No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 43- Gone

I was about to respond when a strong gust of wind blew past us, sending Aiah’s notes flying.

“Shit—wait!” She scrambled to her feet, chasing after the papers.

Laughing, I got up to help, but as I turned, I found her standing a few steps away, holding a single sheet. The wind had calmed, and the sunset painted the sky in hues of orange and pink.

She was looking at me. Not just looking—seeing me.

And in that moment, I knew.

It wasn’t love at first sight.

It was love in the way she memorized me without trying.

The way she smiled when she caught me staring.

The way she walked toward me, handing me the paper with a smirk.

The way my heart raced when our fingers brushed.

“I think love is also this,” she said, voice soft, eyes locked onto mine.

I swallowed hard, feeling the world shift beneath me. “This?”

She took another step closer. “You.”

And before I could say anything else, she leaned in.

A breath. A pause.

Then, the first time she kissed me.

__

A dull, throbbing pain greeted me the moment I opened my eyes. My shoulder felt like it was on fire, every small movement sending sharp stabs of agony through my body.

I groaned softly, trying to adjust myself on the hospital bed, but even that was a struggle.

“Mikha?”

My gaze shifted to the side, where a group of familiar faces surrounded me—Sheena, Gwen, Colet, and Ethan.

Sheena let out a relieved sigh, placing a hand on her chest. “Thank God, you’re finally awake.”

“Tangina, Mikha,” Gwen muttered, crossing her arms. “You scared the hell out of us.”

Colet nodded, her usual tough demeanor barely masking the concern in her eyes. “You almost bled out. What the hell were you thinking?”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Aiah…”

Silence fell over the room.

Ethan was the first to speak, his voice softer than usual. “She’s still in surgery.”

I clenched my fists, frustration and fear mixing inside me. “She has to be okay,” I whispered. “She has to.”

Sheena stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on my uninjured shoulder. “She’s fighting, Mikha. But she lost a lot of blood.”

I turned my head, staring at the ceiling. My heart felt heavy, weighed down by the memory of Aiah’s pale face, the way she smiled weakly at me before losing consciousness.

“She was looking at me,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. “Even when she was in pain… she still smiled at me.”

Colet exhaled sharply. “That’s Aiah for you. Always making sure you’re okay, even when she’s the one bleeding out.”

I shut my eyes, forcing down the lump in my throat.

I couldn’t lose her.

Not again.