I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

I bow dramatically, outreaching an arm with attempted elegance, as
much as an oaf can have. Hikari laughs and plays along, allowing
me a kiss to her knuckles.
“In whatever form you grace me, my Hamlet, you never fail to
infatuate my heart.”
“So poetic tonight, Yorick,” she kids. “This isn’t you saying goodbye,
is it?”
She’s joking. Teasing me. But the nervous end to that question isn’t
helped by the silence that follows. Hikari looks at the box, then back
at me, waiting expectantly for me to say something else, to give her
the denial she wants to hear.
You wouldn’t be able to tell from the smile I wear for her, but even as
I admire her words, her touch, her everything, every day, there is a
reason I am trying to memorize them.
“You’ve healed, my Hamlet,” I say, my voice gone faint. “You’re ready
to leave me now.”
“Hey.” Hikari puts the bag down, walking to me with concern knit on
her brow. “I’ll come visit you. Every day. You know I will. Until you get
better, I’ll be here–”
“Do you remember that night at the shore?” I ask. “I said I had
something to tell you about myself.”
Hikari blinks, after a moment, nodding with a broken rhythm, like
she’s anxious for what will follow.
I grasp both her hands, trying to work up the courage to finally
explain.
“Ha–have you ever noticed that I am not quite the same as everyone
else? That I have no parents or family to speak of or even a room of
my own.”