Give Me Chance
RONNY’S POV
The door clicked shut behind me with a soft thud, and for the first time all night, the world fell utterly silent.
It was just me and her.
Liliana.
The sterile white light bathed her in an otherworldly glow, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. She lay there so still, chest rising and falling with maddening slowness, her ginger hair spilling like wildfire across the pillow. God, even unconscious, she looked beautiful.
Something twisted inside me. Relief. Fear. All tangled into a knot that threatened to choke me.
I moved closer, my boots heavy on the floor, each step dragging the weight of everything I’d almost lost. When I reached her bedside, I just… stopped. My hands hovered uselessly at my sides, like I didn’t have the right to touch her, not after tonight, not after the way I’d nearly let her slip away without ever telling her the truth.
But then I saw her fingers resting limply on the sheet, pale and delicate against the rough hospital blanket. My throat closed. Slowly, carefully, I reached down and slid my hand into hers.
Her skin was warm. Too warm. And yet it grounded me instantly.
“Christ,” I whispered, my voice breaking in the quiet. “I almost lost you.”
The words came out rough, jagged, torn straight from the hollow ache in my chest. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep going, even as the back of my eyes burned.
“I’m stupid. You already know that.” A broken laugh escaped me, harsh and bitter. “But I was worse than stupid tonight. I was scared. Scared of you. Scared of what you make me feel.”
Her stillness gutted me.
“I’ve spent my whole life keeping people at arm’s length because I thought needing anyone made me weak. I thought if I never let anyone in, I could never be hurt again. But then you—” My voice cracked, and I had to drag in a shuddering breath. “Then you showed up. And nothing’s been the same since.”
My thumb brushed across her knuckles, slow, reverent.
“No woman has ever made me feel the way you do, Liliana. No one has ever mattered like this. And it terrifies the hell out of me.” I leaned closer, my forehead almost touching hers. “But after tonight? After nearly losing you? I’m done pretending I don’t need you. I’m done running.”
The monitors beeped steadily behind me, indifferent to my unraveling, but I pressed on, my voice low and raw.
“I’m not good with words. You know that. But I swear to you, I’ll figure out how to be good with you. I’ll figure out how to protect you, even from myself.” My jaw tightened, anger slipping through the cracks. “And whoever tampered with your brakes… they just signed their own death sentence. Because they didn’t just try to hurt you. They tried to destroy me. And I won’t let that stand.”
I closed my eyes, pressing a kiss to her forehead, soft and desperate. “So you better wake up, firefly. You better give me the chance to make this right. To prove to you that I can be the man you deserve.”
The room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat, ragged and uneven. For a long moment, it was just me breathing, her chest rising, the steady hum of the machines.
And then—
A knock.
I flinched, jerking upright like a guilty man caught in the act.
The door cracked open, and in tumbled Vera, Jess, and Mark, as if the universe had decided I wasn’t allowed even five damn minutes of peace.
Vera’s eyes softened instantly, flicking between me and Liliana, then down to where our hands were tangled. “Oh,” she said, her voice low and knowing.
Mark, of course, had no such restraint. His lips quirked into a grin. “Well, would you look at that? Ronny actually has a heart. And here I was thinking you kept a block of ice in your chest.”
I scowled, though it lacked any real bite.
Mark leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Seriously, though—how the hell did you convince this woman to be your girlfriend? Because I’m pretty sure half the time she’s way out of your league.”
Despite myself, I let out a snort, shrugging one shoulder. “Still figuring that part out.”
Jess groaned dramatically. “Oh, please. She probably just got tired of you annoying the hell out of her and decided it was easier to keep you close than fight you off.”
That earned her a low laugh from me. A real one. God, it felt strange. “You’re not entirely wrong,” I admitted.
Jess smirked triumphantly, but her eyes softened as they flicked to Liliana.
For a while, they lingered—hovering protectively, like they weren’t sure I could handle being in here alone. But eventually, I pushed up from the chair, squaring my shoulders.
“You guys should get some rest,” I said firmly.
“Don’t start—” Jess began.
“I mean it,” I cut her off. “You’ve been here all night. You’re exhausted. Vera, you’re practically falling asleep standing up. Mark, you look like shit. And Jess…” I gave her a pointed look. “You’re still annoying, but I can survive a few hours without the commentary.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched.
“I’ll stay,” Vera said softly.
“No.” My voice was gentle but unyielding. “I need this time with her. Just me and her. Please.”
There was a long pause. Then Mark clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I arched a brow. “Like what? Propose?”
Jess snorted. “If you do, record it. I’d pay money to see you fumble through that speech.”
I shoved them all lightly toward the door, ignoring their protests, until they finally slipped out into the hall.
The second the door shut behind them, silence returned.
I turned back to her. My beautiful, stubborn, fiery redhead.
Dragging the chair closer, I sank down again, pulling her hand back into mine.
“I’m not done,” I whispered, voice rough. “Not until you hear me. Not until you wake up.”
My thumb traced the faint lines of her palm. My heart ached with the weight of everything I’d left unsaid.
“Please, Liliana. Wake up. Give me a chance to treat you right. To love you the way you deserve. Don’t make me do this without you.”
My chest cracked open with the plea, raw and desperate. I lowered my head until my forehead pressed against the back of her hand, breathing her in, letting the silence wrap around us.
“I need you,” I whispered, so softly it almost broke me. “Please.”
And then I sat there, clinging to her like a lifeline, willing her to find her way back to me.
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