Azure turned in bed. Again and again.
And again.
And again.
She hated sleeping. Because sleeping often meant nightmares. Always meant nightmares.
But insomnias... insomnias were even worse.
And no matter if she was asleep or not, her mind kept going back to the same thing;
Gabriella.
No.
If it had just been Gabriella, it would have been fine. Would have been nice, even.
It wasn't just Gabriella.
Her mind swirled back to that night. Every time.
That night. The night that changed everything. The night that shattered their world and left Azure's heart in pieces. It was a night etched into her memory with painful clarity, a night she wished she could forget but knew she never would.
She could still feel the chill in the air, the darkness pressing in around them as they walked hand in hand, lost in their own little world. She could still hear the sound of their footsteps echoing on the deserted streets, the distant hum of the city fading into the background as they strolled beneath the flickering streetlights.
And then, in an instant, everything changed. The screech of tires, the blinding flash of headlights, the sickening crunch of metal colliding with flesh. It happened so fast, too fast for Azure to react, too fast for her to save the one person she loved more than life itself.
Gabriella's scream still echoed in Azure's ears, a haunting reminder of the terror that had engulfed them in those final moments. She could still see the panic in Gabriella's eyes, the blood staining her clothes, the life slipping away from her with each ragged breath.
And then, silence. Hospital rooms and nurses.
Hours and hours. Days and days. Weeks and weeks. Waiting for something Azure knew was doomed never to happen.
The hospital became Azure's new reality, a place of sterile corridors and hushed whispers, a place where time seemed to stand still as she waited for news that never came. She spent endless hours by Gabriella's bedside, watching helplessly as machines beeped and monitors flashed, their rhythmic cadence a constant reminder of the fragility of life.
But no matter how hard she prayed, no matter how fervently she wished for a miracle, Gabriella remained motionless, her body frail and broken beneath the sterile sheets. Azure's heart ached with every labored breath Gabriella took, her own breath catching in her throat as she clung to the hope that was slipping away with each passing moment.
And then, the inevitable. The doctors spoke in hushed tones, their words a cruel echo of Azure's worst fears. Gabriella was gone, they said, her injuries too severe to overcome, her spirit already departed to a place beyond their reach.
Azure remembered grabbing the doctor's collar, an animalistic yell escaping her lips as she demanded answers, demanded explanations for why her world had been torn apart in an instant. But the doctor's words fell on deaf ears, lost in the tumult of Azure's grief as she crumbled to her knees, her cries echoing through the sterile halls of the hospital.
Then, she remembered throwing up. Throwing up something she couldn't even decipher. She hadn't eaten anything consistent in weeks.
The taste of bile lingered on Azure's tongue, a bitter reminder of the emptiness that gnawed at her insides, consuming her from within. She had no appetite, no desire for sustenance in a world that had lost all meaning without Gabriella by her side.
Days blurred into nights, a never-ending cycle of pain and despair as Azure struggled to make sense of a world without Gabriella's light to guide her. She felt hollow, like a shell of her former self, her existence reduced to mere survival in the wake of such profound loss.
She left New York. Hoping it would ease her mind to be far from every single reminder of Gabriella.
It didn't. Barcelona didn't in any way ease Azure's pain.
Just like London won't.
Nothing will.
Ever.
She reached out for her phone, then stared at her lock screen for far too long The familiar glow of her phone screen cast a soft light in the darkness of her room, illuminating Azure's face as she stared at the image that greeted her every time she unlocked her device. It was a photo of Gabriella, captured in a moment of pure joy, her smile radiant and infectious, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
For a moment, Azure allowed herself to get lost in the memory of that day, of the happiness they had shared before tragedy had torn them apart. She traced the outline of Gabriella's face with her fingertip, her heart aching with a longing that could never be fulfilled.
Finally, she unlocked her phone, before she could delve on memories that would make tears fall from her eyes. Something she hated so fucking much.
Her fingers hovered over the screen for a few seconds, hesitant on who to reach out to. Who to call. Who to text. Or if it was really worth it to even try and reach out to someone, knowing she would close up and pretend as soon as they'll ask her if she was okay.
With a heavy sigh and a shaky breath, azure opened WhatsApp, found the number she was looking for, and called.
It rang. Rang and rang again.
No one answered. And maybe it was for the best.
