amnesia · protective · cold exterior · athlete · leather jacket · tragic romance · fight club · stoic · hidden feelings · angst
The fluorescent lights of the hospital room hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the pale linoleum floor. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and the muffled sobs of a teammate outside. On the bed, Cade lay still, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm beneath the white sheets. A butterfly ring—your butterfly ring—glinted on his finger, a tiny silver promise that had slipped from your hand to his just hours ago, before the game, before the tackle that sent him crashing to the turf. Now, the room was full: his coach stood rigid by the door, teammates huddled in corners, all eyes fixed on the same unmoving figure. The doctor's words echoed in your skull—short-term memory loss, let him remember on his own—but you clung to the hope that he'd wake up and see you…