MasukStellaOne Year Later…The beach breeze is warm against my skin. The sound of laughter and light conversations fill my ears, causing me to smile more than I have for in the past. My brother's sit on the opposite side of the table, while my parents, Lillian, Adrian, and I are on the other.We decided
StellaI was discharged from the hospital just a few hours ago. Adrian kept me in his car while he ran out to the store and bought all new groceries for me, buying me snacks and drinks for me to eat while I relax at home. It is a really kind gesture from him, something that he never would've done fo
Adrian looks at me and I shake my head, signaling for him to stay. He silently nods and remains in place, watching as the room is slowly vacated, my father remaining behind. His eyes flicker between us, the way I instinctively reach for Adrian’s hand.“What is it that you’re doing, Stella?” my fathe
StellaAdrian stayed by my side for the rest of the night. He held my hand and called the nurses over when I needed more pain medication to ease the stinging and burning feeling inside of my body. He helped me adjust my pillows and got me more blankets, bribing the teenage girls next-door to offer u
Stellathe first thing that I can hear is the faint beeps of a hospital machine. There is a hospital like ambience, just beyond my consciousness, rooted in reality, it is in a place where I am not. I can listen to the sound of nurses and doctors talking, but I fall back into a state of unconsciousne
AdrianMy heart races inside of my chest. I can’t think straight and I feel so dizzy, having to sit down since my legs feel like jelly. I tried to convince myself that everything is okay, that Stella is not in need in that Clara is just over exaggerating what she said on the phone, but something in
AdrianStella soundly sleeps in the hospital bed. Her dark hair acts like a halo around her head, the locks a dark contrast against the white pillow that sits beneath her head. I sigh and fix her hair, making sure that it is nice and neat to the side other face instead of getting tangled and messy f
AdrianThe days pass me by in a blur. My mind has been stuck on Stella and the way she shut me out. I could hear her cries from the other side of the door, the sound of her pained sobs forever carved into my memory.Every single day I wait for a call from her, a simple text message explaining that s
I step through and he follows suit, sticking close to my side before the doors close once again. I lean against the wall, using it to catch my breath and rest my body until I have time to bolt out and away from his close proximity again.“What?” Adrian asks, completely dumbfounded by my refusal. He
StellaThe car ride to my apartment is silent. The radio quietly plays in the background but it is drowned out from the ringing that sounds inside my ears. I turn away from Adrian, unable to even look or breathe in his direction.Am I a fool? Have I been tricked this entire time? Has Adrian’s sudden







