Caden knocks on Lilly's door. "Hey, Princess. Can I come in?"
Lilly doesn't reply. She just lies on her bed, sound asleep. Caden walks over to her and sits down. "Good morning, Princess," he whispers, softly kissing her forehead.

Lilly slowly opens her eyes. "Good morning, Prince Charming."

"Are you ready for a great day at school?"

Lilly shakes her head. "No. I'm just going to stay home again."

Caden gently places his hand on Lilly's and speaks in a sympathetic tone, "Lilly, it's been almost two weeks since you've left the house. You can't just stay in your room all of the time."

"Why not?"

"Lilly, you need to go to school."

Lilly shrugs. "What's the point? I'm not going to live long enough to get a job anyway," she mumbles, looking down.

Caden holds her hand. "Lilly, don't say that. You don't know how long you'll live."

Tears flood Lilly's eyes. "Caden, you heard what the doctor told us: I only have a year left at the most."

Caden's heart broke hearing Lilly say that, but he knew she was right. Although, he can't let her believe that. "Well,...Lilly, the doctor could be wrong." He gently rubs the tears off her cheek. "Just...try not to think about it, Lil. If you spend all your time dwelling on the future, you'll miss out on the present."

Lilly looks up at him and halfway smiles. "Caden, have I ever told you that you're like a wise old man?"

Caden chuckles. "Well then call me Merlin."

Lilly giggles. "Okay, Merlin. You should be getting to school now. You're going to be late."

He smirks. "Not without you."

"Not today, Caden," she says, shaking her head. "I just don't feel like going."

"Lilly Andrews, don't you make me drag you out of this bed."

Lilly throws her hands up in defense. "Fine," she huffs, "I'll get ready for school."

"Good. I'll see you downstairs in a little bit," Caden says, closing Lilly's door behind him.

Lilly walks over to her closet and pulls out a light blue fade, long-sleeve tunic along with a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. She puts them on and walks into her bathroom to finish getting ready. Afterward, she walks downstairs and gets in the car with Caden.

Caden cranks the car and asks, "So do you want to listen to your playlist?"

Lilly shrugs. "Eh, sure."

So, Caden turns on her playlist before pulling out into the road. However, the whole ride to school, Lilly doesn't sing or talk; she just stares out the window. Soon, they arrive at school.
"What's wrong, Lil?" Caden asks softly.

Lilly shrugs. "I don't know. What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Well, you didn't sing or talk to me the whole ride here. I just thought maybe something was bothering you."

"No, I'm okay. I just...I have a lot on my mind."

Caden grabs her hand. "I know, Lil. Just...try not to think about it. Okay?"

Lilly nods slowly. "Okay."

A couple of minutes later, they get out of the car, lock hands, and walk into the school, only separating long enough to collect their books.

   Hours later, after school, Caden took Lilly to the cabin.
After sitting on the hill for about ten minutes, Lilly finally breaks the silence, "Hey, Caden?"

   "Yeah, Lil?"

   "You..." she hesitates, "you said that you would do anything for me, right?"

   "Of course, Lil." He smiles. "Anything for you."

   Lilly looks down with tears in her eyes. "Well, then...I want you to break up with me."

   His smile fades away. "Anything but that."

   "I'm serious, Caden. Please break up with me."

   Caden shakes his head. "Wha...no. No, I...I won't break up with you. Why do you want me to anyway? Did I do something?"

   "No. No, you haven't done anything. You've been so sweet to me. I hate to sound so cliché, but it's not you, it's me." She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "You have no future with me."

   "Wh...what do you mean I have no future with you? Of course I do."

   He tries to hold her hands, but she pulls away. "No, you don't. I have brain cancer, Caden. I'm going to die," she shouts with a broken voice, tears streaming down her face.

   "Well, Lilly, we all will one day, but that's no reason for us to break up."

   "No, Caden. You don't understand. I'm going to die soon. We won't ever be able to get married, have kids, or even grow old together. Our story will end before it even begins."

   "Lilly, don't say that. You don't know when you'll die. No one does. I believe you can beat this stupid cancer."

   "Caden, you don't understand. Brain cancer is unbeatable, so I can't beat it."

