(Song at the top is what this oneshot is based off of. I recommend not listening to it until after reading if you don't want to spoil anything. Also, this kind of sucks.)

It was the first day of my freshman year in college when I met your dad. We were both majoring in music, something he was always more passionate about than I was.

I walked into class thirty minutes early, hoping to make a good impression. I heard music playing from outside and I thought it was the professor, but it was your dad. He was playing this beautiful tune on the piano, I'll never forget it.

"What're you playing?" I asked.

I must've startled him because he turned around and looked at me like I was a ghost. His whole face got red, but he smiled and said, "A song I wrote."

I asked him, "What's it called?"

He said it was called Addict With a Pen. He hadn't wrote any lyrics for a yet, but I thought it was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. I sat in the middle of the room and left him alone, hoping he'd go back to playing.

He didn't. He looked over at me and saw me watching him. I couldn't help it though, I'd never seen a boy as beautiful as him. This big smile spread across his face and I felt my heart stop. I thought, this is it. This is the boy I've been waiting for.

"What's your name?" He asked me, and I told him.

"Well, Josh," he said, "I can't help but notice that you're staring at me. I probably shouldn't say this, but I can tell by your eyes that you're in love with me."

He caught me off guard, and now I was the one that looked like I'd seen a ghost. He laughed at me, and I couldn't think of anything to say besides asking him what his name was.

"Tyler," he said, getting off the piano and sitting at the desk next to me.

"Do you want to go out for lunch with me?" I asked him. There was no way I was going to let your dad slip away. I knew he was the man of my dreams the second I walked in that room.

His face got real red, and he didn't answer for a minute. I was so scared he was going to turn me down, but he just got that same big smile and said yes, of course he wanted to.

Now, son, I'm only telling you this because life can do terrible things.

Your dad and I were hopelessly in love. I asked him to be my boyfriend as early as the third date, one night when we were tipsy and laying under the stars. He laughed at me, thinking I had only asked because I was drunk.

I looked him in the eyes and said, "I'm serious, Tyler. I want you to be mine. I'm in love with you."

And even though it was one in the morning, I saw him smiling in the moonlight. He was crying too, though, and I wasn't sure what I did wrong.

"Why're you crying?" I asked.

He said, "Because I'm happy."

And I go, "Well if you're happy, why are you crying?"

And he laughs and says he doesn't know. I swear, I fell for him ten times harder. He was laughing and crying and I realized how beautiful he was. God, he was more beautiful than the stars. And I kissed him.

I kissed him, and I haven't been able to get him off my mind since. I was convinced that we were going to be together forever, we were going to grow old together.

I ended up dropping out of college, but your dad stayed. Music was his second love. He wrote a song for me, you know. I'll play it for you sometime. It's called We Don't Believe What's On TV.

You know, there's this one line where your dad says he used to want to die before he got old but because of me he might think twice. God, that hurts to think about. He wanted us to grow old together, too.

Your dad always seemed like he was sick. One day he'd have a cough, the next he'd have a fever. He said it was nothing, he just got sick easily. "Immunity isn't in my genes," he'd say.

While your dad was in college, I was working so we could afford to rent out our apartment. We couldn't stand being away from each other. We were young, we were dumb, and we were in love. What else can I say?

We spent most of our time together on the balcony under the stars. It was our favorite thing to do together. We would dance together, the music being your dad's singing. He always had such an incredible voice.

One day, after your dad graduated college, we were sitting out to watch the sunset and he said, "I want a baby."

I looked at him like he was inside. I laughed at him and said, "You want a baby? I can't give you a baby."

And he went, "Josh, haven't you ever heard of adoption?"

I said, "Of course I have. You want to adopt a baby?"

He smiled and said, "Yes, I want to adopt a baby."

So, we did. You were five months old and boy were you a handful. You loved your dad, he was the only one who could get you to stop crying. All he had to do was starting singing and you'd start smiling.

After we adopted you, your dad kind of started growing distant. I didn't think anything of it, I figured he was just out doing whatever it was he did to get inspired to write music. His music was always so sad.

He wrote about dying a lot, or wanting to stay alive. I didn't understand why, he was always so happy. He just said, "It makes for a good song." And I didn't question it after that.

We were out in the balcony one night. It was, oh I don't know, maybe midnight. I remember it was warm outside for being early April. The sky was clear and you were sitting on your dad's lap. He was singing for us, singing the song he wrote me. You must've been almost one.

And I knew it was the perfect time.

I got down on one knee, I pulled out the ring I'd been saving for months and I said, "Tyler, I've been wanting to do this from the moment I first saw you smile. You know that I love you, but I don't think you truly understand how much. I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?"

He was crying, and I thought it was because he was happy again. He put you down, kissed me, and said he would love to marry me.

He cried the rest of the night, and I wasn't sure why. He told me, "I'm just so in love with you that it's overwhelming." And I believed him.

Now, son, I'm only telling you this because life can do terrible things. You'll learn one day. I'll hope and I'll pray that God shows you differently.

The next day, when I woke up, he was sitting at the piano crying. I stood by him, kissed his cheek, and I said, "Tyler, what's wrong?"

He looked at me with tears in his eyes, I'll never forget it. He looked so... So hopeless. He looked utterly hopeless. And he just shook his head and cried harder.

And I was confused. What could've possibly been hurting him? I said, "Tyler, will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm sick," he said, still crying.

I go, "You're sick? What do you mean you're sick?"

And... And he said, "I have cancer, Josh. I have cancer. I have cancer and the doctor said I only have a few weeks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I'm sorry."

And he kept saying sorry. I didn't know why he was so sorry, it wasn't his fault. I told him it was okay, that he would be okay. I told him he'd get better, that we'd grow old together.

He said no, he was sorry. He said, "Please don't be sad Josh, please. I'm sorry. I don't want you to be sad. I really believe you were the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

And it hit me then, that he was being serious. He was trying to say goodbye while he was still living. Slow, so slow, I fell to my knees. I took his hands and we cried. We cried and we cried and we cried.

He didn't want chemo, no matter how much I tried to convince him. He didn't want to live his last weeks in agony, he said. And I can't help but always think maybe, just maybe, if I would've asked one more time he would've agreed and he'd still be here right now.

Josh sighs, wiping the tears that continuously gushed out of him. He felt his son place a hand on his back, he was crying too.

"I'm sorry, dad. I'm sorry."

"I'm only telling you this because life can do terrible things," Josh repeats, hugging his son tightly.

This was rare, his son was a grown man. He was the same age Josh was when he met the man of his dreams.

"I know, dad."

"So, I'm asking you: don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose. If you're given the choice, then I beg you to choose to walk away. Don't let her get you. I can't bare to see the same thing happen to you," Josh doesn't mean to cry so hard, but he can't control it.

He doesn't want his son to feel the same pain he felt. He doesn't want his son to know what it feels like to witness the love of your life slowly edging closer to death, and not being able to do anything about it.

"Will you show me the song dad wrote for you?"

Josh nods, swallowing his sobs. He can do this, it's been almost twenty years.

He can do this.

He can do this.

"We don't believe what's on tv..."

He can't do this.

He has to leave the room as soon as he hears that sweet voice.

He can't do this.

He has to leave the room while his son listens.

Maybe one day it won't hurt so much, but today is not that day.