The strangest thing about waking up after nearly a month in a coma wasn’t the hospital.
It wasn’t the weakness in my legs, the soreness in my chest, or even the fact that I had to relearn how to trust my own body.
It was waking up to a life that had apparently continued without me.
Bailey Falls was normal.
My school was normal.
My family was normal.
Everyone was just…
Normal.
And somehow, I was the only one who felt like I’d been left behind.
My grandfather had temporarily moved into our house while I recovered.
I didn’t exactly understand why.
When I asked Mum, she simply said, “Your grandfather wants to make sure you’re okay.”
Apparently, that was enough explanation for everyone.
For Grandpa, it meant checking on me every morning before breakfast, asking whether I had taken my medication, reminding me not to overexert myself, and somehow appearing downstairs whenever I so much as coughed.
“You’re hovering,” I told him one morning.
“I’m supervising.”
“You’re hovering.”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Eat your breakfast.”
I smiled.
“See?
Hovering.”
He shook his head, but I caught the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
For some reason, having him around felt comforting.
Like something about his presence made the house feel safer.
I couldn’t explain why.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced down.
Conrad: Awake?
I stared at the message.
It was 7:13 in the morning.
Me: Unfortunately.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Conrad: Good.
Me: Why?
Conrad: Because I was getting bored.
Me: That’s not my problem.
Conrad: It is now.
I rolled my eyes.
Then smiled.
I immediately stopped smiling.
Why was I smiling?
I looked at the screen again.
Conrad: Come outside.
Me: Absolutely not.
Conrad: Coward.
Me: It’s seven in the morning.
Conrad: Exactly.
Perfect time.
Me: For what?
Conrad: You’ll see.
I tossed my phone onto the bed.
Two seconds later, it buzzed again.
Conrad: Puppy.
I picked it up.
Me: Don’t call me that.
Conrad: You didn’t say no to coming outside.
I stared at the message.
Annoying.
Infuriating.
Persistent.
I smiled again.
“Ugh.”
I changed out of my pajamas.
Conrad was waiting outside the house when I came downstairs.
He was leaning against the hood of his car, hands tucked into his pockets.
When he saw me, his face lit up.
“You actually came.”
“I came to tell you to go home.”
He laughed.
“You walked all the way outside just to tell me that?”
“Yes.”
“That’s dedication.”
I rolled my eyes.
He pushed himself away from the car.
“You shouldn’t be walking around this much yet.”
“I’m fine.”
“You were in a coma for twenty-seven days.”
“I know.”
“You nearly died.”
“I know.”
“You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“I know.”
He smiled.
“Good.”
I frowned.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because you listen to me.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You literally came outside because I told you to.”
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Neither of us spoke.
Something about the way he was looking at me suddenly made me uncomfortable.
Not bad uncomfortable.
Just…
Different.
I looked away first.
“So where are we going?”
“Nowhere.”
I frowned.
“You dragged me outside for nothing?”
“I wanted to see you.”
The words came so casually that it took me a second to process them.
I looked at him.
“What?”
He shrugged.
“I haven’t seen you properly since you got home.”
“Oh.”
Brilliant response, Destiny.
Oh.
He smiled.
“You’re blushing.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“It’s cold.”
“It’s not.”
I crossed my arms.
“You’re annoying.”
“You’ve said that before.”
“And I’ll keep saying it.”
“That’s fine.”
He smiled.
“I like hearing you say my name anyway.”
I stared at him.
He laughed.
“Relax.
I’m messing with you.”
I wasn’t sure if he was.
And that was becoming a problem.
Later that afternoon, Parker and Kennedy came over.
They immediately took over my bedroom.
Parker sprawled across the foot of my bed while Kennedy sat cross-legged beside me.
“So,” Parker said.
I looked at her.
“So?”
“Conrad.”
I groaned.
“What about him?”
Kennedy smiled.
“You tell us.”
“There is nothing to tell.”
“Uh-huh.”
Parker exchanged a look with Kennedy.
I narrowed my eyes.
“What?”
“You like him.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
Kennedy tilted her head.
“Then why did you smile at your phone every time he texted you?”
“I wasn’t smiling.”
Parker burst out laughing.
“You were practically glowing.”
I threw a pillow at her.
“Shut up.”
She caught it.
“Defensive.”
“I’m not defensive.”
“You are.”
I looked at Kennedy.
“Are you going to let her keep doing this?”
Kennedy shrugged.
“She’s right.”
I stared at both of them.
“You guys are terrible friends.”
Parker grinned.
“We’re observant friends.”
Kennedy leaned closer.
“So what exactly is happening between you two?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
Parker sat up.
“Then why does he come over every day?”
“He’s checking on me.”
“At seven in the morning?”
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Kennedy smiled.
“Exactly.”
I grabbed another pillow.
“Leave me alone.”
They laughed.
That evening, I was sitting downstairs when my grandfather walked in with someone I’d never seen before.
A girl stood beside him.
She had soft brown hair, a warm smile, and the kind of easy confidence that made you feel like you’d known her forever.
“This is Renee,” Grandpa said.
She smiled at me.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
She looked at me for a second.
Then her smile widened.
“Oh my God.”
I laughed awkwardly.
“What?”
“You’re Destiny.”
I blinked.
“Yes?”
“Cam’s sister.”
I nodded.
“How do you know Cam?”
She laughed.
“Everyone knows Cam.”
I heard my brother’s voice from the hallway.
“Unfortunately.”
Renee turned toward him.
“See?”
Cam walked into the room.
“You’ve met.”
“Apparently.”
Renee smiled.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hopefully good things.”
“Mostly.”
Cam groaned.
“Don’t encourage her.”
I smiled.
Something about Renee was immediately easy.
She wasn’t trying too hard.
She didn’t seem fascinated by my coma or treat me like I was fragile.
She just talked to me.
Like I was normal.
And I liked that.
A lot.
That night, I was lying in bed when my phone buzzed.
Conrad: You awake?
I smiled.
Me: Unfortunately.
Conrad: You really need new material.
Me: You really need a life.
Conrad: Maybe you’re supposed to be my life.
I stared at the screen.
My heart gave one stupid little jump.
I typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Me: That’s disgustingly cheesy.
Conrad: You smiled.
I frowned.
Me: How would you know?
Conrad: Because I know you.
I stared at those words for longer than I should have.
Then another message appeared.
Conrad: Goodnight, Dee.
I smiled.
Me: Goodnight, idiot.
I put my phone down.
For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling.
And I didn’t know when it had happened.
But somewhere between the teasing, the messages, the stolen glances and the way he always seemed to find an excuse to be around me…
Something had changed.
I just didn’t know what to call it.