Impassive

2| Pretty

"I'm not hungry." he said to her as he walked past her to his office. She put the food in the fridge and began to clean up the kitchen.

AVA

There it was again. That annoying buzzing. I hated mosquitoes, and my arm still itched. The dim room felt like a cocoon, shadows flickering against sterile white walls, barely illuminated by the overhead lights. The scent of antiseptic hung in the air, sharp and invasive, mingling with something else-perhaps the faint hint of flowers from a vase in the corner. Maybe I had to try again; perhaps it would work this time. I concentrated, my mind struggling to focus amidst the thick fog enveloping me. God, it would be so much easier if everything weren't so dark.

"What-" said a startled voice, then it ran away again.

My arm fell back down, heavy and uncooperative. Damn, I had let myself get distracted. Oh, that buzzing! Light, we needed light. Why didn't the voice turn on a light? A new sound emerged, a rustling this time. The air felt charged with urgency, and I mentally begged them to do it politely because I wanted to catch that mosquito that had bitten me. All I managed to say was a hoarse, "Light." Ugh, my mouth was dry, like sandpaper scraping against my tongue.

"Just a moment, we'll take the blindfold off you right away," said a new voice, a soft rustling followed by the sound of fabric shifting. Someone fiddled with something at my head. "Has anyone notified her husband-"

"I'm already here. What's wrong?" A beautiful voice, resonant and deep. I wondered how it would sound if it weren't so demanding, but it wrapped around me like a familiar blanket.

"It seems your wife is waking up," the person replied, their tone brisk but kind. Gradually, the darkness retreated, brightness flooding my senses, then suddenly it was too bright. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut again, the light piercing through like daggers.

'Please turn the light back off; it's almost burning my eyes,' I thought. "Off," I croaked. My voice didn't sound nice-more like a rasping whisper. Then again, I had only said two words.

Behind my eyelids, it grew dark again. Cautiously, I opened my eyes, adjusting to the blinding brightness. As my vision cleared, I looked into dark eyes staring at me. "Ava?" The name echoed in my mind, but confusion wrapped around me like a thick fog. Who was he? The mosquitoes were forgotten as my mind struggled to piece together the puzzle. Where was I? And why did I feel like I had just awakened from a long, deep sleep?

"Mrs. Bellandi, I'm Dr. Stein," a woman interjected, stepping into view, her gaze sharp and assessing. She stood beside the dark-eyed man, whose beauty seemed to shimmer in the light. "You've sustained a serious head injury. Can you remember anything?"

I focused on him, the warmth of his presence contrasting with Dr. Stein's clinical demeanor. 'You have really-' "Pretty eyes," I managed to say with some effort, my tongue feeling thick and clumsy. Something flickered in those dark eyes, almost as if they were amused. I glanced at his mouth, hoping he would say something again. Oh, his lips were nice too. Overall, he was very attractive.

And there it was again! That buzzing! How I hated it! "Mosquito." Kill it. The dark eyes shifted away from me, scanning the room. I hoped they would find it, that someone would take care of my tiny tormentor.

"Mrs. Bellandi?" Dr. Stein pressed, her tone authoritative yet laced with concern.

Irritated, I looked around as much as I could. The room was filled with medical equipment, beeping machines, and bright lights, all blending into a blur of shapes and colors. 'I'm sorry, I haven't seen a Mrs. Bellandi. Are you sure she's here?' "Who?" I managed to say, my confusion deepening. The atmosphere around me felt stifling, the sterile light from the ceiling lamp glaring down as I tried to orient myself. Shadows of furniture and equipment seemed to dance around, as if they were playing tricks on me.