Nurse: There we go. You’ll be using crutches for a while. Nothing’s broken, just a dislocation. With some care, it’ll heal.

Sora let out a shaky breath, nodding faintly.

Nurse: …And you should be grateful your friend here carried you all the way here.

The words struck like an arrow. Both Sora and David stiffened, their eyes darting toward each other at the same time. For one fleeting second, their gazes locked and Sora’s cheeks flushed pink, and David quickly looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

The nurse smirked knowingly.

Nurse: (teasingly) Aww… To be young. 

Sora’s face burned hotter and she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor, fiddling with the edge of her skirt. David cleared his throat and pretended to examine the posters on the wall, though the red tint at the tips of his ears betrayed him.

After a while, the nurse’s tone shifted back to professional.

Nurse: I’ve already contacted your parents. They should be here soon.

Sora’s stomach sank at the mention. For a moment she froze, but then, with a faint exhale, she nodded.

Sora: …Alright.

Her voice was small, quieter than usual, like she was still carrying the weight of everything that had just happened.

David, sensing the weight of her reaction, prepared to head towards the exit.

David: Well… I guess I should get going—

Sora: (quickly, almost too quickly) No.

He froze, and turned to her and she continued speaking. 

Sora: Please …Stay.

The word caught him off guard. This was not the Sora he was used to; sharp-tongued, distant & untouchable. For a moment, he considered asking about the tears she’d shed by the pool, the raw anguish still shadowing her eyes. But instinct told him that if he pushed, he might tear open wounds she wasn’t ready to show.

So instead, he nodded and sat back down on the stool next to her bed, silent but present.

David: (to himself) …Guess I’ll stay, then.

There was a bit of silence after as they both couldn't look each other in the eye, nor could they think of any way to start up a conversation, which was fine considering how their last interaction had gone down. 

After a while, Sora broke the silence to try and make the situation less awkward than it already was. 

Sora: David I....

David: I'm into photography. 

Sora: (puzzled) What? 

David: Back when we last spoke you said that I don't have any plans for my future and that I never understand anything about having dreams...

Sora briefly recalled when she said this and she immediately began to cringe and feel extremely awful for saying anything of that. 

Sora: Uh... Well... I'm...

David: (chuckles) When you said that, I found it really funny considering that the reason I decided to take it more seriously was because of you. 

Sora immediately turned her head and look at David who has been looking at her this entire time. 

Sora: Me? 

David: I mean... I'd heard a lot about you while I was in middle school, the tales of the great Sora Fujimoto who knew how to swim and I was so excited when I found out that you were going to the same highschool with me. But then I did meet you and then... Well you know how that turned out. 

Sora then remembered all the times that she had been rude to David and had given him the cold shoulder. 

Sora: Yeah...

David: And then, I got to see you swim for the first time and I was totally blown away about how incredible you were at it. At least all the talk about you wasn't for nothing. And seeing you strive and do your best... It made me want to do my best too and that's why when you told me I didn't have plans for my future, it really hurt. 

Sora thought about everything David had just said and then asked the question that had been bugging her.

Sora: So then, why... Why did you come and look for me despite everything I said to you? And despite how I treated you all this time... Why did you always come back? 

David then briefly recalling when Chloe had asked him the same question and smirked.

David: Well... I figured that you'd need someone around you even though you always pushed everyone away and I wanted to be the reason you'd change the way you looked at everything and how you treated everyone and...

Sora: (puzzled) And...?

David's face turned red as the next words felt like they had begun to melt his brain

David: And because... I have feelings for you... Sora. 

Before she knew it, Sora face and turned red immediately and they happened to make eye contact in that moment which made the whole situation more awkward than it had been when they weren't saying anything. 

David then began to scratch his head in annoyance and embarrassment while Sora his her red face with the blanket near hee

David: Oh Damn it... Why did I have to say that now?! 

Sora: (to herself) How am I supposed to apologize when he says that right now? 

David buried his face in his hands, groaning under his breath.

David: (muttering) I can’t believe I said that out loud…

Sora, still hiding under the blanket, felt her pulse hammering in her ears. Her chest was burning, not just from his words but from everything crashing together at once; the pool, Naomi, Chloe, her mother, and now David’s sudden honesty.

She peeked out from the blanket, her voice trembling.

Sora: David....

He looked up, his ears still red at the edges from embarrassment.

Sora: (quietly) Don’t say things like that… not to me. I don’t deserve it.

David: (frowning) Huh?

Sora: (voice cracking) I don’t deserve you saying that you… that you have feelings for me. Not after the way I treated you.

She lowered her head, gripping the edge of the blanket tight.

Sora: I pushed you away every single time you tried to help me. I called you clueless, I mocked you, and I acted like you weren’t even worth my time. And yet… you still came back.

Her throat tightened, but the words kept coming, raw and unfiltered.

Sora: I’ve been awful to you. And to everyone. I thought shutting people out was the only way to protect myself, but all I did was hurt people who actually cared. People like you.

Her eyes brimmed with tears again, but she forced herself to meet his gaze.

Sora: I’m sorry, David! For every time I made you feel small, for every cruel thing I said, for every time I pretended you didn’t matter! Because you do matter! You always did!

Her hands clenched the blanket so tightly her knuckles went white.

Sora: (choking on the words) I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…

The room was thick with the echo of her confession. For once, Sora wasn’t the unshakable girl everyone thought she was. She was just a girl unraveling, finally baring all the guilt she’d locked away.

The silence that followed afterwards was heavy. David leaned back, letting her words sink in, his lips parting in surprise. Slowly, the embarrassment faded from his face, replaced with a calmer expression. 

David: (gently) That’s all I ever wanted to hear, Sora.