Adrian stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, his mind still trying to process everything that had happened, yet nothing felt real no matter how hard he tried to focus. The faint smell of medicine lingered in the air, and the quiet beeping sound beside him only reminded him that he was still alive, even when he didn't understand why. His body felt lighter than before, but the emptiness inside him remained, a constant reminder that something important was missing.
He slowly sat up, ignoring the slight pain in his head, and looked around the hospital room with calm but observant eyes. Everything was ordinary, simple, and quiet, yet it all felt distant, like he didn't belong there at all. Before he could think further, the door suddenly opened, breaking the silence without warning.
"Hey! You're finally awake again," Rosette said as she walked in, holding a small plastic bag filled with items that looked like food and basic necessities. Her voice carried a mix of relief and casual energy, completely different from the heavy atmosphere surrounding him. She placed the bag on the table and crossed her arms, staring at him like she was inspecting something important.
Adrian looked at her for a moment before speaking, his tone calm and slightly blunt. "You talk a lot." His words landed without hesitation, making the room go quiet for a second as she blinked at him in disbelief.
"…Excuse me?" she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly as if she wasn't sure whether to be offended or amused. She walked closer, stopping right in front of him while placing her hands on her hips. "I've been taking care of you, and that's the first thing you say to me?"
He tilted his head slightly, his expression unchanged as he answered without thinking. "You asked too many questions." There was no emotion in his voice, no apology, just a simple statement that somehow made it worse.
Rosette stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a small laugh she didn't expect. "Wow, you're unbelievable," she said, shaking her head slightly while trying not to smile. "No memory, no identity, and still this attitude… are you sure you didn't lose your personality instead?"
Adrian didn't respond immediately, but there was a faint pause in his expression as if he was actually considering her words. "I don't know," he said quietly, his gaze shifting away for a moment. "Maybe this is all I have left."
Her smile faded slightly at that, replaced by something softer, something more understanding than before. The teasing atmosphere eased, leaving behind a small but noticeable connection between them. For the first time, she didn't see just a strange man—she saw someone lost.
Later that day, after the doctor confirmed he was stable enough to leave, Rosette stood outside the hospital with him, holding her helmet in one hand while staring at him with a serious expression. The busy street moved around them, but for a moment, it felt like they were standing still in their own world.
"So… about what I said," she began, slightly hesitant now compared to before. "You can stay at my place for a while, at least until you figure things out."
Adrian looked at her, his sharp eyes studying her face carefully as if trying to understand her intentions. "Why?" he asked simply, his tone not accusing, just genuinely curious.
She sighed lightly, rubbing the back of her neck in a slightly awkward manner. "Because I hit you with my motorcycle," she said plainly, as if that explained everything. "And also because you look like someone who would collapse again if I leave you alone."
There was a brief pause before Adrian nodded slightly. "That makes sense," he said calmly, accepting her reasoning without question.
She blinked again.
"…That's it?" she asked, clearly surprised. "No suspicion? No dramatic reaction? Nothing?"
He looked at her blankly. "Should I?"
The ride to her home was… chaotic.
Adrian sat behind her on the motorcycle, his expression calm but his grip on her shoulders slightly tighter than expected. The wind rushed past them as they moved through traffic, but something about the situation felt completely new to him, almost unfamiliar in an uncomfortable way.
"Are you holding on too tight?" Rosette shouted over the noise, slightly annoyed but also trying not to laugh.
"I don't want to fall again," Adrian replied seriously, his grip tightening just a little more without realizing it.
She rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm not going to hit you twice in one day," she said, though the slight smile on her face betrayed her amusement.
"…You already did once," he responded calmly.
For a second, she almost lost focus on the road.
When they finally arrived, Rosette stopped in front of a modest apartment building and got off the motorcycle with a small sigh of relief. Adrian followed quietly, observing everything around him with careful attention, as if trying to memorize every detail of this new place.
"This is it," she said, unlocking the door and stepping inside first. "It's not much, but it's better than a hospital bed."
Adrian entered slowly, his eyes scanning the small but neat space, taking in the simplicity of it all. There was something warm about it, something different from the emptiness he had felt before, though he couldn't explain why.
"Make yourself comfortable," Rosette added, placing her things down casually before turning to look at him again. "But don't touch anything weird."
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Define weird."
She pointed at him immediately. "You. You are weird," she said without hesitation.
For the first time—
There was a faint, almost invisible reaction on his face.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
As night slowly fell, the atmosphere inside the apartment grew quieter, yet something had already begun to change between them. What started as an accident had turned into something unexpected, something neither of them had planned for.
A stranger with no past.
A woman with unknown intentions.
And a connection neither of them understood.
But far away, in the shadows of the city…
Someone was already watching.