I opened my eyes only to be met with the white ceiling of the hospital. Seeing me wake up, mom rushed to my side and held my hand.
"Lûuk, are you okay? Do you know how much you worried Mom and Dad?" Mom said, tears falling down her face as she held my hand tightly.
I opened my mouth to answer her when the door suddenly slid open faster than usual.
"Beep… swoosh!" Khai rushed in—and froze the moment he saw me awake.
"Phuean!" His voice cracked as he stumbled forward, eyes instantly filling with tears.
Fake tears. The dramatic kind he always pulled when he wanted me to feel guilty. He pressed a hand to his chest, breathing shakily.
"Y-You… sniff… I really thought I'd never see you again," he said, wobbling toward my bedside like an actor on his final scene.
"Do you know how scared I was? I—" He let out a choked sob, clearly exaggerated.
"I almost fainted outside!" Mom gasped softly. Dad looked away, trying not to laugh.
Khai leaned over me, shoulders shaking in dramatic tremors—until he suddenly stopped, wiped his tears, and narrowed his eyes at me. The switch was instant.
"Shit! Wit, how can you be so selfish?" Khai's voice cracked, tears streaming down his face.
"I've already lost one of my best friends, and now you want me to lose you too?How can you do this to me? You promised me. You said you'd be there for me no matter how hard it got— but now, you can't even keep your promise." P'May saw things were getting out of hand.
She gently grabbed Khai's arm and pulled him outside.
"Come on, Khai. Let's cool down." He hesitated, eyes locked on me, but finally let her lead him away.
I sat there, broken and alone, feeling like no one understood me. The pain hollowed my chest, and anger boiled up inside.
"Get out!" I shouted, voice cracking.
Without hesitation, I pushed everyone out. Mom tried to soothe me.
"Wit, please calm down—" But I didn't care.
I kicked her out too. Everyone waited outside the whole day for me to calm down—but I didn't. Khai left around 8 p.m. with P'May. Mom and Dad planned to wait longer, but the doctor advised them to go home, rest, and return the next day. At first, Mom was reluctant. She only agreed to leave after the doctor reassured her that I would be well taken care of. I was about to fall asleep when the door suddenly opened. Kit walked in. I stared at him in shock.
Khai had said P'New took him back because he was sick—so why was he here?
"Get out. I don't want to see anyone right now," I said, my voice as cold as the ice on the high ridges of the East Antarctic Plateau.
He didn't listen. Instead, he walked over to me and carefully tucked the blankets around me.
"Khai told me you kicked everyone out like an annoyed pregnant woman in labor, so I had to come and take care of the pregnant lady. Otherwise, he might tear down the entire hospital," he said teasingly as he continued fixing the blankets.
I scoffed softly. "Who is pregnant?" I asked, pretending to be annoyed as I shyly pushed his hand away.
"Ohhh! He's angry again," he laughed. "Sorry, sorry—don't get angry, okay? I won't tease you anymore."
He stretched out his hand and gently patted my head.
For a moment, it felt like my dark world was finally meeting light after a long time of wandering in the shadows. I focused on the soft rhythm of his touch, and without even realizing it, I drifted off to sleep—without pills, without injections, without sedatives.
When he saw that I had finally fallen asleep, Kit quietly stood up and moved to the couch, planning to rest for a bit before I woke up.
It was morning the next day. I woke up to find Kit all coiled up on the couch like a broiler chicken after it got soaked in the rain. I wanted to wake him so he could sleep on the bed, but seeing how cute he looked while sleeping, I couldn't help myself—I reached out to pinch his cheeks. I stretched my hand toward his face and was about to touch his cheeks when he suddenly opened his eyes, making me freeze in fear.