I barely noticed my legs were moving, but they carried me to the door, my heart now in my throat. We reached the door, and I hesitated, not knowing what I would find inside.
Denise gave me a reassuring nudge. "You've got this." I took a breath, and gently pushed the door open.
The room was quiet, too quiet. My eyes scanned the sterile space, landing on the bed where Jason lay.
My heart dropped. He was unconscious, his chest rising and falling in steady, shallow breaths. His face looked pale, his wrist bandaged, and there was an intravenous hooked up to his arm.
"Jason?" I whispered, stepping closer. My voice sounded too small in the room, as if it didn't belong here.
No answer.
I moved closer, my eyes never leaving his face. He looked so still, so fragile. The worry that had been gnawing at me all day came crashing down all at once.
"Jason…" I tried again, my voice shaking this time.
Jason
The steady beeping of the heart monitor pulled me from the depths of sleep. My body ached, heavy and unwilling, but something else reached me first. A sound, soft and trembling.
"Jason?"
The world was a blur, but that voice cut through everything.
I forced my eyes open, wincing against the harsh hospital lights. My vision swam, unfocused, but then it settled on her!
She was leaning over me, phone in her hand, her brows drawn together in deep worry. Her lips were slightly parted, like she had been holding back a breath she didn't realize she was keeping. And her eyes God, her eyes. They were filled with something raw, something I hadn't seen in a long time.
Fear.
Not fear of me. Fear for me.
And I felt it.
She wasn't the same girl I had met on the matatu- soft-spoken, innocent, a little shy but sweet. The girl who stole my breath just by saying her name.
This Janica, she looked worn, like she had been carrying something too heavy for too long. Her face, usually calm, held a tension that didn't belong there. Her eyes, once bright with curiosity, now glistened with unshed tears. Even the way she stood, stiff and unmoving, was different. Like she wasn't sure if she could let herself breathe.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I wanted to reach for her, to take away that look on her face, but I barely had the strength to move. So instead, I whispered her name.
"Janica…"
Her breath hitched, her lips quivering as she clutched the phone in her hands. "You're awake."
I tried to smile, but it barely formed.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her hands trembling slightly. She shut her eyes for a moment, as if trying to steady herself. When she opened them, they glistened. "Jason, you scared me!"
That did something to me.
I wasn't used to this. To someone caring like this. Most people asked how I was out of courtesy, but Janica? She felt it. She wasn't just here because she thought she should be. She was here because she needed to be.
I swallowed, my voice rough but steady. "I'm here."
Her gaze locked onto mine, searching, as if making sure I wasn't just saying that. That I was really, truly here. Alive.
Then, finally, she reached for my hand.
Her fingers hesitated before they wrapped around mine. Warm, gentle and real. And the moment she touched me, something inside me shifted.
For the first time since the accident, I wasn't just aware of my pain.
I was aware of her.
Other than for Ash, Jone and Aaron, I was just another face in the crowd, another guy passing through people's lives without leaving a trace.
They were the first friends I made when I joined college. I still remember that first day feeling like an outsider, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, unsure where I fit in. Then they came. We clicked instantly, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
We went through everything together, long nights of cramming in the dimly lit dorms, sneaking food into the library during study sessions, surviving impossible deadlines, and pulling each other through the worst of it.
It was more than friendship, it was survival. It was family.
They were the ones I could count on when the world seemed indifferent. When I felt invisible.
But Janica was here now… she was different.
She wasn't part of that history. She hadn't shared in those years of struggle, hadn't been there through the exhaustion, the stress, the unspoken bond of loyalty that tied me to Ash, Jone, and Aaron. She didn't know my past, didn't carry the weight of shared memories.
And yet, here she was.
She didn't owe me anything. She had no reason to care. And still, she did. Without hesitation, without expectation. She saw me. Not as a colleague, not as just another guy trying to make it through life, but as someone worth caring for.
And that was something.
This wasn't just a fleeting crush. It wasn't some passing admiration that would fade with time. It was deeper, something that settled in my chest like an undeniable truth, something that stirred a part of me I had long kept buried.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't just another person in the background.
I was seen.
And that, somehow, was enough.
"Of all the people I could have woken up to," I said, my voice rough but steady, "I never thought it would be you."
She let out a small, breathy laugh. "Why?"
I exhaled, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. "Not that I'm complaining," I added with a smirk. "I mean, if I had known I'd wake up to someone this pretty, I would've done it sooner."
She scoffed but crossed her arms, tilting her head at me. "You seriously just survived an accident, and the first thing you do is flirt?"
"Hey, gotta make sure my brain still works." I grinned. "So far, so good."
She shook her head, the worry in her eyes softened. That was all I needed. We talked for a bit, just small talks to make the moment feel lighter.
I smirked, watching the way she played with the edge of my hospital blanket. "So, you were that worried about me, huh?"
