"I like you," she said.

It came out clean.

Catching him by surprise after naming ducks.

He blinked.

For a second, he didn’t answer. His mind stalled on the words. He just looked at her.

The dark circles under her eyes. The pale skin. The IV line taped to her hand. The sunflowers resting against her side.

She held his gaze. Didn’t move.

"I—"

He stopped. Reset.

"I like you too," he said.

She doesn’t mean love right? Like as a friend? But do you kiss a friend? Then what does she mean by Like?

She shook her head at once.

"No. I mean—"

She exhaled. It caught.

"I really like you."

Her voice dropped.

"Not just from the date. From the first day I sat next to you."

Her eyes fell to her hands.

"I kept finding reasons to be near you. To talk to you. I told myself it was nothing. But still couldn’t stop but think about you all the time."

Her fingers pressed into the blanket.

"And then you came here with sunflowers."

A small pause.

"I’m in a hospital bed and yet I want to tell you this."

Her lips pressed together.

She swallowed.

"I really like you, Kaito."

He stared at her.

His hand shifted against his leg. Stilled.

His chest hit hard. Then again. Faster.

He dragged a breath in through his nose. It didn’t help.

"I really like you too," he said.

Like Like

Her head lifted fast.

"Really?"

"Really."

Heat climbed up his neck. He could feel it reach his ears.

She stared at him.

Then she laughed.

It came out short. Soft. A little unsteady. She pressed the back of her hand against her mouth. Her shoulders shook once.

Her eyes shone. Not from fatigue.

He watched her.

Pale. Tired. Laughing with the sunflowers held against her chest.

She went quiet after that.

Her thumb moved along one of the stems. Back and forth. Slow.

When she looked up again, the warmth was still there.

But...

Something else sat under it.

"Kaito."

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something."

"Yeah."

She held his eyes.

"Would you still like me... if you knew I was a bad person before?"

A small pause.

"Not now. Before."

Her fingers tightened slightly around the stem.

"When I was younger."

He didn’t answer right away.

His gaze stayed on her. Then it dropped for a second.

Sora.

A girl she bullied so much that she tried to kill herself and cost her father’s life.

It sat in his chest. Solid. Quiet.

He let it stay there.

Then he looked back at Hana.

The pillow. The IV line. The sunflowers in her hands. The way she didn’t look away after asking that.

He let out a slow breath.

"Yes," he said.

Her breath caught.

"I’ve done things too," he said.

The words came out slower now.

"Things I can’t take back."

He rubbed his thumb once against his palm. Stopped.

"Things my family wouldn’t forgive."

His ears were still warm. He didn’t look away.

"I don’t think that’s all a person is."

A small pause.

"I think what matters is what they do after."

He swallowed.

His voice came out rough.

"The person sitting here right now—"

He stopped. Reset.

"The one who laughs too loud."

A faint shift at her mouth.

"The one who names ducks."

Her grip on the stem loosened a little.

"The one who forgot to sleep because she was thinking about a date the whole night."

A breath.

"And the one who knows the place with the best chicken... That’s who I like."

He held her eyes.

"All of her."

His voice dropped at the end.

Hana didn’t speak.

Her eyes filled.

She blinked once. Hard.

Her jaw stayed tight. Her lips pressed together. She looked up at the ceiling. Her throat moved once.

Then she looked back at him.

Nothing held.

"Kaito," she said.

Her voice barely carried.

"Yeah."

"Come here."

He moved without thinking. The stool scraped softly behind him.

He leaned in.

She raised her hand. Her fingers found his cheek.

Warm.

He stilled.

Her thumb shifted slightly along his jaw. She looked at him from this distance. Close enough to see the flush across his cheeks. The red at the edges of his ears.

Her eyes stayed on his.

"Closer."

It came out quieter.

He moved again.

Now there was almost no space. He could feel her breath against his lips. It hitched once. Then steadied.

She didn’t move.

A second passed.

Then she leaned in, closing the distance.

Her lips touched his.

Light.

She stayed there, just holding it, as if checking he wouldn’t pull away.

He didn’t.

His hand tightened against the sheet beside her. The fabric bunched under his fingers.

He leaned in a fraction more.

Their lips met again. This time they moved.

Slow. Careful.

She shifted her hand on his cheek. Her fingers pressed, then eased, then held him there.

He followed her pace.

No hurry.

Their breaths slipped between them. Close. Warm.

He adjusted his angle slightly. The IV line brushed his wrist. He shifted again without breaking contact.

She stayed with him.

So did he.

The kiss deepened by a small degree.

Then she slowed.

Her lips lingered against his for a second longer before she pulled back.

Not far.

Her hand rested against his cheek. Her thumb moved once, slow.

Moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes. It didn’t fall.

She smiled.

"I’m really glad I sat next to you," she said.

"Me too."

"You were just sitting there," she said. "Looking lost and alone."

Her smile widened.

"I saw you and thought, that one."

A small breath.

"That one."

She leaned in again.

Her lips found his.

He met her halfway this time.

The kiss held a little longer. Then it broke.

She stayed close.

Then again.

A second kiss. Soft. Unrushed.

He didn’t think about it now. His hand left the sheet. It hovered for a second, then settled lightly against her arm.

She didn’t pull away.

A third.

Shorter.

A fourth.

They lingered at the end of it, close enough that neither of them fully moved back.

The door opened.

A nurse stepped in.

"Ahemm... Visiting hours are over," she said.