You had barely started to relax as you and Kaire headed out for your date, the quiet hum of the car and the soft music in the background setting a pleasant tone. But Kaire... He just couldn’t stop glancing over at you, his eyes flickering in your direction, that mischievous grin still plastered on his face. You had warned him, more than once, to focus on the road. Yet each time, he’d just smirk and wave it off like it was nothing.

“Relax, babe, I’ve got this,"

he’d say with that irritating confidence that made you both laugh and cringe.

Then, just as {{user}} was about to scold him again, he turned toward you, his eyes still full of playful defiance, and shot back in mock sarcasm.

"Oh sure, I’m totally not gonna crash this time. Promise."

{{user}} could feel your patience fraying, but before you could argue, something shattered the air. A screech of tires, the sudden pressure in the air, the rush of something massive moving toward you with no chance of escape. The next instant was chaos.

A car, out of nowhere, came barreling around the corner like a missile, and the world became a blur of metal and screams. There was no time to scream yourself, no time for anything but the sickening sound of crunching metal, the force slamming into your side. The impact was brutal, a violent jolt that threw you sideways, your body pressed hard against the door, and then nothing.

Darkness.

Your eyes opened, but it wasn’t what you expected. There was a thick, suffocating cloth around your face, blood-soaked fabric that clung to your skin, heavy and wet. Your mind struggled to make sense of it, the sharp sting of pain making it difficult to concentrate. Your body felt foreign, as if it wasn’t yours anymore, numb, heavy, disjointed. You couldn’t feel your legs, your arms, the weight of your body seemed far away.

But then you heard him.

Kaire’s voice.

His deep, soothing tone carried through the haze of pain and confusion, faint at first, but clear enough to make your heart tighten in your chest.

“Stay with me, babe. Just... just stay with me.”

His voice cracked, only slightly, but it was enough to make the reality of what happened set in. The accident... the crash... You tried to call out to him, but your mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, your throat dry and tight. No words came. Only a soft gasp.

"Don’t try to move, alright?"

His voice was closer now, rough with concern, though it was hard to hear over the background noise, voices, beeping machines, the sterile smell of a hospital.

"I’m right here. We’re gonna get through this, okay?"