...
Your eyelids weigh heavily against your efforts to open them. Your whole face feels like it's made of lead. You slowly reach a hand up to rub them apart, squinting at the influx of blinding light. You slowly adjust to the sensation, and stare at the ceiling, taking in the plain white tiles.
Wait. This isn't my room.
You slowly lift your head up, barely managing to raise it a few inches, and quickly check your surroundings before your head droops back down to the bed.
What happened? Why am I in a- oh.
The events come back in a sharp moment of recollection, and you grimace as you recall the nasty fall, the memory of the pain almost feeling real.
Jeez. I have no idea how long it's been or how they found me. I hope everyone's ok... I hope I'm ok.
You try to speak, just to hear your own voice, but it comes out as a quiet, pathetic groan instead.
"...hm?"
Startled by the sound, you twist your head to look around more of the room. And as you do, you see a figure sitting in a chair next to your bed, rousing from her sleep upon hearing you.
"uh..." you let out, your vision still blurry, leaving the figure unrecognizable.
She finally wakes up, brushing her hair out of her face. She practically leaps out of her chair, her eyes widening upon seeing yours open, and although it takes a moment for you to recognize her, the feeling of her hands on your cheek is unmistakable, and the brief kiss she plants on your lips, clearly filled with passion and concern, leaves you breathless.
"Imane..." you croak out.
"oh, god, look at you..." That's all she can let out, as she caresses your cheek, taking care not to go near the heavily bandaged part of your head.
Seeing her up close, you stare at the bags under her eyes and her disheveled hair.
"How long have you been here?" Is the first thing you find yourself asking, though you know there are more important things to learn.
"...that doesn't matter," she replies after a moment's hesitation, quickly moving on to filling you in with the details.
You listen to her recall Brooke's anecdote of hearing the sound of your fall, checking the bathroom, and then calling for an ambulance.
You listen patiently, pitying Brooke for having to go through that experience and imagining the stress and panic of it all.
"The rest of the girls went home, but I... couldn't. I wanted to stay in case you woke up. I didn't want you to be all alone."
You squeeze her hand, gently wrapping your fingers around hers in appreciation. As she squeezes back, you feel drowsiness overcome you.
"What time is it? I'm... so tired..." You rub your eyes, yawning.
"Like 4 AM. It's ok, you can get some sleep... I'll leave you alone now," she responds, looking down at her feet as she mutters the last words.
She reluctantly starts to pull her hand from yours, but you don't let go.
"You don't have to," you start, her eyes snapping up to meet yours.
"What?"
"If you want to stay... I'd like that."
A hint of a smile grows on her face, warming your heart.
"Although that chair doesn't seem very comfortable. There isn't much space here, but I think we could both fit comfortably."
A little surprised at your drowsy confidence, you look to her for a reaction.
Her face turns red as she looks at the floor, realizing your suggestion.
But deciding that now would be as good of a time as any to cuddle for the first time, she doesn't say a word, instead pulling back the blanket and quickly crawling in next to you, her body creating a warmth that you naturally melt into as you wrap your arm around her.
It was only mere hours ago that she had confessed her feelings for you, but within seconds, the feeling of your bodies held to each other begins to feel like it was meant to be. You quickly drift off back to sleep.
...
"Hey, sleepy! Breakfast's here!"
You nearly jump at the voice yelling right into your ear.
"Hey! I'm awake! Relax!"
She giggles at your flustered annoyance, helping you sit up as you feel the blood rush to your head, making you a little light-headed.
She hands you a platter, and you stare, shocked, at the contents.
...buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup? What kind of hospital am I in? They feel warm and fresh, too!
"Before you ask, no, the hospital didn't make them. They wanted to give you some crappy stuff, so I went home and made you something nicer!"
You stare at her in amazement.
She catches your eye and blushes at the obvious admiration and appreciation written on your face.
"It's nothing, really..." she mutters under her breath.
Before you can stop yourself, not sure if you even want to stop yourself from what you know you're about to do, you reach out your hand, cupping Imane's cheek, and pull her in for a kiss. The only kisses you had ever shared with her were sloppy and passionate, so the gentle, tender nature of this kiss was incredibly relaxing and almost euphoric. She leans over more, placing one hand on your shoulder for balance as she tilts her chin down to meet yours.
You sit in her scent for what felt like minutes, taking in her perfume and loving her presence. She hums lovingly into your mouth, reassuring you of her mutual feelings.
Knock knock.
Gasping sharply, she pulls away, grinning, and quickly brushes her hair down and moves away from you before the door opens, revealing a nurse standing outside.