   "Well, I...I believe in...miracles," he lies, wrapping her hands in his. "You will beat it, and I'm going to be with you through all of it, every single step of the way. I love you, Lilly Marie Andrews;" he kisses her, "and I'm never giving up on you."

Lilly wipes away her tears and sniffles. "Thank you, Caden. I...I love you too," she squeaks out just before bursting into tears.
   Caden pulls her into his chest, holding her in his arms. He tries to console her, but she keeps crying.
   "I'm sorry, Caden. I'm so sorry," she sobs into his chest.

   "Shh. It's okay, Lilly. It's okay. Calm down. Shh shh shh. I got you."

   "I'm just scared, Caden. I'm so scared. I don't wanna die."

   Caden forces his tears back. "I know, Lilly. I know." He looks her in the eyes. "You're not going to die. I won't let that happen." He pulls her back into a hug, holding her tight. "You're gonna be okay. I promise. Everything will be okay."
   Caden knew that he was promising something that he couldn't control, but he was just trying to help Lilly. He was scared, but he didn't want her to be. He knew that everything he said was a lie, but it was a lie that he wanted to believe. A lie that he had to believe. Because the truth...well, the truth would absolutely destroy him. It would destroy both of them.

***

   Now, a month later, it is Valentine's Day. Caden plans to make this the best Valentine's Day Lilly has ever had....

After school, he takes her to their diner for a very special Valentine's dinner. Then, once they get back in the car, Caden asks, "So, what's next? We could go to a movie, go skating, or go for a sleigh ride around town. What do you want to do?"

Lilly thinks for a moment, "Hmm...let's go skating then we can get some hot cocoa and go for a sleigh ride."

Caden smiles. "Sounds good to me, Princess. Let's go."

Before long, they arrive at the ice rink. Caden helps Lilly onto the ice and they dance across the frozen ground. Afterwards, he buys them both a special hot chocolate and they enjoy a wonderful sleigh ride through town.
   When they return, Caden smiles and whisks her off to the car, opening the door for her. "I have another surprise for you," he says, getting in the car.

   Lilly smiles. "Ooh, what is it?"

   He chuckles. "I'm not going to tell you."

She huffs. "Ugh, I knew you were going to say that. Why won't you ever tell me?"

Caden laughs. "I've told you a million times, Lil. If I tell you what it is then it won't be a surprise." He holds her hand and smiles at her for a second before looking back at the road. "You'll know soon enough."

Lilly smiles. "Okay. Fine."

Pretty soon, they arrive at their most favorite place in the world: Caden's grandpa's old fishing cabin. Lilly grins. "What are we doing here?"

Caden smiles. "You'll see." He hops out and takes her by the hand, leading her over the hill past the old cabin. "Wait here." He runs back to the car and returns with a small, handheld speaker.

"What's that?" she asks curiously.

Caden smiles. "You'll find out. Just wait a second." He pulls out his phone and starts playing Lilly's playlist through the speaker. Then, once the music starts, he sets his phone and speaker on the ground; stretches his hand out to Lilly, and bows. "Princess Lilly, will you do me the honor of dancing with me underneath this beautifully lit skyline?"

Lilly blushes takes his hand, and curtsies. "Of course, Prince Caden."

He wraps his arms around her, holding her close and she lays her head on his shoulder; both of them slowly swaying back and forth, barely moving. "Well, Lil, how do you like your Valentine's Day surprise?"

Lilly looks up at him and smiles. "This is the best Valentine's Day ever."

Caden smiles. "That was my goal," he mumbles to himself.

"Thank you so much," Lilly says, laying her head back on his shoulder.

Caden softly kisses the top of her head. "Anything for you, Princess." They slow dance underneath the stars, never letting go of each other. A few minutes later, he starts singing to her—"Never Stop" by Tyler Brown Williams.

   After he finishes the song, Lilly smiles up at him. "That was beautiful, Caden. Although, I've never heard that one before."

Caden smiles. "I came across it last night. It illustrates exactly how I feel about you, Lil. No matter what happens, no matter what we have to go through, every rise and every fall, any door that we walk through, light of day or black of night, I will never stop loving you." He locks eyes with her. "My heart is yours."

