If you have ever been denied something for long stints at a time, that moment you are finally able to indulge in deprivation is like a slice of heaven. Such as people lost in a desert without water, or people stranded on a ship in the middle of the ocean that just want to see a face again or eat a burger.

In Arik's case, it was sleep.

He had been inactive in a hospital bed for 12 days, then immediately had his world shook up and decided to walk all around town to find answers. Not to mention the partying he had done the night before. Mix all that together and you have a recipe for what feels like an eternal sleep. Sleep that distorts time and space, causing you to no longer know where you are when you wake up, or how long it has been since your head hit that angelic pillow.

Arik roused in delirium and focused hard on everything that happened the day before. Everything was like a faint image, a distant memory, even before getting to Kilvio's. But within a few minutes of staring at the speckled ceiling, everything had come back to him, and a part of him wished it hadn't.

He shuffled his aching body downstairs to the kitchen and saw Veronica making food; a meal fit for lunch.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," she announced with a smirk.

"Well, well. The man himself," Kilvio ambushed from the living room attached to the kitchen. "About time you woke up, Ricky. It's only 2 PM, after all."

"Yeah, I guess I was pretty tired," Arik answered bashfully. Actually, he was still pretty tired and groggy.

Kilvio shot up from the couch and approached the kitchen. "I figured. And I anticipated you sleeping in as well. That's why I called in and took the day off work today."

Arik's demeanor dropped to the floor. "Well you didn't have to do that."

"Sure I did," he retorted without hesitation. "You're my brother, and you need me more than I need work."

Although Arik knew it was meant to be witty and comical, he still felt somewhat bad for interfering with Kilvio's professional life. He had feared this would happen, but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Well that's a large claim coming from you, Mr. Civil Engineer."

Kilvio sat down at the kitchen table with a penitent expression and looked to Veronica, who nodded subtly, then back to Arik.

"About that. We... Well, we need to have the talk. At least, if you can afford that to me."

Arik's stomach dropped. Nothing could have prepared him for this talk. He had played it over a thousand times in his head but was never able to finish the thought, as if having the very conversation was impossible. It was impossible to have, yet every day the moment crept closer. He had come to terms with never sharing it and just ending it all in the past. But fate wasn't having it and he was suddenly cornered.

However, now that the scene had presented itself, nothing felt as anticipated. That is to say, Arik wasn't loath to spill his heart. Scared, absolutely. But unwilling? No.

And so, with fiery courage that broke and bent all of Arik's self-secluding rules that barred him in a solitary cell, he sat down and took a deep breath across the table from Kilvio.

"I think I'm going to run to the store for a few things," Veronica announced. "Do you guys need anything in specific?"

"No thanks, babe. I think we will be fine," replied Kilvio, kissing her on her way out.

It was silent in the house, like a calm before the storm. And then it happened.

Arik let loose. He started from the beginning and talked about things from many years ago; his decline, as he called it. But these feelings had clearly never been verbally navigated before, with his story going back and forth between past and present and his dead-end sentences that made it hard to convey his thoughts. But he was trying with every brain cell in his head, tumor tainted or not, and that was all that mattered to Kilvio.

Perhaps an hour went by before Arik felt his case was explained thoroughly enough. He went over everything from his friends splitting after graduation, to his parents disappointment in his career choice, to his decline in work flow that inevitably led to being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, all the way up to selling everything in his water-damaged apartment just to eat the next day. It all sounded very melodramatic, but it was just the truth.

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Everything good in Arik's life had been whittled away until he was a deflated shell of what he once was. It was just as simple as it was complex, and it was Arik's everything.

"Is that all?" Kilvio asked with a smug smile and raised eyebrow.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?" Arik replied matter-of-factly.

They locked eyes for a couple seconds before breaking smiles and snickering like giddy kids in a classroom. The laughter died down and a light air enriched the atmosphere around Arik. He felt great, like a man that had won the lottery or the heart of the lover of their dreams.

But he did have the altercation with the landlord in the back of his mind. He still wasn't sure if he should share that with anyone or lock it deep within a mental vault. So, he decided to leave that event out in particular.

Some more time went by with them sharing playful banter and reminiscing on older times, such as back when they would skateboard in front of the public library and the librarian, most likely named Karen, would call the cops for loitering.