"Hello? Oh, um..." She pauses, looking between the two of you, clearly noticing something. "Sorry if I'm interrupting..."
"No! I was just giving him his breakfast, you're all good!" Imane skips her way out of the door, a wide smile still bloomed on her face from the kiss.
"Hello," you say to the unfamiliar face.
"Hi! I just wanted to give you an update on your condition. You suffered a major concussion and a few bodily bruises, so you'll need to stay in the hospital for a few days for us to run some tests and make sure you'll be alright. Hopefully no longer than that, and you'll be good as new!"
"Ah, ok. Thank you!" You sigh in relief, thankful it was nothing permanent.
She walks out, leaving you by yourself. You quickly dig into your pancakes, moaning in delight at the taste of the first bite. You swiftly devour the whole pile, your ravenous hunger driving you.
Cleaning your fingers with a tissue, you keep your syrup-stained plate off to the side and sit up, propping yourself up with a pillow.
Just as you begin thinking of what you could do to pass the time, a knock resounds through the door.
"Come in!"
A feminine hand wraps around the door.
"Back for more, Imane?" You chuckle.
The hand freezes, and you stare in confusion until the figure behind the door slowly pushes it open as her blond hair falls into your view.
Oh. Whoops. Hopefully, they don't pick up on that...
"Oh! Hey... Miyoung," you say, a little surprised that the first person to show up early in the morning was someone you had barely ever spoken to.
"Hi..." she smiles gently, and you feel yourself relax at the sound of her soft voice.
"sorry if this is a little weird... but i wanted to see that you were ok..."
"Yeah, I'm doing just fine - thanks for checking on me."
You look down at your bed, expecting her to politely make her departure. But when you look back up a few seconds later, she's still hovering near you, clearly unsure of herself.
Oh well. Not like I have something better to do anyway.
"Do you want to have a seat?" You ask, gesturing to the chair you had found Imane in earlier that morning.
She quickly moves to sit down, awkwardly biting her lip as she smoothes her skirt before sitting down and crossing her legs.
"Why are you here?"
You immediately facepalm at your wording, not wanting her to feel bad for caring. "No, that's not what I meant. Just... I didn't expect you." You smile sheepishly in an attempt to salvage yourself.
"Oh... yeah, I was gonna say, that's kinda messed up to ask that, you know?" She giggles, laughing off your miswording. "I came all this way..." Her voice trails off. She stares off into space for a few seconds, and you watch her expression as she turns her eyes toward you, scanning your head injuries.
"...I had an accident just like this when I was younger."
"Ah, did you?"
"It was pretty bad, too. Stitches all over my head, and I had a big fear of bathtubs after that."
"Oh... wow."
"So, I guess hearing that this happened... I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She folds her hands in her lap.
"...that makes sense. Thanks for coming."
She nods in acknowledgment and comfortably leans back in her chair.
"Are you bored? Being in here alone? I know I sure was after my accident." She looks around, gesturing to the blank walls.
"I haven't really had any time to myself yet, so not yet, but I think I'll be fine."
"Hmm... maybe we can play a game! That is, if you want to..."
She glances up shyly, and you find the unexpected sight of her nervously hiding behind her fallen hair inexplicably cute.
Huh. I never thought she was the shy type. But I guess I've never really spoken to her off-camera, after all.
"I'd like that," you confirm, nodding.
She didn't prepare a physical game, so she suggested a word game, and you two spend the next half an hour racking your brains for words, having an unexpectedly good time.
...
"Dammit! How are you so good at this!"
She leans over and giggles, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I used to play a LOT when I was younger. Don't feel bad about losing, I'm practically an expert."
You both laugh some more, losing yourself in the fun of playing with each other, not caring about the childish nature of it.
A few sharp knocks on the door snaps you back to reality. You look towards it, but out of the corner of your eye, you notice Miyoung's face darken.
"Oh... I guess I should go now. I had fun."
She places her cool hand on your arm as she stands up, making her way towards the door and quickly slipping out without a word of goodbye before you can suggest otherwise.
But before you can think too long about her curt reaction, you see a swarm of a dozen bodies rushing toward you.
From Leslie probing the bandages on your face to Toast's analytical questioning to Lily's emotional stress evaluation, the sensation of being bombarded with questions and feelings overwhelms you, and you find yourself slinking back down into your pillow.
"...I'm fine, guys..."
The chatter finally quiets down, as everyone listens attentively to your words.
You continue, "The nurse said I had a concussion, but in just a few days I'll probably be free to go."
A resounding sigh of relief passes like a wave through the room. You exchange a few words with some people, but oddly enough, you find yourself wondering where Miyoung went.
