Novels by Ipa

After that day, everything between us changed, but at the same time, it didn’t. We were now “friends.” That was the word he used. Simple, but somehow very heavy in my heart, like it carried more weight than the letters. I tried to act normal, like nothing had happened, like the conversation on the bench was just another afternoon. Like I didn’t just open up my heart to him. Like I wasn’t still feeling everything I felt from the very first day in that recovery room, when I saw him lying there and my pulse did something strange. But it wasn’t easy. Not really. We kept talking, just like before. Calls, messages, small check-ins during the day, the kind that don’t need a reason. Sometimes, he would ask if I had eaten, and I would roll my eyes and smile at my screen. Sometimes, I would ask if he had taken his medication, and he would laugh and say yes, he had. It felt natural like we had known each other for a long time, longer than the calendar said. But n

The moment had been building for days, maybe even weeks, stacking up in small pieces. Every time I saw him, every laugh, every shy glance, my heart had been quietly screaming at me to tell him, louder each time. But fear and nervousness always held me back, like a hand on my shoulder. What if I ruined everything we had, the easy way we were with each other? What if he didn’t feel the same way, and the air between us changed? Many questions were running inside my mind, and I needed just a clue to be calm. Yet that day, something inside me shifted, a small click I could feel in my chest. I couldn’t keep it inside anymore, not for another hour. The words had to come out, even if my voice shook. Later on, we were sitting on a quiet bench after one of our outings, the kind of bench tucked under a tree where people walk by slowly. The sun was soft in the sky, casting a warm glow over the street, and the light made everything look calm. Everything seem

After that day at his family house, things between us slowly became more natural, like we had found an easy rhythm ,talking almost all the time on the phone . We started seeing each other more often, not at the hospital anymore, but outside, in normal places. Sometimes, he would invite me out, and we would spend time together just the two of us, no machines, no charts, no uniforms. Those small outings quickly became some of my favorite moments, the kind I thought about later when the day was quiet. Nothing very big or complicated. Sometimes, we would just go somewhere quiet to sit and talk, a bench under a tree or a calm corner where we could hear each other. Other times, we would take a short drive and listen to music while chatting about random things, the windows down a little, and the air moving through. But somehow, those simple moments meant a lot to me, more than I could explain. Being around him was one of the best things and feelings that happened

A few days after exchanging numbers, I received a message from him, and my phone buzzed in my hand. He wanted to invite me over to his family house, just for an afternoon, nothing too big. My heart skipped a beat the moment I read it, a quick jump that made me smile endlessly. Excitement mixed with nervousness, both at the same time. I hadn’t expected to be invited into his personal life so soon, and yet a part of me was thrilled, more than I wanted to admit. This was a side of him I hadn’t seen before the world outside the hospital, the people who were important to him, the place where he was just himself. I was a little bit curious, and I had to ask him again if he is really sure of wanting me to come see him in their family house, and he replied, "Why not?" The day arrived, and I spent the morning trying to calm my racing heart, taking slow breaths and telling myself to relax. I checked my outfit several times, smoothing the front, making sure I looke

After that morning, when he asked about my phone, the thought stayed in my mind for the rest of the day, like a small, steady hum. I kept replaying that small moment again and again, hearing his voice in my head. The way he asked, “Where is your phone?” made me feel like he wanted to give me his number, and I couldn’t help thinking about it between tasks. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe it was nothing, but the idea alone made my heart beat faster, a quick flutter I tried to hide. I told myself that the next time I went to attend to him, I would be ready, not caught off guard like before. So when it was time for me to go back to his room to administer his medications, I made sure my phone was with me and slipped into my pocket where I could reach it without looking. As I walked toward the recovery room, I could feel the same mixture of excitement and nervousness I had felt before, warm in my chest and light in my hands. I tried to calm myself do

After my two day break, the morning of my next shift finally arrived, and I could feel it in the way I moved. As I prepared to go back to the clinic, I noticed my heart was beating a little faster than usual, a soft, steady thump that I could hear in my ears. I tried to act normal and told myself it was just another day at work, just another list of tasks, but deep down, I knew I was thinking about one person, and I could not pretend otherwise. The young patient in the recovery room. During those two days away, I had thought about him many times, more times than I wanted to admit. Sometimes, I even caught myself smiling for no reason when he came to my mind, a quick smile I hid by looking down. But at the same time, another thought kept worrying me, a quiet worry that stayed in the back of my head. What if he had already been discharged? That question stayed in my mind as I walked into the clinic that morning, step after step. The familiar smell of antiseptic fille