   Lilly's eyes brim with tears. "Aww, Caden. I will never stop loving you either. My heart is yours until my last breath, no matter how soon or how much later that may be."

Caden tries to fight back the tears in his eyes. "Please don't say that, Lil. Don't say it may be soon. It won't be. You're going to be okay. You...you have to be okay. I need you to be okay."

Lilly gently wipes away his tears and places her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. "I know, Caden. I need you too, but...you have to be prepared for—"

"Don't say it, Lil. I know." He takes in a shaky breath. "I know what I have to be prepared for. Let's just not think about that now. Let's just enjoy this moment. Right here. Right now. While we're dancing the night away under this beautiful, shimmering sky."

Lilly giggles as a few tears slip out of her eyes. "Okay. That sounds wonderful, Prince Caden."

They stayed on top of that hill dancing for a couple of hours, then it was time to go. He brought her home and they enjoyed watching one of their favorite movies together before he drove home.

***

   A couple of months later, sadly, Lilly's health starts declining....

   Her day starts off just like any other. She wakes up, replies to Caden's good morning message, and gets ready for school. She ends up wearing a long mint green dress with flowers at the tail of it along with a pair of black sandals with rhinestones across the strap. Then she does her makeup and puts on her gold watch with rhinestones, a flower charm bracelet with matching earrings, and lastly, her locket that Caden gave her last year. Afterward, she pulls her hair up into a cute messy bun and clips a silver flower on top. Then she runs downstairs for breakfast.

   Her mom greets her. "Good morning, Sweetie."

   "Good morning, Mama," Lilly replies, wrapping her arms around her.

   "Breakfast is on the table, Sweetheart."

   "Okay. Thanks, Mama."

   "Good morning, little sis," Mike says, hugging her.

   "Good morning, big brother." She glances at her plate. "Mmm, this sure looks delicious. I can't wait to dig in."

   Mike chuckles. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Go ahead. I already said the prayer."

   "Okay." She takes a bite of her muffin. "This is so good."

   Mrs. Andrews smiles. "I'm glad you like it, Baby."

   "Hey, Mama, can I bring one of them to Caden?"

   "Of course. Take him two of them."

   "Okay. Thanks, Mama."

   "Of course, Baby. You're welcome."

   Lilly looks down at her watch. "Oh. Speaking of Caden, I better go brush my teeth. He'll be here pretty soon."

   A few minutes later, she runs back downstairs, snatches up her backpack, tells her mom and brother goodbye, and steps outside just as Caden pulls up.
Caden walks up to her and kisses her. "Good morning, Princess."

   She smiles. "Good morning, Prince Charming. Oh. I got something for you."

   "What is it?" asks Caden curiously.

   She gives him a small bowl and grins. "Breakfast." As Caden takes the lid off, she adds, "They're chocolate chip muffins. I hope you like them."

   He smiles and gives her another hug. "Thanks, Lil. I'm sure I will. They look delicious."

   "They are. My mom always bakes the best chocolate chip muffins."

   Caden chuckles. "Okay." He opens her door. "Well, let's hop in the car. We don't want to be late for school."

   They get in the car and jam out to Lilly's playlist on their way to school. Before long, they arrive. Caden gets out of the car, carries Lilly's bag, and holds her hand as they walk inside. "Well, Lil, you were right. Those muffins were awesome."

   Lilly giggles. "I told you."
   They separate to grab their books and meet back up for Algebra class.

   Suddenly, right in the middle of their big Algebra test, Lilly's vision becomes slightly blurry. She blinks a few times, but that doesn't help. So, she squints her eyes, trying to focus in order to finish the test, but she can't see the equations. "Oh, no," she whispers.

   Caden, who is sitting right beside her, hears. "What's wrong, Lil?"

   "My vision just went blurry. I can't see the test. What do I do?"

   "Crap. Hang on, Lil. I'll go talk to Mr. Robin." Caden walks over to the teacher, tells him the situation, and returns to his seat. "Okay, Mr. Robin said that it's okay. Don't worry about the test. You can take it later when your vision straightens up."

