The best feeling in the world isn't love or money. It's not the warmth of a baby's skin or the smiles that they bring. It's the calm sensation that overwhelms you when the emptiness inside begins to fill up.
“Am I like a bird to you?” Candace asked. Zach looked at her curiously.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean, is it calming to you to hear my voice, like the song of a bird on a sunny morning? Or do you ever look at me and just know that everything will be okay?”
Zach thought for a minute. “Not quite. You’re more like thunder to me, mysterious and frightening. Not enough to make me scared but enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. And when I look at you, I don’t wonder if everything will be okay, because I know that no matter what happens, someday it will be. I wonder if time will give me a chance to love you like you deserve before my time comes.” Candace looked up at him. He looked into her dark brown eyes. “Why are you sad?” She looked away.
“I don’t want you to die.” She said. “I want you to be here, with me; forever.” Zach brushed her hair aside and looked up to the sky.
“Forever is a dangerous word to use. Nothing lasts forever. Not life, not love, not anything.”
“But aren’t you afraid of dying? Don’t you want to live as long as possible?” She asked.
“What for?”
“For me!”
Zach took her in his arms. “I’m living for you right now. I don’t need to be around forever to do that. Besides, if I wasn’t dying, I probably wouldn’t have met you in the first place.”
Candace looked at him again. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when you’re gone.”
“You’re going to move on.” He said. “You’re going to have a husband and kids and you’re going to live a happy life.”
“Zach, I don’t want to move on. I want you. Doesn’t it make you sad to get close to someone when you know that you’re going to die?”
“No because I don’t want to sit around and wait for death to come. I want to be as happy as I can while I’m still here so that when my body’s gone, my spirit will remember.” | 
