It was a rainy, gloomy morning when the sharp, relentless alarm on my phone exploded into the silence, dragging me out of my sleep and into another day of demanding Crown School of Journalism duties. The University itself sits on the far edge of the city which means I`m forced to wake up painfully early.
I washed my curly long unruly hair, took a brisk, almost jolting shower, and quickly checked on the UniScope website for latest events.
I hurried into my clothes picked out the previous night, grabbed a strong coffee to go and rushed out of my small dorm room. I love my room. It suits me perfectly. It gives me space, independence and the quiet thrill of taking care of my responsibilities.
With a bag of dirty laundry swinging heavily by my side, I headed toward the laundromat before class, slipping the laundry card into my back pocket as I sprinted towards the bus. I managed to quickly drop the clothes off before rushing off to the lectures.
When I stepped off at my stop, I noticed familiar faces from the group—a group of guys who were in the same class as me last year. Classic drug addicts. Then his blue gaze striked me for a split of a second. Standing alone, no hair, headphones on, loud music blasting, I`d say it was rock. He, unintentionally, caught my eye.
Just before entering the lecture hall my mom called. Her voice warm, but urgent, reminding me to come home for the weekend since my family was planning dad`s secret birthday party. Dad turning fifty felt like a milestone that demanded my presence. Not to be missed! I found myself genuinely excited at the thought of seeing my whole family together again.
The day at the Uni unfolded in its usual rhythm—a mix of curious moments, tiring stretches, flashes of creativity, and the quiet deaf of exhaustion. A few freaks and a few smart kids got into an argument because of something the Professor said. I wasn`t really listening.
During the break I made my way to the cafeteria for lunch, which somehow always tasted comforting, regardless of the menu. And just when things seemed to be going smoothly, I managed to spill coffee all over the clean pants I had proudly put on that morning.
As soon as the lecture ended, I bolted toward the bus stop, hoping to beat the closing time of the laundromat. But the universe seemed to be playing with me—the bus pulled away just as I reached the curb, leaving me standing there, breathless and defeated. My laundry would have to wait until tomorrow.
The next morning I woke up tired, as usual. This was starting to become a habit. When I took a shower, I felt a sudden pain in my head, as if someone were jumping on it. I looked at the clock and realized that if I didn`t leave immediately, I would be late for the bus again. I got dressed and ran to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus, I remembered the clothes I needed to pick from the laundromat.
The bus ride was intense because of the constant pain in my head. I walked into my first class which was Math. Boring and exhausting. The Porfessor looked away from the board and greeted me with a gentle smile that quickly disappered.
"Emily, are you okay?" she asked in a shaky, frightened voice.
I looked at her in confusion and thought, "I`m not smeared with chocolate from the candy bar I ate on the bus, am I!
"Yes, Professor," I answered confusedly, even though the pain in my head was getting worse.
"You`re very pale, Emily. Are you sure everything is alright?" she asked, stepping closer while carefully inspecting my face.
I turned to the nearest mirror and when I looked at myself, I flinched. "I look like a ghost," I thought.
"Professor Higgins, I`m sorry, but I have to go." I said in panic, looking for my phone.
She quickly nodded her head while the other students watched me with discomfort and fear. I started seeing double. I was scared beyond belief.
I ran out of the lecture hall, ready to go straight to the hospital, but then I remembered the laundry. I rummaged through my bag looking for my laundromat card, but it wasn`t there.
I got on the bus that was going in the direction of the hospital. During the ride, I noticed a few faces staring at me strangely as I bounced my leg, trying to distract my thoughts from the indescribable pain in my head.
I arrived at St. Paul`s Hospital and quickly ran inside to the reception desk where a nurse named Brenda was sitting.
"I need emergency help, my head hurts so bad," I said urgently, scared as hell.
"You`ll have to wait, the line is huge," she said without ever lifting her eyes from the computer and the keyboard she was aggressively typing on.
I sighed loudly and sat down in the waiting room. Across from me sat a tall, blue-eyed guy with no hair, playing games on his phone. Is this the same guy form earlier? It could be. There was some resemblance.
He lifted his gaze from the phone and looked straight into my eyes. Ona closer inspection, I could see a tired face and big dark circles under hjhis eyes.
"Are we going to be waiting much longer?" he asked with a slight smile, as if nothing was bothering him, as if he has come here just to kill time.
I only nodded, uninterested in his comments. I needed silence, my head was pounding.
"Don`t be sad," he said in a calming voice.
"How do you call yourself? Emily, perhaps?" he asked me as if he were really interested.
My eyes went wide as the full moon. I tried to remember if we had ever spoken before. No, definitely not.
"How do you know my name?!"
Neon Boy smiled and pulled something out of the back pocket of his ripped jeans which had the nerd written on them. A typical geek, I thought to myself.
"Could this be your laundry card?" he smiled as he handed it to em.
"Yes. Where did you find it? I asked, surprised.
"At the bus stop near the university," he said with a charming smile.
Check. Id definitely is the same guy.
I thanked him, politely this time, and then I heard my name being called by the doctor.
"Are you Emily Walker?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, holding my head.
I went for a head scan. When I returned to the waiting room, Neon Blue was no longer there. I sat down, staring at the empty seat where he had been sitting, impatiently waiting for the scan results.
