The Fading Moon Chapter 27: The Secret on the Rooftop

Read chapter 27 of The Fading Moon by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The next week arrived with rain. Soft rain. The kind that covered Tokyo in silver reflections and quiet sounds. Mike stood beneath a small umbrella as he walked toward the hospital. The city looked exactly like it had on the day he first met Jessika. That realization made him stop. For a moment he simply listened. The rain tapping against the umbrella. The distant hum of traffic. The footsteps of strangers passing by. Everything felt familiar. Almost painfully so. A year ago, rain had brought Jessika into his life. Now every rainy day reminded him how much he had to lose. Mike tightened his grip on the umbrella and continued walking. When he reached Room 307, he found Jessika sitting by the window. She wasn't reading. Wasn't drawing. Wasn't watching television. She was simply staring at the rain. Lost in thought. When she noticed him, her face immediately brightened. "There you are." "Good morning." "It's afternoon." "Then good afternoon." She laughed. The sound still had the power to make everything feel lighter. Even now. Mike sat beside her. For a while they watched the rain together. Neither speaking. Neither needing to. Eventually Jessika broke the silence. "Do you remember our first meeting?" Mike smiled. "Of course." "You looked terrified." "I wasn't terrified." "You absolutely were." "I was not." "You thought I was weird." Mike considered it. "Maybe a little." Jessika gasped dramatically. "I knew it." "You were talking to a stranger in the rain." "You married me in your head five minutes later." Mike nearly choked. "That's not what happened." Her grin answered for him. It probably was. At least a little. The conversation continued until a nurse entered the room. After checking Jessika's condition, she left again. But Mike noticed something. The smile Jessika had been wearing faded slightly. Only for a second. Yet he saw it. And that worried him. Lately, she had been getting tired more often. Much more often. Her energy disappeared quickly. Even talking for too long sometimes exhausted her. She always hid it. Always smiled. Always pretended. But Mike noticed. Because he watched her more carefully than anyone. A little later, Jessika suddenly leaned closer. "I need your help." Mike instantly became suspicious. Again. "What kind of help?" "The secret kind." "That sounds illegal." "It isn't." "Mostly?" "It isn't." Mike sighed. "Explain." Jessika looked toward the hallway. Then toward the door. Then back at him. Like someone planning a heist. "I want to go somewhere." "No." "I haven't even said where." "No." "You're impossible." Mike crossed his arms. "Where?" Jessika smiled. "The rooftop." He stared at her. "The rooftop?" "Yes." "We go there all the time." "I know." "Then why is it secret?" "Because I don't want anyone else there." Mike blinked. Now he was curious. And Jessika knew it. An hour later, after obtaining permission from a surprisingly cooperative nurse, they made their way upstairs. The rain had finally stopped. Clouds drifted slowly across the sky. The city stretched endlessly beneath them. Tokyo looked beautiful after rainfall. The streets shimmered. Buildings reflected the fading sunlight. Everything glowed. Jessika wheeled herself toward the edge of the rooftop. Then stopped. For a moment she simply admired the view. Mike stood beside her. Waiting. Eventually she reached into her pocket. And pulled something out. A folded piece of paper. Mike frowned. "What is that?" Instead of answering, she handed it to him. He unfolded it carefully. Then froze. It was a list. A very familiar list. The Memory List. The one they had completed together. The list that had guided so much of their time together. Sunrise. Ocean. Photography trip. Ferris wheel. Snowfall. Mount Fuji. Moon viewing. Every item had a small checkmark beside it. Mike looked up. Jessika was smiling. But her eyes looked strangely emotional. "We did it." Mike swallowed. "Yeah." "We actually did." The wind gently moved her hair. For a moment she looked yo