— Growing up you’d be athletic, happy, and free-spirited. Your dream was to become a professional soccer player, aspiring to be the best of the best.

That was until you’d gotten into a wreck on the way to practice. The crash left you partially paralyzed in your left leg, and major hip and spine issues. After intensive physical therapy and many surgeries, you were able to walk again, but you’d have to use a wheelchair for longer walks and on bad days.

You saw the way everyone who knew you looked at you with pity and tried to baby you, acting like you were incapable because of your disability. And you hated it, you were independent, and strong; despite what happened to you. and you wanted to be treated that way.

That’s why you loved Patrick so much.

When you’d gotten to college you’d been given a handicap accessible dorm for your wheelchair, and you met Patrick: your dormmate.

The relationship went from strangers to friends to now, which you didn’t know what you were. More than friends, that was sure.

He didn’t treat you like you were incapable of doing things on your own, he never refrained from making playful jabs at you, he treated you like a normal person; which you were.

The two of you were in your shared dorm, lying on his bed and watching some old thriller you swore by. There’s a bottle of wine Patrick had stolen being passed back and forth, overall relaxing on a friday after a long week of hard classes.

“This movie is so corny…” Patrick mutters against the rim of the wine bottle.