Half an hour later, an alarm went off. Doctors were running through the ward, pushing someone on a gurney. I quickly stood up a saw...him..Neon Blue. the unknown boy who was eager to ease my pain with his calming voice.
Nurse Brenda (the one I had seen first) told me I would have to stay overnight for I still wasn`t feeling any better. The results were to be ready tomorrow. She said I would have to wait because the gravity of the situation with the boy named Zayen.
I nodded and thought, "So, his name is Zayen." That evening I kept turning over in bed, I just couldn`t fall asleep. I thought only about him,, and my head, occasionally.
"Will he be okay?"
"What`s happening to him?"
"Where is he?"
"Is he alright?"
Insomnia was doing its job. I paced around the room like caged animal, feeling as if the walls were closing on me. The sound of the clock on the wall almost mocking my worry. Around 5 a.m., I finally managed to fall asleep.
At 10 a.m. in the morning, loud shouting in the hallway woke me up. I got up quickly to see what was going on, but there were too many people gathered and I couldn`t see anything... Zayen immediately came to my mind. I couldn`t take it anymore and went to the nearest nurse to ask of him.
"Zayen... is he okay?"
"That`s private information. I `m not allowed to share his condition unless you are next to kin."
I had to miss my dad`s birthday which hurt a lot., even more that the pain in my head which was still present. My body was also playing with me. Both Zayen and I were St Paul`s residents. I felt weakness, nausea, numbness. My state of health wasn` improving, I was seriously worried. The results have to reassure me.
The days in the hospital passed slowly. It felt as if the world around me had stopped. I had no sense of time, My days were reduced to empty staring at the wall- From time to time, a nurse would come and bring me a disgusting meal that couldnt possibly feed a child, let alone a grown up student. How I missed my mom` cuisine, even the cafeteria meals, too.
One morning I woke up earlier than usual. A strange feeling in my stomach, as if I knew something was going to happen. Brenda stopped me. "Your results are coming today, Emily." she said with a gentle smile that never reached her eyes.
"Are they good?" I asked impatiently.
"You`ll see today," she replied coldly as she walked away.
I did my morning routine, still thinking about Neon Blue. There was no sign of him, no word at all...That could only mean one thing, right? I felt as if my soul were leaving my body for a stranger whose name and existence I hadn`t been aware of until recently. And yet his tired, big blue eyes had embraced my soul without a touch.
I went back to my room where the test results were waiting for me on the bed. With trembling legs and hands, I grabbed teh papers and started reading. Meningitis.
I went to Brenda and asked her, "Meningitis. Is that very dangerous?"
She rolled her eyes, as if she really wanted to tell me I was stupid.
"It isn`t, unless you have seizures."
How reasurring.
Fear took over my body.
"How much longer will I have to stay in the hospital?" I asked, not lifting my eyes from the paper.
"If everything is fine, you can go home tomorrow," she said and finally looked at me.
Her red lipstick irritated my eyes as she loudly and annoyingly chewed her gum.
Something was missing. Someone was misisng. I knew I would go home without ever seeing Neon Blue again.
The next morning I woke up to loud yelling. Brenda was gently waking me up. As if.
I quickly packed my things and slowly walked down the hallway. Neon Blue was on my mind. I was typing on my phone as I was leaving the hospital, but something made me look to the right. I lifted my head and—boom. Him.
My jaw dropped as my eyes—I don`t know why—filled with tears. I slowly walked into his room. He was connected to too many machines, beeping everywhere, the sound of his heart filling the room. Beep, beep, beep.
"Zayen"? I whispered gently as tears fell onto his sleeve.
The heart started beeping louder. My heart was beating unnaturally fast. I knew I wasn`t allowed to enter his room, but it was as if he was reacting—to me and my presence?! I placed my hand over his. Warm, small hands covered pale, cold, large ones.
"Zayen, wake up,please, " I said, almost like prayong.
The machines went crazy. Every single one started beeping faster that the previous one. In the blink of an eye, a doctor rushed in, but instead of yelling at me, he said, "Keep talking—he`s reacting to your voice, Emily."
I nodded.
Then I felt his hand start to move.
"His hand is moving!" I shouted, looking at the doctor.
"Emily, you woke him up from a coma," the doctor said in disbelief.
"But how?" i asked the doctor with a trembling voice. He shook his head, as if he couldn`t believe what he was seeing.
Then I heard a soft voice say my name.
I rushed to him. I sat beside him, not taking my eyes off him. He lay still, stroking my palm, My heart was beating so fast as I tried to understand what was happening. For a moment, I was afraid all of this was just a dream.
That day, I didn`t leave Zayen`s side. I didn`t care about the obligations waiting for me at home, UNI could wait. Neon Blue and I came first. I felt as if I had known him my entire life. We clicked. He was my sun to the rainy day, and my comforting smile.
Four years have passed since we first met, I still remember that day as if it was yesterday.
One morning I woke up with that nausea feeling in my stomach and my head hurt. I needed to vomit badly. I stood up running quickly to the bathroom trying not to wake Neon Blue, but my gagging was too loud.
Your guess is right, it wasn`t any illness in question at all. It was a new life and we were about to become a happy little group of three.