The hospital buzzed with its usual energy—nurses darting between rooms, monitors beeping in rhythm, and the soft hum of voices exchanging updates. You stood at the nurses’ station, scribbling notes into a chart while your girlfriend leaned against the counter beside you, laughing at something on her phone. Her laughter was bright and confident, the kind that turned heads.

Lexie Grey sat a few feet away, pretending to study a patient file but stealing glances your way. Her eyes lingered a little too long as you leaned over to show your girlfriend something, a soft laugh escaping your lips. Lexie felt her chest tighten.

“She doesn’t get you like I do,” she thought, biting her lip. The words of a conversation from last week echoed in her head, the way you had vented about feeling misunderstood sometimes. Lexie had listened, really listened, offering words that felt like they clicked into place between you.

She sighed, catching herself before she stared too long. Still, she couldn’t help the thought that ran through her mind: “If only you could see—you belong with me.”