Hm. I wonder if she'll come back tomorrow.
As most of the group filters out, content with being assured of your safety, you're left with only a few of your close housemates standing around you.
"I'm glad you're doing alright," Scarra remarks, restating the general mood that had been felt for the past few minutes.
"Yeah, me too..."
...
You sit back in your chair, wishing the last of them goodbye as they finally take their leave. Almost as soon as their voices fade into the distance, Miyoung enters once more, waving goodbye to Leslie as they exchange a few parting words.
"Ready for more?" She asks, rubbing her hands together and smirking.
"Oh, you're back already? Wait... don't you have something to do? Somewhere else to be?"
"I'm here so you don't get bored, you could at least be more grateful, you know," she jokingly replies as she sits.
"But you don't have to... Really, I'm fine if- "
"I want to be here." Her expression softens and her tone becomes serious. "I don't have anything important today if that's what you're wondering. You're not making me do anything. And besides, it's nice to have some easy competition."
"Ah, I mean- wait, EASY!?!"
She giggles as you eye her angrily.
You two quickly get started on a new game, both of you getting back into familiar laughter as you decide to ask each other embarrassing personal questions as a punishment for losing.
You get to know her really well over the course of four hours, as you both share all kinds of childhood stories. Four hours would normally be a long time to spend in a bleak room, but with Miyoung, it felt so much shorter.
...
"Hey... I think I have to go now."
Noticing your crestfallen expression, she leans forward, placing a hand on your bed for support.
"Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow."
"Wait, really? I know you said not to ask this, but... are you sure?"
"As I said before, I know what it's like to be in a hospital all alone, and I don't want that for you."
"...Geez, thanks, Miyoung."
She nods politely as she makes her way out of the door.
Wow. I really owe her one for this.
...
You wake up, for the second day in a row, with a woman sitting in the chair next to you.
You yawn and stretch your arms above your head, the familiar faint scent of Miyoung's perfume pleasantly filling your nose, the hand she used to gently shake you awake still resting on your shoulder.
"hey..." You mutter.
"Hi. I got your breakfast from the nurse. I may have taken a bite. Sorry."
You're unable to hold back a snicker at the obvious bite-sized hole in the slightly stale bread.
"And don't worry, I brought an actual game this time."
You look over, smiling as you see her pulling a Nintendo Switch out of her unzipped backpack.
After quickly swallowing your food, trying not to think too much about the taste, you quickly get started playing, deciding to start with Smash.
Now in your videogame domain, you make quick work of her, your experience of playing for long hours as a kid coming back like second nature.
You easily beat her, snickering at her dismay, but she quickly restarts and focuses harder, not content to continue losing.
You look over from time to time, noticing her expressions.
Wow... she's really focused. See, look at the way she bites her bottom lip in concentration, and how she absentmindedly puffs her cheeks when she's about to die. She... pouts a little after each death... but her eyes look so fiery and determined... and when she smiles, her small dimples look so...
Wait. What I am doing?
She makes eye contact with you, an unfamiliar look in her eyes, and you blush, quickly averting your gaze back to the game as you swallow hard.
What's wrong with me? Why am I staring at her...?
...unbeknownst to you...
Damn. I can't keep losing like this!
She glances over to you, seeing the reflection of the game's light on your eyes as she takes in the sight, then continues looking.
Hm... he's really into this. He's concentrating so hard. Look, his forehead is faintly wrinkled from the concentration, and his sharp jaw is clenched tight. His... smooth skin scrunches up above his nose whenever he's close to dying, and his...soft lips... look so...
Woah! What am I doing!?! Focus, Mina!
Glancing back at you one more time, she notices you looking at her and swiftly looks back at the screen, hoping you don't notice her ears turning red.
...Neither of you notices or cares about the outcome of the game.
After it ends, you dare to glance at her, and she does the same. With another moment of eye contact, you both blush even harder, silently cursing yourselves out, too self-absorbed to notice the other's emotions.
But Miyoung is the first to recover, as she starts a new game, allowing both of you to get sucked back into the fighting world, forgetting about your confusing feelings in the real one.
...
"Oh, bebe, I was so worried about you," Rae says, your heart fluttering at the nickname she'd been using more and more often for you. She can't help but lean in for another kiss, and you gladly reply, briefly cupping your hand around her cheek before pulling away. She had arrived a few minutes ago, running into the room while you were playing with Miyoung and quickly spoiling you with hugs and kisses.
