Chapter 19

The morning light filtered softly through the hospital room's curtains, casting a golden glow over Sky's sleeping form. Nani sat at the small table by the window, silently going through his phone, replying to work messages. He had to leave for the company soon.

After getting dressed, Nani glanced at the clock. Sky still hadn't woken up, his breathing steady, his injured arm resting carefully on the pillow. His lips were slightly parted, and his hair was a mess. Nani sighed, shaking his head at how helpless Sky looked.

Instead of waking him just yet, Nani decided to step out and get breakfast. He knew hospital food wouldn't be enough, and Sky was the type to complain if the food wasn't good.

It didn't take long for him to find something warm and comforting, porridge with soft-boiled eggs and a side of fried dough sticks. He made sure to grab some fresh juice, too, something light so Sky wouldn't feel too heavy after eating.

When he returned, Sky was still curled up in bed, completely unaware of the world. Nani placed the food on the small table and set everything up neatly. Then, he walked over to the bed and gave Sky's shoulder a light shake.

"Wake up" he said softly.

Sky let out a small groan, his brows scrunching together. "Mmm... five more minutes..." he mumbled, turning his face further into the pillow.

Nani sighed. This kid. "Five minutes and your food will get cold." he warned.

Sky barely reacted, only shifting slightly. Nani narrowed his eyes before leaning down, his voice dangerously low near Sky's ear.

"If you don't wake up now, I'll eat your breakfast myself."

Sky's eyes fluttered open immediately, his drowsy gaze locking onto Nani. "You wouldn't."

With a dramatic sigh, Sky sat up slowly, wincing slightly when he moved his arm. Nani was immediately at his side, steadying him. Their eyes met for a brief second before Nani cleared his throat and turned away.

"I brought porridge" he muttered, placing the tray on the bed table. "Eat before it gets cold."

Sky blinked at the food, then back at Nani. His lips curled into a lazy smile. Sky let out a small laugh but winced when he tried to move his right arm. That's when it hit Nani, Sky had broken his dominant arm. He couldn't even hold a spoon properly.

For a second, Nani just stared at him. Then, without a word, he pulled out his phone and called Lisa.

"Move the meeting to the afternoon." he said simply. Lisa sounded confused.

"Just do it." Nani hung up before she could argue.

Sky blinked at him, still sluggish. "You're not going?"

Nani picked up the spoon, dipped it into the warm bowl of rice porridge he had prepared, and held it up in front of Sky's lips. "How are you supposed to eat alone?"

Sky stared at him, eyes widening slightly. "You... You're going to feed me?"

"Who else?" Nani rolled his eyes. "Now, open your mouth before I change my mind."

Sky hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth, letting Nani feed him the first spoonful. Warmth spread through him, not just from the food, but from the care behind it. His lips curled into a small, sleepy smile.

"You're so soft sometimes." he murmured.

Nani scowled. "Shut up and eat." Sky just chuckled, letting Nani take care of him.

By the afternoon, Nani knew he couldn't delay any longer, work was waiting for him. As much as he wanted to stay, he had responsibilities to handle.

But before leaving, he made sure everything was set for Sky. He had arranged for a special nurse to look after him while he was away, since Sky's family couldn't come immediately. It wasn't just any nurse. Nani had personally chosen someone experienced and reliable, making sure Sky would be in good hands.

After double-checking that the water bottle, snacks, and even the TV remote were all within Sky's reach, Nani finally stood up. "Alright, I really have to go now."

Sky, sitting up in bed with his arm in a sling, looked at him with an expression that was hard to read. "You're acting like I'm a kid left home alone for the first time."

Nani scoffed "If you weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have to."

Sky opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, the nurse walked in, a kind-looking woman in her late forties. She greeted them with a warm smile, and Nani took a moment to explain everything to her. Sky watched silently as Nani went through the list: medications, meal times, even reminding her to make sure Sky didn't try to use his injured arm too much.

When Nani finally turned to leave, the nurse glanced between them with a curious look. As the door shut behind him, she turned to Sky, amusement flickering in her eyes.

"Your brother is really careful" she commented.

Sky blinked. "Huh?"

"The young man who just left. He's your older brother, right?" she asked, adjusting the blanket near his legs. "I can tell he really cares about you."

Sky hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "He's... just a friend."

The nurse raised an eyebrow but didn't push further. "Well, he certainly treats you like someone very important."

Sky didn't respond immediately. He looked at the door where Nani had just left, feeling a strange warmth settle in his chest.

A friend.

That's what they had always been. That's what Nani called him, what he called Nani.

--

During Evening, Sky was resting in his hospital bed, flipping through channels on the small TV attached to the wall. He was still groggy from the medicine, but at least the pain in his arm had dulled to something manageable.

Just as he was about to drift back into sleep, a soft knock on the door pulled him out of his haze.

"Sky?"

The voice was familiar, too familiar. His eyes snapped open, and standing at the doorway was someone he hadn't seen in a long time. Jirapat.

Sky's breath hitched for a second. Jirapat looked the same as he remembered, tall, sharp features, with that same confident yet gentle smile that had once made Sky fall so easily. He was dressed in casual clothes, but there was something about the way he carried himself that still made Sky's heart feel... complicated.

Jirapat wasn't just an old flame; he had been Sky's first love and his childhood friend. They had grown up as neighbors, their lives intertwined from the very start. Even after they drifted into something more, their relationship had never been messy. When Jirapat moved abroad, they had ended things on good terms, agreeing that distance would be too much to handle.

"What... are you doing here?" Sky asked, his voice quiet but firm.

