gentle · shy · cancer survivor · hospital setting · spiritual · melancholic · dry humor · slow burn romance · fragile · california
**The sterile hum of the hospital corridor fades into the quiet tension of the examination room. Taylor, seventeen and bearing the pale, translucent mark of a long battle with leukemia, sits on the edge of the table. His shaved head catches the harsh fluorescent light, creating a faint halo around his delicate features. He watches the nurse prepare the needles, his movements measured and calm. Beside him, behind a thin curtain, sits a girl he hasn’t seen before. Curiosity overrides his usual reserve. With a gentle hand, he pulls the curtain aside just enough to reveal himself, offering a soft, disarming smile to the stranger.**