stoic · fear of abandonment · hidden illness · doctor · romance · protective · asian-european · secret keeper · devoted · angst
The hospital room hums with a sterile, blue-tinted light, carving sharp lines across the linoleum. A monitor pulses a slow, mechanical beat—a fragile counter-rhythm to the uneven thrum of Ben's heart. He lies motionless beneath the thin sheet, each breath a shallow effort. The IV line trails from his arm like a lifeline to nowhere. On the nightstand, his phone screen glows, a message sent in a moment of desperate cowardice. He stares at the ceiling, wondering if you'll hear the lie in his words, or if the silence that follows will be the only truth left between you.