Ryven gasps, instinctively raising his hand toward the ceiling.
The three individuals sat in various chairs across the room rise to their feet.
Sylven is the first to reach him.
"Are you alright?!" She asked, practically screaming as Ryven tried to catch his breath.
"Your heart rate was spiking." His father continued.
"I-I'm fine." He muttered, falling back into the comfort of his pillows, clenching at his chest.
"I thought I died…"
Looking to his left, the sun seemed to already be high in the sky.
"What time is it?" He asked as Sylven continued to clench his hand.
"2pm." His tutor, Vale responded as she took off her gloves, placing her hand atop of Ryven's forehead.
"It seems your body has calmed down." She continued, looking towards Sylven, then Ryven's father.
"Lets perhaps take a quick walk?"
…
"Mmm… so that's what happened." She muttered. "Well your clearly not dead. Your body dissipates a few minutes after you knock out, so you should be fine. Who knows, that old guy probably saved you."
Ryven glances at her.
"Do you know him?"
She chuckles.
"There are thousands of dreamers in this country alone. I doubt I can tell if I know someone based solely upon the little details you gave me. Either way, when you awake back on the moon, look around for him. If he saved you, he's a good person to stay around. He may even invite you somewhere you can stay and settle for a bit."
Ryven nods as he turns the corner.
"Can you buy me coffee?"
He asks, pointing toward the coffee shop across the street from the hospital.
Vale stairs at him as he bends his knees and puts his hands together.
"Pleeeeease?"
Vale looks at him with a combination of annoyance and surprise.
"Why don't you ask your dad?" She asks him.
"I don't think it would be good timing since mom is still unconscious."
The mood turns somber.
"Right…"
Ryven sighs
"Are you alright?" Vale ask.
"I don't know… it hasn't really hit me yet," Ryven replied. "Everything I'm going through is a bit much, and I haven't really had time to process anything just yet. All I can really hope is that she wakes up and all of this works out."
Vale nods.
"I'm going to be honest, it ain't looking good, but it's definitely possible that her trial may just be extremely long."
Ryven nods, staring at the floor. From Vale's angle, it was hard to tell what he was feeling, he'll, he himself couldn't even tell what he was feeling.
"Oh right! Your stipend should hit next week, so hopefully I won't have to do anything like this again." She says, abruptly grabbing Ryven's hand as she guided him across the street."
Surprised, Ryven follows her lead, a smile forming on his lips. He hadn't felt this feeling in a while. Was it happiness? Was it craziness? Or was it something else?
Entering the shop, they stand in line, staring at the menu.
"Ryven…?" A deeply familiar female voice blesses their ears.
Surprised, Ryven looks over to find a girl a unique and peculiar looking girl with golden wavy locks and eyes the color of the blood moon.
The coffee shop seems to go silent for a moment.
"Hey Evelyn..."
…
Ryven — 10 unread texts.
2 missed calls.
latest Message: 3:37 AM.
No reply.
Her thumb hovered, then locked the screen. She already knew what it said. Are you okay? Please text me back. Why is your location at the hospital? Hello? If I go there tomorrow and you aren't hurt, I'm going to beat ur ass!
The last one was just a typing bubble she never sent. They technically broke up, but there was definitely lingering feelings.
They still talked. Checked in. Laughed like nothing had really changed, even though everything had. He wouldn't just ignore her like this… right?
Evelyn started the car.
She told herself she was being stupid the entire drive. Overreacting. But her eyes kept flicking to the map anyway, the little dot that hadn't moved since she checked yesterday afternoon. The hospital. It was still there this morning. Still there now.
When she pulled into the parking lot across the street, her hands were shaking.
She sat there for a moment, engine off, watching the hospital entrance. People came and went. None of them were him. Her chest felt tight, like she was bracing for bad news she didn't know how to hear.
Then she saw him.
Ryven stepped out into the sunlight, slower than usual, shoulders slightly hunched. For a second, pure relief flooded her so hard it almost hurt. He was alive. Walking. Not hooked up to some machine. Still though, he was wearing a hospital gown, showing something was definitely up.
Then she noticed the girl beside him.
A serious pretty looking brown headed broad. She was dressed in a suit, yet that added to her allure.
"Who is she?" She asks herself, looking in a mirror. 'I thought Ryven had a type.'
Evelyn sank lower in her seat, heart dropping somewhere near her stomach.
She watched as the pair walked around, seemingly discussing something. "She seems a bit older than him." Watching as the girl gripped Ryven's hand, an act that he once had done only with her.
Without fully deciding to, she got out of the car.
She followed at a distance, keeping her head down, every step feeling heavier than the last. She didn't know what she was doing. Confronting him? Making sure he was okay? Proving to herself that she still mattered?
They stopped at a coffee shop.
'Is she taking him on a coffee date?'
Evelyn paused outside, staring through the glass. Ryven stood in line with her, reading the menu like this was just another day. Like he hadn't vanished on her. Like she hadn't spent the night staring at her phone, wondering if she'd get a call saying that he was extremely hurt.
Her chest burned.
She pushed the door open.
The bell chimed softly, too loud in her ears. The warmth, the smell of coffee, the low hum of conversation, all of it felt wrong. Out of place. Her eyes found him immediately. She gripped his arm.
Ryven turned.
Their eyes met.
Something shifted in his expression, was it shock? Guilt? Relief? She couldn't tell.
"Ryven…?" She blurted out.
The shop went quiet.