She rolled her eyes, but the way her lips twitched told me she wasn't annoyed. "Don't flatter yourself. I just wanted to make sure you didn't wake up and start flirting with the wrong nurse."
I let out a low chuckle, wincing slightly from the movement. "Damn, so I've got a reputation already?"
She tilted her head, pretending to think. "More like I know how you are."
I grinned, feeling a little bolder now. "And how am I?"
Her eyes met mine, holding steady for a second too long. Then she looked away, biting back a smile. "Trouble."
I chuckled again, softer this time.
She let out a small breath, her fingers grazing the side of my hand, intentional but fleeting. "Just… don't scare me like that again."
My heart did something strange at the quiet sincerity in her voice. I wanted to tease her more, to keep this back-and-forth going, but instead, I just smiled. "I'll do my best. But you might have to stick around to keep me in line."
She shook her head, but I caught the way her cheeks warmed. Yeah. This was nice.
Then, after a moment, she glanced toward the door.
"Oh," she said suddenly, as if remembering something. "I wasn't alone."
She turned and waved someone in.
That's when I noticed the girl standing just outside the room, arms crossed, watching everything unfold with an expression that said she had already made up her mind about me.
Janica gestured toward her. "This is Denise. My roommate. She, uh, kind of insisted on coming with me."
Denise stepped forward, tilting her head as she studied me. "So you're Jason," she said slowly, dragging out my name like she was testing how it felt on her tongue. I blinked. "Uh… yeah."
Denise glanced at Janica, who gave her an innocent look. Then she turned back to me, arms still crossed. "You gave her a real scare, you know. That's not exactly a good impression."
Janica groaned. "Denise…"
But I just chuckled, lifting a weak hand in surrender. "Fair enough. Not my best moment."
Denise narrowed her eyes slightly, as if deciding whether to let me off the hook. She smirked. "Just making sure you don't traumatize her again."
Then, with a knowing look at Janica, she added, "I'll be outside. Take your time."
She left before I could respond.
I turned to Janica, raising an eyebrow. "She always like that?"
Janica laughed softly. "Pretty much."
Janica
Denise's look made my stomach twist in a way I wasn't ready to acknowledge. I knew exactly what it meant.
She was amused. Maybe even a little smug. Because I wasn't the kind of person to fall easily.
And yet, here I was. Just thinking about Jason.
It had been a long time since I let anyone in, since I even considered the possibility. After my mother died, I had built walls that no one ever got close enough to climb them. I had convinced myself that I was better off that way, safer.
Because the last time I needed someone, they had walked away.
Mark had promised forever. But forever had lasted only as long as it was easy. When grief swallowed me whole, when I needed him most, he vanished. No explanations. No apologies. Just an absence that hurt more than his presence ever did.
Denise's eyes sparkled with a knowing glint, like she could see right through me, past the barriers I had carefully maintained for years. But I didn't care.
Jason was awake, fully awake, and watching me with an intensity that made my breath catch. His bruises were stark against his skin, a reminder of why he was here.
I expected him to throw a teasing remark like before, something to break the tension. But he didn't. He just looked at me, like he was seeing me for the first time. Or maybe like he'd been waiting for this moment.
I forced a breath out. "You look terrible."
"You came," he interrupted, his voice quieter now, like he wasn't just acknowledging the fact but holding onto it. "I don't know what would be perfect."
His eyes softened, and something flickered behind them. Relief, or something deeper. "You barely know me."
"I wanted to," I admitted. The words felt heavier than I meant them to, but they were true.
Jason's fingers twitched slightly, like he was debating something.
I let him.
And in that moment, standing in a cold hospital room with the scent of antiseptic in the air, I knew something had started.
Jason just let our hands rest together, his thumb brushing lightly against my skin in slow, absent strokes.
His breathing evened out, the weight of exhaustion settling over him. His eyelids drooped, fluttering once, twice, before finally closing. His hold on my hand didn't loosen completely, just softened, like he wanted to keep me close even in sleep.
I stayed still, listening to the quiet hum of machines, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. It wasn't planned, it wasn't expected, but here we were. And I knew, deep down, that I wouldn't pull away.
The minutes passed too quickly. Jason's breathing remained steady, his hand still loosely curled around mine. I didn't want to move, didn't want to let go, but the quiet murmur of a nurse outside the door reminded me visiting hours were over.
I hesitated, watching him for a moment longer. Then, carefully, I slipped my fingers free. Jason stirred slightly but didn't wake. I bit my lip, suppressing the urge to whisper a goodbye. It felt wrong to leave like this, but I had no choice.
Stepping out into the dimly lit hallway, I found Denise waiting for me near the entrance. The moment she saw me, her lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"Oh, look at you," she teased, folding her arms. "Holding hands in a hospital room?"
I rolled my eyes, pulling my coat tighter around me as we stepped out into the cool night air. "Denise, please—"
She laughed, looping her arm through mine as we started home.