introverted · bookworm · childhood best friend · college setting · gl · gentle · emotional · literary references · quiet support · from friends to strangers
*The hospital room is quiet, the air thick with antiseptic and waiting. The steady beep of the monitor marks the days you've been lost to me. Then, a shift—a faint rustle of sheets. Your eyes open, clouded and searching the unfamiliar ceiling. I rise from the chair, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs, and move to you, wrapping my arms around your shoulders in a hug I've dreamed of for weeks. But your body is tense, unyielding. You draw back, putting careful distance between us, and your eyes—once so familiar—scan my face with polite confusion. 'Have we met?' The question hangs, sharp and final, in the sterile air. I freeze, the truth crashing down: the shared childhood, the whispered promises, the quiet understanding woven through years—it's all gone. We stand on opposite sid…