[ R Y D E R ]  A couple of days had passed by, and Kara was still not waking up. They had moved her from the ICU to the general ward, which meant she could have visitors now. Cole came by every day and I wouldn't leave the room whenever he was around. It was getting real pathetic. He stroked her hair and kissed her head in front of me, trying to make me jealous. Well, guess what, it fucking worked. Meanwhile, Lacey and dad were always around as well. I barely got any alone time with Kara. So between 7 to 8 PM was always my favorite time of the day. That was when Lacey and dad would go out to get some food, and I could be alone with Kara. I wasn't doing anything bad, I promise. It wasn't like I could talk to her or anything, she was just asleep. Not trying to be a creep or whatever, but I liked watching her sleep. I liked speaking to her, even though

[ K A R A ] "Hey," Cole said as soon as he entered the room. He looked disheveled, with bags hanging under his eyes. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and sat down next to me. Smiling a small smile, he leaned in and planted a short kiss on my cheek. "Hey," I whispered back. "I missed you," he said, leaning his head against mine. "How are you feeling?" "Like I had been through a life-altering experience," I shrugged. "I should have never let you go. I'm so sorry," "Why are you apologizing to me? It wasn't your fault, Cole," "I'm your boyfriend. I should have taken better care of you," he breathed, pausing for a beat before saying, "I should've noticed the cuts sooner. I should've never left that night. And I shouldn't have let you go," "Cole, it's not your fault. Honestly, it was a

[ R Y D E R ]  My whole life was narrowed down to this one moment. Everything that we had been through, they finally brought us here. To this simple yes or no question. "Will you marry me?" I looked up to search her eyes, but she was just staring blankly into space. Her mouth fell open but there was no sound. Breathe Ryder, breathe. I waited... and waited. These seconds felt like hours. Why wasn't she saying anything? "Kara? Say something... please," "Ry... I... I don't know what to say," she stammered and she pulled her hand away. That gave me a pang in my stomach. "Just say yes then," I said. But she shook her head. "Ryder... this... you are insane. We can't just do something like this…" 

[ R Y D E R ]  I never ran so fast in my life. The night air was cold, but everything inside of me was burning like a fire. I shove past everyone in the street as I made my way back to the hospital. And when I finally got to her room at, I saw that Kara was alone, just sitting on her bed. This was it, the moment of truth. "Hey," I breathed, still panting from all the running. She looked up at me and she smiled. There was something about that smile. Her smile held meaning. "Hi," she said. I relaxed my breathing and leaned against the doorway, trying to look as confident as I could. I wondered if she could tell I was dying on the inside. "So, is the comma sign gonna be our way of saying booty call now?" I teased and she rolled her eyes. I strode inside and closed the do

[ K A R A ]  “I can’t believe this,” I shook my head at the sight before me. “I’m sitting here drinking a milkshake with you,” Ryder and I were at the cliff where we almost had our first kiss. In our hands were our favorite vanilla milkshake, and we were sitting atop Ryder’s bike. “I can’t believe it either,” he said as he linked an arm around my waist. “My fiancée is actually here in the flesh with me,” My breath hitched as I heard the word. Being called Ryder’s fiancée was something incredible. It was kind of chilly outside, but I felt all warm on the inside.  Ryder was gazing out into the night sea. The stars were twinkling above us and the moon was silver and bright. It was a glorious sight, but my eyes were glued to Ryder’s face, because compar