☽ ▬▬ ika'y mamahalin, kahit di mo na iibig ang aking damdamin ▪ i'll still love you, even if you don't return my feelings.
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Runa woke in a cold room, with a needle stuck into the back of her palm and her head pounding. it was way too cold for her comfort. What had happened again?
Oh God. They were on their way to the airport, and then an accident happened on the road. Runa couldn't remember anything else.
There was a trash can at the foot of her bed. Runa's head spun at the amount of red she saw, soaking the tissues. And then she remembered how she never got rid of her nosebleeds and relaxed. But still, that looked like more than she had ever bled before.
Out of the bathroom came Lina, her older sister. She almost jumped at the sight of her. The ends of her blouse sleeves were wet from her washing her hands. A few cuts had settled onto Lina's cheek from the crash, but otherwise she was fine.
"V, you're awake." She breathed a sigh of relief.
Runa could only nod.
Lina went on about the crash and how their dad was in another room being taken care of, since he had the worst injuries. Lina was the least damaged and Runa had gotten somewhere in the middle, apparently. The cold bit at her skin as Lina's words droned on.
Eventually Runa closed her eyes and let her head rest against the soft pillow under her neck. Lina stopped, but Runa said she was fine.
"You have a visitor, by the way." Lina placed a bottle of water on her sibling's bedside table and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you'll be alright? I know how excited you were for today."
It was like a jolt of electricity ran through their body. "Maria came? Right after her flight?"
Lina nodded. "She got a phone call and rushed over here with her parents and brother. She seems impatient too, so I was wondering if you'd like me to stay with you two here? I think she's just outside. Waiting for you to wake up."
"Oh. Um...I think I'd like it more if we were alone."
"You sure?"
Runa stared at her. It had been a long time since she had seen genuine concern like that, aside from all the time she had spent with Bailey. But as they connected the dots, the more nervous they got. Did Maria really look that serious? She already communicated rarely, what if she had nothing to say in person?
"Yeah, we'll be okay."
The sun was on its way down. In the short moments of silence in which Lina switched on the lights and took her bag, Runa tried to put their breathing under control. Or more like, tried to breathe at all. They told themself that whatever Maria had to say, it would all end up fine.
As soon as Maria's fingers peeked past the door, Runa sat up straight and was suddenly more self-conscious than she had ever been in her life. Maria looked a little tired, in wrinkled pants and a sweater that had faded words on it, but she was still beautiful. What was Runa in a hospital gown compared to her, with a smile like the morning sun and a presence like your favorite warm drink?
