Her eyes stayed on him. They moved over his features without hurry.

Then she looked down at the sunflowers.

Her grip on the stems eased. Her shoulders settled into the mattress. The smile on her mouth shifted. It grew quieter. It stayed.

She did not say anything.

They sat in the stillness of the room. The corridor noise reached them in soft bursts. Footsteps passed.

A trolley rolled somewhere far off. The light from the window spread flat across the wall.

She started speaking.

She told him about waking up. Her eyes had opened to a white ceiling she did not recognize. A nurse stood near the table on the far wall, moving things around. Metal clinked once. The IV line had already been in her hand.

She lifted her left hand a little, enough for him to see the tape.

"The doctor came after that," she said. "Low blood sugar. Dehydration."

Her fingers curled slightly, then loosened again on the stems.

"I tried to remember the night before."

She shook her head once.

"Nothing."

He listened. He did not interrupt. His hands stayed on his knees.

"All I remember was how good our date went."

They smiled.

Knock kncok

A knock came at the door.

It opened before either of them answered.

A woman in blue scrubs walked in with a tray. She set it on the adjustable table. The wheels clicked as she pushed it over the bed.

The tray stopped in front of Hana.

The woman gave a short nod and left.

The door closed.

White rice filled one section of the tray. Something pale and thin sat beside it.

Steam rose from it in small curls. A small cup of orange jelly rested near the edge.

Hana looked at the food.

"Did you eat?"

He shook his head.

"Kaito."

She lifted her eyes to him. Her brows pulled in slightly.

"You rushed here without eating."

"I was worried."

"And now I am worried about you."

She picked up the chopsticks. She tapped them once against the tray, then looked at the food again.

"Go eat. Get something from the canteen. Come back."

"I’ll eat later."

"You’ll eat now."

"I’ll eat later."

He stood. The stool scraped back. He dragged it closer to the bed and sat again.

He ended up closer than before. His face lined up with hers across the tray.

She looked at him.

He held her gaze.

A second passed.

Both of them turned away.

He straightened his back. His hand adjusted on his knee.

She looked down at the tray. She lifted the chopsticks again. Her fingers tightened with more focus than before.

"How is it?" he asked.

She took a bite. She chewed slowly. She swallowed.

She paused.

"Terrible."

She glanced at the rice, then at the pale dish.

"No taste."

She nudged the soup with the chopsticks. The surface shifted. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"I think the soup is worse."

"The jelly looks fine."

She looked at the cup.

"The jelly is orange flavoured."

Her nose wrinkled.

"I don’t like orange flavoured things."

"Then it was made to annoy you."

She laughed. It came out full this time.

It cut off halfway.

Her body tensed. Her hand moved to her side and pressed flat against her ribs.

"Don’t make me laugh," she said. "It hurts."

"You laughed first."

"I know."

She was still smiling. It stayed faint at the edges of her mouth.

She picked up another bite.

"Here."

She held the chopsticks toward him.

"You need that more than me.," he said. "You need food."

"I need you to eat."

She pushed the chopsticks closer. Her wrist held steady.

"One bite. Then I’ll eat the rest."

He looked at the food.

He looked at her.

She watched him without blinking. Her hand did not move.

He leaned forward.

He took the bite.

He chewed.

The rice gave way at once. Soft. Warm. But nothing else followed.

"You’re right," he said. "It’s terrible."

"I told you."

Her smile came back, quicker now. It stayed.

"Warm paper."

"Warm paper."

They chuckled.

She took another bite. Slower this time.

He watched her. Not the tray. Her.

When her hand shivered more than usual on the chopsticks, he reached for the spoon without asking. Scooped a small amount. Held it out.

She leaned forward. Opened her mouth.

He fed her.

She swallowed. Ate two more bites. Then she angled the tray toward him with a small push of her wrist.

"Your turn."

He didn’t argue this time. Took a bite. Put the spoon back.

They settled into it without speaking.

She ate. He filled the gaps.

The spoon moved when her pace dropped. She leaned in without looking. Every few rounds she stopped him, made him take a bite. He did it just enough to satisfy her, then went back to watching her eat.

The soup waited.

She tried it.

Her face tightened at once. Her eyes shut for half a second.

She forced it down.

"Worse."

"It looks worse."

"It is worse."

The jelly stayed where it was.

Neither of them touched it.

Light shifted across the wall. The white from before picked up a faint warmth. The edge of the window frame crept along the floor.

Somewhere down the corridor, a voice carried. Low. Even. It rose and fell, never clear enough to follow.

Time moved.

They didn’t track it.

She set the spoon down at some point.

Most of the tray was empty. A few grains stuck near the edge. The soup sat nearly gone.

She looked at it, then at him.

"I didn’t notice."

He stood. Pushed the tray aside. The wheels gave a soft sound against the floor.

He came back. Sat for a second. Then stood again.

"I should go," he said. "Let you rest."

"Okay."

No hesitation.

He turned.

"Kaito."

He stopped.

She wasn’t looking at him.

Her hands rested on the blanket. Fingers spread. Then they pressed down, slow, against the fabric.

"The other night," she said.

The words came out quiet.

He stayed where he was.

"The dinner."

She lifted her head. Her eyes stopped just short of his.

"I had a really good time."

"Me too."

A small pause.

"The ducks."

"The ducks?"

Her mouth twitched.

"I named the third one."

Another pause.

"While I was lying here."

Her fingers pressed deeper into the blanket.

"His name is Gerald."

"Gerald?"

"It suits him."

A breath.

"He has Gerald energy."

Kaito laughed aloud.

He watched her.

But she still wasn’t looking straight at him. Not yet. Color had come into her face. Not from before.

New.

????

"Kaito."

"Yeah."

Now she looked at him.

No hesitation this time.

"I like you," she said.