I unfolded the note, my hands slightly trembling.Jake’s handwriting hadn’t changed—sharp, a little rushed, like his thoughts were always racing ahead of his pen.

If you’re reading this, it means I chickened out. Or maybe I just ran out of time. Either way, I’m sorry.

I exhaled slowly, my chest tightening.

I never should have let something as stupid as Laura come between us. That’s on me. But that’s not why I wanted to meet.

I found out a while back that I lost the bet.

My breath caught. I gripped the note tighter.

I have cancer, Paul. The bad kind. The kind where doctors just talk about ‘making you comfortable.’ I thought I had more time, but life’s funny like that, huh?

I wanted to see you one last time—to laugh about our dumb bet, to tell you I never stopped thinking of you as my brother. But I was afraid. Afraid you’d be mad. Afraid you’d look at me with pity. Afraid I’d break down in front of you.

So I left this instead.

I know you, Paul. You’ll sit here, finish that beer, and wonder why I didn’t just face you. The truth is, I wanted to remember us as we were—two kids who thought they had all the time in the world.

Take care of Laura. Take care of your daughter. And don’t waste time holding grudges over things that don’t matter.

You won the bet, Paul. Now do something good with the time you have left.

—Jake

I read it three times before setting it down. My chest felt heavy, my throat tight. I glanced at the pint glass in front of me, still full. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to drink it or smash it against the wall.

Jake was gone.

And I never got to say goodbye.

The Weight of Lost Time

I didn’t go straight home. Instead, I drove aimlessly, the words from his letter echoing in my head. At some point, I pulled into the park where we used to race each other as kids.

The swings creaked as I sat down, gripping the chains, staring at the empty basketball court where we’d spent entire summers. I thought about all the time we wasted—years spent apart over something so meaningless. How many chances we had to fix things but never did.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Laura’s name.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hey,” she said, her voice warm. “How’d it go?”

I swallowed hard. “Jake’s gone.”

A pause. “Gone?”

I read her the note, my voice shaky. When I finished, she was silent for a long time.

“Come home,” she finally whispered.

That night, as I tucked my daughter into bed, she blinked up at me sleepily. “Daddy, why are you sad?”

I hesitated, then brushed a curl from her forehead. “I lost a friend today.”

She thought about that for a moment. “Like… forever?”

I nodded.

She reached out and squeezed my hand. “You still have me.”

I smiled, my chest aching in a way I couldn’t explain. “Yeah, sweetheart. I do.”

A Box of Memories

The next morning, I called Jake’s mother. We hadn’t spoken in years, but when she answered, she already knew why I was calling.

“He talked about you all the time, you know,” she said softly. “He regretted leaving. He just didn’t know how to fix things.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted.

She sighed. “He left something for you.”

I drove to her house that afternoon. She handed me a small, worn shoebox. Inside was an old photo of us—two boys grinning, arms around each other’s shoulders. A few crumpled movie tickets. A rock we once swore was lucky. A battered notebook filled with half-finished comic book sketches we’d made as kids.

At the bottom was another letter. Shorter this time.

Live a good life, Paul.
Make it count.

What Jake Taught Me Too Late

Losing Jake taught me something I should have learned a long time ago:

Time doesn’t wait. Grudges don’t keep you warm at night. And the people who matter? They’re worth fighting for.

I kept that photo of us on my desk. Every time I looked at it, I heard Jake’s voice in my head, cracking some dumb joke, daring me to race him one more time.

And every time, I smiled.

Life is short. Fix what’s broken while you still can. Tell your friends you love them. Let go of the things that don’t matter.

And for the love of God, don’t bet on something as stupid as who gets more time.

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