You talk with Rae for a few more minutes, her petite body sitting on the bed next to you, her oversized sweater covering her to the knees. You don't know where Miyoung went, but she's nowhere to be seen. After a little while of catching up and making a post-hospital outing plan, intermixed with hand-holding and brief kisses, she reluctantly leaves, citing an important merch meeting that she had to go to.
"I promise I'll be back when I can. Call me if you get lonely, ok?"
"Thanks, Rae. I'll see you later."
Her fingers trail your jaw as she stands up, plants a firm kiss on your cheek, and walks out, leaving you with nothing but the hum of machinery in the room.
You pay attention to the sounds, including the low rumbling beneath the floor leading up to the air conditioner and the periodic beeping of the machinery stored nearby.
You hear some chatter outside your room from time to time, but you don't recognize the voices.
Over the next few minutes, you look around the room, fully taking in the lack of visual stimuli.
You text Miyoung, asking if she went home.
She probably did. I can't expect her to be around here the entire day.
I had fun, though... and, well... I felt a few strange things... but it's probably nothing.
You instinctively reach in your pocket, feeling for your phone once more to go on Twitch, but you stop as you realize what you're doing.
Wow. Miyoung was right about getting bored quickly. 5 minutes in and I'm aching for some mindless entertainment.
Not wanting to give in to your understimulated brain's desires, you hold off, thinking of other things you could do.
But eventually, you start to get truly bored. And, as if on queue, your head snaps toward the door as you hear a knock.
You breathe a sigh of relief, grateful for anything to distract you, and your sigh turns into a smile as Miyoung pops her face out from behind the door.
"Hey again! You were so right, I was already starting to get bored..."
Your voice trails into silence as you see her straining to hide a solemn expression behind a forced smile. You had seen her smile and laugh so much over the past day, you knew when she was faking it.
"What's wrong?"
"Hm? Nothing! I called it, I knew you would- "
"Are you sure?"
She stares at you for a few seconds, seeing your highly suspicious gaze.
She finally lets her facade drop, knowing that it failed.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really," she mumbles out, staring at the floor.
"Maybe not with me, but with anyone else? Talking always helps."
She sits down and leans back so far her nose points to the ceiling.
"No. I..." She stops, taking a deep breath, and then continues, shrugging her shoulders. "Fine... might as well... since it's about you."
"...oh?"
"And Rae. You two are dating..."
You're not sure if her comment was more of a statement or a question, so you decide to keep quiet.
"Don't take this the wrong way - I like both of you guys, and I want you both to be happy."
"...but?"
"But I don't have anything like that for myself, you know? It just gets lonely sometimes. It definitely doesn't help to have people constantly telling me online how pretty I am and how they would kill for a date for me." She rolls her eyes as she reminds herself of the weird comments she occasionally had the misfortune of seeing in chat.
You frown, realizing the truth in her words.
"Yeah, I... I never thought about it like that. But that feeling you have, feeling like you aren't really loved..."
Her head picks up at the final word in your sentence, and she listens closely.
"Rae felt that too. She told me so. You're not alone."
"Well, yeah, but now she has an amazing boyfriend. And I'm still..." she throws her arms up, oblivious to the slight blush on your face from the unexpected compliment.
"And speaking of boyfriends..." Her voice picks up an inquisitive tone. She hesitates, not sure whether to continue, but quickly decides to dive right into the deep end.
"Would you happen to also be Poki's?"
You gulp.
No one was supposed to know, at least not this quickly!
"What makes you say that?"
"Wow, you're a terrible liar," she confirms, noting your poorly hidden expression of shock and nervousness.
Shit. Well, I should at least tell her the truth, since she already basically knows.
"Well... we're still figuring things out. We only really got started... well, yesterday..."
"Yesterday?"
"...yeah..."
"You mean the same day you..." Her eyes open wide, and she clenches her jaw, closing it tight.
You scan her face, trying to decipher her reaction.
What? What else did I do that day? ... Oh shit, I did... a couple of things... does she know about either of them?... no, no way... I sure hope not...
"The same day I..." You repeat, trying to get her to finish.
"...I talked to Janet," she finished, eyeing you with evident disgust.
Your heart jumps in your throat, but you calm yourself, hoping you could explain it to her rationally.
"Listen, it's complicated- "
"So, what, do you just pick up girls as a hobby, or...?" She interjects.
You're about to laugh her ridiculous comment off until you notice her icy, unhumorous tone.
"...what? No! I just... well, things happen, and..."
"Oh, and not mention JODI too! You think I didn't find out about that?"
WHAT? How could she possibly-
"Oh, let me guess, 'things happen', and you magically end up dating everyone! What do you think this is, some free-for-all? You can't just do that!" Her voice raises in volume as she leans forward in her chair.