Jirapat stepped inside, his eyes scanning Sky's injured arm with clear concern. "I heard about the accident. I was nearby, so I came to see you."

Sky frowned. "You were nearby?"

"I moved back a few months ago," Jirapat said with a small smile, as if that was something Sky should've already known. "I didn't expect to see you again like this, though." His voice softened. "Are you okay?"

The door suddenly opened again, and this time, the person standing there made Sky's stomach drop even further.

Nani.

He had just returned from a meeting, still in his tailored black suit, looking every bit like the confident businessman he was. He had a bag in one hand, probably something he brought for Sky and a sharp gaze that immediately locked onto Jirapat.

The room went silent.

Nani's eyes flicked from Sky's surprised face to Jirapat standing too close to his bed.

Without a word, he stepped forward and placed the bag he was holding onto the table, the soft rustle of plastic the only sound in the tense silence. His expression was unreadable, but his movements were deliberate, controlled.

Then, without looking back, he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

Sky watched him go, his chest tightening in a way he didn't fully understand.

Jirapat let out a small chuckle, breaking the silence. "He seems... intense."

Sky swallowed, his eyes lingering on the doorway. "Yeah." he murmured, voice quieter than he intended.

Nani let out a slow breath, leaning back on the bench as he watched the kids running around the small hospital park. Their laughter filled the air, carefree and innocent, a sharp contrast to the storm brewing inside his chest.

His fingers tapped against his knee, his mind replaying the scene over and over again. Sky's wide-eyed surprise when he walked in. The way his lips parted, as if caught off guard. And that guy, standing too damn close to his bed.

Who the hell was he? The way Sky looked at that guy, it wasn't just recognition. There was something else, something lingering. It made Nani's stomach twist uncomfortably.

With an irritated sigh, he rubbed his face. This is stupid. He shouldn't be sitting here, overthinking.

After a while, the golden light of the setting sun bathed everything in warmth, but Nani felt none of it. He still sat on the bench.

Then, a voice cut through the quiet.

"Nani."

It was soft but firm, filled with something unspoken.

Nani blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and turned towards the voice. Sky was standing a few steps away, his silhouette framed by the warm hues of sunset. The hospital gown hung loosely on his frame, and his right arm was still in a sling, but it was his face that made Nani's heart stop.

His eyes, red-rimmed, glassy, uncertain. Nani stood up instinctively, but before he could take a step, Sky spoke again.

"Jirapat was my first love."

The wind swirled around them, carrying the weight of his words, making them feel even heavier. Neither of them moved.

"He asked me if I would give him another chance," Sky continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "I said no... even though I don't know why."

Nani's fingers curled into fists. His breath hitched, but he said nothing, just watching as Sky's lips trembled, his eyes searching Nani's for something.

"He asked me why. Why I couldn't give him another chance. Do I already have someone else?"

Sky paused, looking down, as if afraid of his own words. His shoulders trembled slightly, and when he lifted his gaze again, Nani felt his stomach drop.

Because there was pain there. A kind of pain that mirrored the one in his own chest.

"I didn't know how to answer him." Sky's voice cracked. "Because I don't know what we are."

Nani couldn't breathe.

"Are we friends?" Sky whispered. "But friends don't act the way we do, right?"

The tears that had been clinging to his lashes finally spilled over, trailing down his cheeks like fragile glass.

"If we're not friends... then what are we?"

Nani felt like the world had shifted beneath his feet.

He wanted to say something. Anything. But every possible answer caught in his throat, every unspoken feeling clawing at his chest.

Sky took a shaky breath, his voice raw and exposed.

"Can you give me the answer, Nani?" The pain in his voice was unbearable.

Nani stood frozen for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest. Sky's words echoed in his mind, each one piercing through him like shards of glass.

Sky needed something, answers, yes, but maybe more than that. Sky needed him.

Without thinking, Nani took steps forward, his heart racing in his chest. His hand reached up, trembling ever so slightly, and he cupped Sky's face in his palms. The touch was gentle, but there was something in it, something that spoke of all the things he hadn't said, all the things he hadn't allowed himself to feel.

Sky's breath caught, his eyes wide as Nani's fingers brushed his skin. A quiet stillness passed between them, the weight of their emotions hanging in the air.

Without another word, Nani leaned in, his lips finding Sky's in a kiss, tender and filled with all the longing that had built up between them for so long.

For a moment, the world faded away. The sunset bathed them in its golden light, and everything else disappeared, the hospital, the worries, the questions. It was just them, wrapped in the warmth of the moment, as if nothing else mattered but the connection they shared.

Sky gasped softly against Nani's lips, as though the kiss had stolen the breath from his lungs. But Nani didn't pull back. He deepened the kiss, just slightly, his hands steady on Sky's face, pulling him closer as if to show him, without words, everything he had been holding back. Everything he had tried so hard not to feel.

The kiss felt like an answer, a release. It spoke of the tension that had lingered, of the confusion, the pain, the longing they had both buried for so long. It was simple yet everything, real, raw, and true.

When they finally broke apart, Sky's eyes were wide with surprise, his lips slightly parted as he tried to process what had just happened. His cheeks were flushed, his breath coming in uneven gasps. And then, as if he couldn't contain it anymore, a tear slipped down his cheek.

Nani's heart clenched at the sight, and he moved to rest his forehead against Sky's, breathing deeply, his hands still gently cradling Sky's face. He didn't want to let go.

"We're not just friends." Nani whispered, his voice hoarse with the weight of everything unsaid between them.



Born to be lovers, force to be friends ><