Lilly breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Thanks for talking to him, Caden."

"Of course, Lil. Anything for you."

A couple of classes later, Lilly's vision has still not cleared up. So, when they go to the cafeteria, Caden helps her fix her tray before they sit down.
After they're seated, Lilly prays and they start eating. "How's your vision now, Lil?" asks Caden, sipping some of his water.

   "It hasn't gotten any better. I'm kind of getting worried. The blurriness has never lasted this long."

   Caden strokes the top of her hand. "It'll be okay, Lil. Just try not to worry."

"But what if it's still blurry when we go to Biology? I won't be able to see. How can I do my work?"

"Calm down, Lil. If your vision is still blurry when we get ready to head to class, I'll help you."

"How? You have to do your work too. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Don't worry about it. I won't get in trouble. I'm very sneaky," he says with a smirk.

Lilly halfway smiles. "Okay. As long as you don't get in trouble."

He smiles. "I won't. I promise."

After school, they collect their things and get back in the car. Lilly looks at Caden, fear evident on her face.
"What's wrong, Lil?" asks Caden, concerned.

"I don't know, Caden. My vision is still blurry. I'm really scared. What if I'm going blind?" She panics.

   He holds her hands. "Calm down, Lil. It'll be okay. You're not going blind. Not now."

   "You don't know that, Caden. Remember what the doctor said? I'll eventually be blind and—"

   He stops her. "No, Lil. You're not dying right now. I refuse to believe it."

   Tears form in her eyes. "I'm just really worried."

   "I know. I am too." He wipes away a tear from her cheek. "Maybe I should take you to the doctor and see what they say?"

   She shakes her head. "No. I don't want to go to the doctor."

   He persists, "Well, maybe you should, Lil. It—"

   "No," she interrupts. "I'm not going to the doctor."

   "Okay. Fine." He huffs. "Why are you so stubborn?"

   She grins. "Because I've been around you too long."

   He glares at her, trying to hide a smile. "Haha. Very funny."

   "Well, it's true."

   "Yeah, sure." He sighs. "Well, where do you want to go then..., donkey." He smirks.

   Lilly's jaw drops in shock at what he just said. "Did you just call me a donkey?"

   He smirks. "No..."

   She playfully punches his shoulder. "You jerk." She giggles. "If anyone's a donkey, it's you."

   He smiles. "Okay. Sure. Whatever you say."

   "Mhm. Now, let's go to the cabin."

   "Yes, ma'am."

   When they arrive, Lilly grabs Caden's speaker and runs up the hill. Caden shouts behind her, "Hey. Wait for me."

   Lilly giggles. "You're too slow."

   He catches up to her and wraps his arms around her, pulling her on top of him and to the ground. "Oh really? Who's slow now?" He tickles her. "Huh? Huh? Who's slow?"

   She giggles and rolls away from him. "Okay. Okay. You win.... Just stop." She busts into more fits of laughter as he chases her. "Sto...o...o...op."

   He laughs. "Okay. Fine."

Lilly lets out a sigh of relief, then turns the speaker on. She smiles up at him and he already knows what she wants. "Can you please turn on my playlist?"

He smiles. "I'm already on it."

Once the music starts, Lilly grins. "Caden?"

"Yes, Princess. Of course I'll dance with you."

She giggles. "I didn't even ask you yet."

"You didn't have to." He stands up, takes her by the hand, pulls her up from the ground, and smiles. "Let's dance."
As they're dancing, he brushes her hair behind her ear and smiles at her. "You're so beautiful, Lil."

   She blushes. "Thanks, Caden."

"I mean it, Lil. You are literally the prettiest girl I've ever seen. And your smile..." He sighs. "Your smile is like a bright ray of sunshine on a dark and stormy day." He starts singing, "Lilly, you light up my world like nobody else."

She giggles. "You're so funny."

"Nope. I'm truthful."

"Whatever."

He kisses her. "I love you, Lilly. You're my world. The light of my life. My princess." He kisses her again. "And as always, my ray of sunshine."

Lilly smiles. "I love you too, Caden." She kisses him back. "You're my world, my light, and of course, my prince."