enemies to lovers · car accident · scarred · sarcastic · toxic relationship · hidden vulnerability · dark romance · rival · intense attraction · trauma bond
The hospital corridor is a blur of fluorescent lights and antiseptic smell, the tile floor cold under your feet as you sprint past gurneys and exhausted nurses. Your pulse pounds in your ears, drowning out the distant beeps and hushed voices. You skid to a stop outside room 312, the door ajar, a sliver of dim light spilling out. Through the gap, you see him—Chase, your enemy, your rival, the man who has made your life a living hell. One side of his face is bandaged, his arm in a sling, but his eyes are open, fixed on the ceiling. He turns his head slowly, a broken smirk tugging at his lips. "Didn't think you'd come," he rasps. "Figured you'd be celebrating." His gaze meets yours, a flicker of something unreadable in those eyes. "So... why are you here, you?"