"Those truly were great times," Kilvio added while standing up and walking to the sliding backdoor.

"Yeah... But I'm no kid anymore and I know that those times are over." Arik walked into the kitchen and ran the sink for a cup of water for his hangover headache.

"Exactly. You can't dwell on the past like you have. You can only experience the present and plan on the future, just like my grandma used to say."

"Did your grandma say anything about salvaging a broken life by any chance?"

Kilvio pursed his lips. "No. But I can take care of that. You should start with a good living foundation and connect with your severed ties. I'm sure your parents would love to hear from you."

Arik's distasteful face was wiped clean only by Kilvio's approach. He had a pen and paper in his hand. It was a checkbook.

"So, I'm gonna loan you some money." He began diligently scribbling in the checkbook.

"No way. I can't—"

"Shut up. You don't have much choice in the matter." He continued scribbling until he ripped the check out and handed it over to Arik.

"It's not too much, but it should be enough for first and last month's rent."

Everything in Arik's body passionately told him to deny the check. But deep down he knew that this was the one time he was supposed to accept any help. He had gotten where he was today by not accepting help, and that needed to change. He needed to change.

With a heavy gulp he chocked down the next sentence as awkwardly as possible. "I will use it wisely, thank you. But shouldn't I dig myself out of this one?"

"Ooo, I almost punched you in the face just now," Kilvio exclaimed with his hands on his head. "Haven't you learned anything? You're in this hole because of that very mindset. You need to let others help."

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm Mr. Civil Engineer after all."

The two laughed again.

"Also, since you told me you sold your bicycle, you can borrow mine. It's out in the garage. I don't use it much anyway."

Arik stared through Kilvio, acceptance and rejection battling viciously in his eyes. Kilvio stared back, deadpan.

"Fine," sighed Arik with the hint of a smile.

"That's what I thought. You learn quick, Ricky."

And with that, Arik was off. It didn't take long for him to ride his new bike to the bank and cash in the check. It was the only appropriate thing to do next now that his best friend had given him a second shot to accompany his second chance at life.

Arik spent every second after leaving that house reeling over the gift he had been given. A gift like that really made a man think about his priorities in life and re-evaluate just how much he truly wanted to live again. Sure it wasn't some fortune as if he had won the lottery, but it was more money than he had seen in one place for years. And if nothing else, he felt the fire beneath him to make something of himself this time and pay Kilvio back. It felt surreal.

It felt like hope.

'$5,000 dollars. That will be enough to get first and last month's rent and then some,' he thought to himself in line at the bank. 'But I'm not so sure that greaseball Mr. Mohill will let me back into my old apartment. I may have to look elsewhere.'

After waiting patiently in line, Arik had gotten his cash from Kilvio's bank and was on the road, ready for step two of his mission. Only, he didn't know where to go for step two. So, he rode out into a less popular neighborhood to think over his options.

His old apartment was cheap, both financially and structurally, but he had burned down the bridge there. And if he found another place it would have to be cheap enough for him to stay there long after Kilvio's money had been used up. Then there was the problem with actually qualifying for a lease as most places typically wanted to see proof of employment before they accept you, that and a decent credit score. Neither of which Arik had in the bag.

'It's times like these when my d—'

Screeeeeech!

The horrendous squeal of tires braking on asphalt rocked Arik out of his thoughts as he crossed an intersection, blinded by his concentration. A speeding red muscle car full of teenagers fishtailed toward him and fear surged through his body like lightning, white-knuckling his grip on the handlebars of his bike. Time came to a crawl much like the day he jumped out of that window, and it was in that moment that Arik knew he was getting hit.

There was no way around it. He was directly in front of the oncoming car, broadside like a deer in headlights. Even if he managed to pedal past the car's lane, which was impossible for a human to do given the cars nefarious speed, there was still a large chance that the car would swerve into him anyways.

'No, not like this. I just climbed out of this mess, I can't die here!'

Arik's body shot up as the car zoomed past him. The bike rocketed away from under him and the sound of metal and glass accompanied the screeching of tires. His body twirled a dozen feet in the air and his heart pulsed through his entire body. He closed his eyes from the blur of the trees and sky around him, and just like that, Arik's story was over.

Or so he thought.