I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

able to confront his own ignorance, time and friendship wove his and
Neo’s paths back together.
Coeur kept his letters. He kept it in his possession along with his
story for an entire year. Because, as it turns out, Neo didn’t need a
grand confession. He didn’t need to be swept off his feet or
entangled in a forbidden romance.
Tonight, Coeur has all the animation of a corpse. He lays in his bed
hooked to an ECMO machine. An eternal pump keeps his blood
flowing while he is confined to a bed. His senses are dulled by
medicine. He cannot walk or stand or eat, yet he is content.
Neo lies beside him, his head on Coeur’s shoulder. They read books
they’ve read before, listening to songs they know by heart. Neo
points to
certain passages, rousing laughter from them both, humming to the
tunes.
When Neo writes, Coeur shuts his eyes, pressing his nose into
Neo’s messy hair. He hugs him round the waist. The melodic pen
strokes bring him peace.
Their story is almost finished. Given the state of things, Neo reads
Coeur the full manuscript in a day. Coeur’s eyes never leave Neo’s
face as he does.
“What do you think?” Neo whispers.
“I think the world is going to weep for every word you write.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“It’s your first review.”
“It’s my only review.”
“You should quote me on the inside of the cover.”