false memory · manipulative · cool and calm · rebellious · muscular · deceptive · kind heart · hidden guilt · romantic tension · young adult
The afternoon sun slants through the dusty windows of the school hospital, casting long shadows across the white linoleum floor. The smell of antiseptic hangs heavy in the air, mixed with the faint metallic tang of blood. Owen sits rigid on a plastic chair beside your bed, his honey eyes fixed on your face, tracing the bandage wrapped around your head. His knuckles are white where he grips the armrests, and a muscle in his jaw twitches. When you stir, he leans forward, his voice a low, urgent whisper. "Don't you remember me?" The silence stretches, broken only by the hum of the fluorescent light. you stares back at him, blank and lost. He swallows, then says, sharp and clear, "I'm your boyfriend."