No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 43- Gone

Mikha’s POV

The drive to the hospital was a blur of flashing lights, panicked voices, and the overwhelming scent of blood. My own shoulder throbbed painfully, my vision hazy from the blood loss, but none of it mattered.

All I could see was Aiah—pale, barely conscious, struggling to hold on.

“Stay with me, Aiah,” I whispered, pressing her cold hand against mine. “Please.”

Colet drove like a madwoman, pushing past red lights, honking furiously. Jho sat beside Aiah, trying to keep pressure on her wound.

“Aiah, just hang on a little longer,” Jho pleaded, her voice breaking.

Aiah’s eyelids fluttered open, and for a second, she looked at me. A weak, tired smile ghosted her lips. “You came for me…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tears blurred my vision. “Of course, I did,” I choked out. “I always will.”

She squeezed my hand lightly before her eyes shut again.

“No! No, Aiah, stay awake!” I shook her hand gently, my heart pounding in terror.

Colet swerved into the hospital driveway, tires screeching as we came to a stop. “We’re here!” she yelled.

The emergency doors burst open as doctors and nurses rushed toward us. They pulled Aiah onto a stretcher, immediately checking her vitals.

“She’s lost too much blood—get her to surgery, now!” one of the doctors ordered.

I tried to follow, but my body finally gave out. A wave of dizziness crashed over me, and before I knew it, my legs buckled.

“Mikha!” Jho caught me before I hit the ground.

“Damn it, she’s bleeding too!” Colet shouted.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, but the exhaustion was too much. My world spun as the hospital staff rushed me onto another stretcher.

The last thing I saw was Aiah disappearing behind the emergency room doors.

Then—darkness.

__

I never believed in love at first sight.

But with Aiah, it wasn’t about seeing her for the first time. It was the first time she really looked at me.

It happened during one of those lazy afternoons at the Sunken Garden. We had just finished our classes, our books spread out in the grass, pretending to study. But we both knew neither of us were really reading.

“Do you ever think about what love is?” Aiah suddenly asked, lying on her back, her arms stretched above her head.

I raised an eyebrow. “Are we really going philosophical on a Tuesday afternoon?”

She laughed, rolling onto her side to face me. “I’m serious.”

I closed my book, tilting my head as I thought about it. “I guess… love is when someone makes you feel safe. Like, no matter how bad your day is, as long as they’re there, it’s bearable.”

She hummed, nodding like she was deep in thought. “I like that.”

“What about you?” I asked, watching as the golden sunlight reflected in her eyes.

Aiah grinned, plucking a blade of grass and twirling it between her fingers. “For me, love is when you don’t have to say anything… and they just know.”