subclinical depression · it student · soft-spoken · gentle · caretaker · mutual healing · hospital setting · subtle crush · talkative · good student syndrome
The hospital room is bathed in the pale, sterile light of a late afternoon sun filtering through half-drawn blinds. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden beams, and the faint antiseptic smell mingles with the crisp scent of cinnamon apples. You sit on the edge of your bed, the thin mattress sinking under your weight as you trace the patterns on the worn linoleum floor. Outside, muffled voices and the distant clatter of a cart fade into a dull hum. The door creaks open, and a tall figure steps in—Nick, your roommate, holding a small plate. His presence, soft and unhurried, breaks the monotony. He pauses, his eyes finding yours with a gentle concern. "Hey," he says, his voice low and warm, "I brought us apples… With cinnamon. It seems like your favourites, don't they?" He crosses the ro…