You're extremely taken aback at this outburst, wondering where the slightly shy girl you had come to know had disappeared to.
What's wrong with her? I know it's weird, but... does it really call for this much anger...?
"...Why not?" You finally blurt out, wanting to know her reason.
Clearly not expecting such a response, she takes a moment to process.
"You can't just date all my friends..." She finally says.
She turns around to leave, scoffing at your ignorance...
...but in her mind, the words she really meant to say are continuously being repeated like a mantra, almost driving her crazy:
"You can't just date all my friends... and leave me behind..."
Uh, what's wrong with me? Why do I care about someone I barely know like this? Why'd I come here in the first place?
Questions fill her mind to the brink as she rushes out of the room, desperate to get a brief respite. She spends a few moments outside your door, taking deep breaths as she calms herself and prepares herself.
Before you could stop her, she rushes out of the room, leaving you in a panicked state.
Shit. I need to stop her from leaving. I can't let her expose this secret before I figure things out. Poki doesn't even know about me and Janet! She thinks... God, what have I done?
You try to get out of bed for the first time that day, but as soon as your feet touch the floor, the blood rushes to your head, and you almost pass out, your vision becoming blurry.
Crawling back into bed, you curse your condition, realizing you can't do anything anymore.
It's hopeless. Everyone's gonna find out. They're all gonna hate me. There's no way I can-
"Hey."
Startled, you search for the source of the faint voice.
"Miyoung!"
She slowly moves back into view.
"Sit down."
You eye her cautiously, settling back into bed as you ponder the strained tone of uncertainty in her voice.
Clearly having thought out her next words carefully, she speaks methodically:
"I'll make you a deal."
"Ok." Wanting to seize any opportunity for salvation, you quickly prepare yourself to agree.
"I won't reveal your secrets... if you do one thing for me..."
"Yes?" You hang on to her every word, as she speaks agonizingly slowly.
"Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"For 30 seconds. Set a timer, and when it ends, you can open them."
"Oh...um, sure, I can do that."
"...and one more thing."
"..."
"Don't tell a soul about what happens during these 30 seconds."
Your heart pounds in your chest, but you can't tell if it's from the anxiety of the situation or the way her eyes flickered up to yours, a familiar fiery determination written across them.
You quickly set a timer, not wanting to waste a second lest she change her mind, and closed your eyes.
Her footsteps approach, slowing down as she nears you. You pay closer attention to your hearing, trying to discern what she would do.
But you don't expect the sensory overload you're about to receive, on a different sense.
Taste.
Lips.
Tongue.
You take it all in, your lips moving in tandem with hers as your eyelids beg to be opened.
You brain shuts down, your body taking over the mantle, and your heart skips a beat as her cold hand touches your collarbone and slides up to your neck, resting on your cheek.
Her lips taste just as sweet as you expect, the lack of vision somehow enflaming your desire for her touch even more. At that moment, the memory of every other kiss you've ever had is obliterated, as she kisses you as if it's the last kiss both of you will ever get.
Your hands subconsciously make their way up to her cheek, but just as you make contact, her fingers swiftly push your hand down to the mattress.
You bask in the continued warmth of the unexpected feeling you still know nothing about, as your brain struggles to fizzle back to life.
You lean further into her, her fingers supporting you as she tilts your chin up towards her.
All of a sudden, just as quickly as your lips exploded with the sensation, it disappears, leaving you reaching for lips no longer in your grasp and gasping for air.
You don't hear a thing.
The timer jolts you out of your stupor a few seconds later, and your eyes snap open.
The door finishes swinging shut, and you don't see a soul.
...what...just...
Your phone rings, but you don't have the presence of mind to answer it, as your emotions are running laps around you.
Miyoung. She... kissed me. She... wanted a kiss in exchange for her silence. How does she feel about me? It seemed like we were friends, and then she seemed to hate me, and then she... wanted to kiss me? And then... there's Janet... and Poki... and Rae... and Jodi...
You lean your head back, wishing you could permanently sink into your pillow.
Your eyes droop, the exhaustion of the day coming over you, your still-healing injuries making it harder to keep your head up.
NO.
You force yourself to sit up once more, pushing away thoughts of the beautiful, confusing, terrifyingly passionate kiss you just experienced.
Ok. I need to fix this. All of this. No more lies. No more deceit. I need to talk to everyone.
...
Oh man, this is gonna be hard.
With a firm resolve, you draft and send out a series of text messages, already formulating your plan as your mind churns out possibilities.
Tomorrow. This ends. One way or another.