Chapter 18: Can see you
Adrian blinked his eyes open, feeling groggy and disoriented. His head still throbbed slightly from the fever, but there was something else—an eerie sensation, like someone was watching him. He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples, and looked around the room.
That’s when he saw it.
Standing at the foot of his bed was a faint, transparent figure—Ethan. The Ethan he’d seen before in his dreams, the one who’d saved him from drowning, the one who’d cradled him in those soft, fleeting moments. But this time, Ethan wasn’t a figment of a dream; he was real, standing right there.
Adrian gasped in shock, his heart pounding as he scrambled backward, losing his balance and falling off the bed with a thud.
"Adrian!" Ethan’s voice was urgent, filled with worry. He crouched down as if to help, but his hand passed right through Adrian’s shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Adrian, still dazed, stared up at him, his heart racing. "Wh-what...?"
"Hey, don’t move so fast!" Ethan’s voice was strained with concern, even though he couldn’t physically touch him. "You’re still weak."
Adrian shook his head, trying to process the situation. He pushed himself up, sitting on the floor, clutching his chest. "You... you’re really here?" His silver eyes widened as he looked at the soul standing before him.
Ethan knelt beside him, his face filled with a mixture of amusement and concern. "I’ve been here the whole time, Adrian."
"What...?" Adrian’s voice cracked. He couldn’t believe it. Ethan’s soul, the very essence of the man, was right in front of him, glowing faintly, translucent. "How... How long?"
Ethan gave him a gentle smile. "Since the coma. I’ve been stuck in this... form, I guess. I’ve been around you, watching you, talking to you—even if you couldn’t hear me."
Adrian’s mouth opened and closed several times, his brain struggling to catch up with what was happening. "You’ve been... here... all this time?"