went wrong, went wrong, but it somehow worked in your favor.
The band you hired to play her favorite song cancelled on you last minute, You had to move the venue to somewhere indoors as the weather wasn’t on your side this time. You had to design everything yourself as your friends couldn’t make it as well.
So you just did everything in your shared apartment while she was asleep, and when she woke up, she found you in a suit with a bouquet in your hands. “Good morning” you said softly to her. “What’s this all about? Is there an occasion that we’re supposed to attend?” she asked confusingly.
“Not really, just… get yourself ready in your best dress.. and come out when you’re ready, okay?” You said, as you kissed her softly on the cheek and proceeded to walk out the door. Karina was still confused at your behavior, but eventually obliged.
When she stepped out of your room, she looked absolutely ethereal. Her red dress matching the red rose petals scattered on the floor surrounding your dinner table, together with the food you prepared for her. “Okay what’s the occasion here? It’s not your birthday is it?” she asked.
“Nope”
“Is it my birthday?”
“Karina, you would know if it’s your birthday”
“I could be wrong though”
“Just sit down please and eat”
Karina sits down hesitantly at the dinner table, and you two fall into the same rhythm you always do. When you’ve rested well after eating, you invite her to dance with you through the speaker you have set up. Of course, you couldn’t dance even if your life depended on it, but you learned and practiced with a friend of yours just for this. When the song ended, you went down on one knee, pulled out the ring box, and poured your heart out to her.
“Karina, we’ve been together for such a long time now, and I can’t imagine a single day of my life without you. You’re the person I want to see everyday when I wake up in the morning. You’re the person I want to build a future and family with, and you’re the person I want to love for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
She of course, with tears flowing down her face, said “Yes” as she kissed you hard on the lips.
Here we are again, on your wedding day, with her standing in front of you after just having read aloud your marriage vows. And as the priest says that you may kiss the bride, you close your eyes and lean in.
When you pull away and open your eyes, something feels off.
Karina is still there, but you’re no longer at the church. It feels like you’re in another dimension entirely, with nothing but white surrounding the both of you. It almost feels like someone is playing a prank on the both of you.
It is then when you notice Karina glowing more than ever.
“Hey Karina, where are we? This is not a good prank you know” you asked.
“Look, I don’t have much time left so let me explain this a briefly, you know all of this is just a fragment of the past, right? All of these things happened already, in the real world.” she explains.
“What do you mean?”
“All of this? it's just borrowed time, this moment, when we're speaking to each other? All of this is just a dream, and I really wish I could spend more time with you, but you need to wake up, for yourself and for her.”
“Who? and what if I don’t want to wake up? What if I want to stay here?”
“You’ll understand when you wake up” she says as she hugs and kisses you with a sense of finality, and whispers “I love you. More than words can say.”
“Karina what's happening?" as her body begins to slowly glow and fade away in your arms.
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