Since that night Tia kissed Sean on the lips, he cannot run anymore. It’s like a beautiful curse to him that he cannot reject her when she asks for a kiss. Whenever he goes to work, she asks him to kiss her on the lips. And whenever he comes from work, it happens again. It became his routine to kiss her and he is getting used to it.
Sean arrived at the hospital with a lot of nurses running towards him.
“You have finally come, Doc. Sean!”
“There are a lot of patients who need you right now, Doc.”
As soon as he arrived at the hospital, he was bombarded with a lot of reports that a big accident had occurred five minutes before he arrived. There were a lot of injured and they needed bone specialists as most of them suffered fractures and bone dislocation. Treating a lot of patients as soon as he stepped foot in the hospital, he never got the chance to eat his meals until midnight. He relied on his magic to keep his body able to do many operations during that day.
On the other hand, Tia was worried about Sean as she heard the accident. She searched about it and found out that the hospital had become so busy with the number of patients they are treating. And what made her even worried is that Eraus is not responding to her message. The accident occurred near the university where Eraus is studying.
Ten minutes later, Tia’s phone rang and when she saw that it was Eraus, she immediately answered it.
“Eraus? Are you okay? Have you heard about the accident near your school?”
There was a silence in the other line and she started getting worried.
“Eraus?” She started panicking as she heard a sob.
“Is this you, Eraus? I hope you’re doing fine…”
“Osiris…
She stopped walking around as she suddenly felt chilled out. Osiris is Eraus’ best friend. Tia heard him sniffing and she can imagine him breaking down. With this situation, she had a rough speculation about what he would say afterwards. She walked towards her wardrobe to get a coat.
“O-Osiris… left me. He left me.”
Although Tia expected it a bit, she couldn’t help but be frozen after hearing the actual announcement. Just how Eraus gave all of him to say it aloud and with the sound of his voice cracking, she knows that it had a big impact on him.
“I’ll go to you. I’ll come to you.” She concluded before ending the call. She wore the coat, took her wallet and phone.
She went downstairs and told Mrs. Alteran that she was going to the hospital. She was half-running when she went to the bus stop. Since the bus will come later, she took a cab. While on the way there, she passed the place where the accident occurred and it was terrible. There was a bus, a truck, two cars and a motorcycle. One of the cars collided in a restaurant. It was a terrible sight that she cannot imagine how badly they got injured.
Tia finally arrived at the hospital and there were a lot of people going in and out. There were also journalists who were waiting outside for an update. She went inside to look for Eraus. She found him in the emergency room. He is sitting in a chair beside a hospital bed where a covered body was lying on it. She immediately walked towards him as she hugged him from the back.
“Why…” He sobbed as he held the arm Tia put around his neck.
“Why does he need to be on that bus?” More tears came out from his eyes as he remembered his promise to him.
“He told me…” He sniffed.
“He told me that he wants us to graduate together…” Eraus cried all his tears to her. Tia held him to her arms as she sniffed with tears coming out her eyes.
‘It’s okay, Eraus. In your alternative life, you two are inseparable.’
Tia did not leave Eraus’ side throughout the day and he mourned with him. She wanted to contact Sean about what happened but she thought that he was extremely busy. She even saw him walking so fast to the second floor like he was in a hurry.
Eraus does not want to leave Osiris’ body alone until his family comes so she stays with him. It was already past seven in the evening when Osiris’s family arrived from abroad. She then accompanied him to his home until they arrived. Eraus went straight to his room after thanking her. So then she talked to his family and told him about what happened. Before leaving, she played a bit with…. before she finally said goodbye and walked home alone.
Tia was feeling sad about what happened to Eraus. She is thinking about what she could do to cheer him up. But she knows staying by his side is the least she could do since she cannot change what happened. Now come to think of it, what will happen to Crown Prince Erasmus’ aid now that his other self in this world has passed away?
It’s frustrating that until now, she had no idea what is in between the two worlds. It’s frustrating that she could not do anything.
She blew a sigh as she opened the gate and walked towards the front door. As soon as she stepped foot inside the house, she felt the exhaustion she did not even feel when she stayed with Eraus the whole day. She had not even eaten a single meal. She wants to sleep right away. She doesn't even feel hungry.
“You came back, madam.” Mrs. Alteran greeted her when they met in the living room.
“Would you like to eat?”
She shook her head, exhaustedly.
“I want to sleep right away. Please do not let Sean sleep without eating. He was so busy because of the accident.”
“Alright, madam. Please do not push yourself. You should take care of yourself too before you take care of others.” Mrs. Alteran smiled at her.
She smiled back. “Thank you.”
She looked at the stairs and found herself going to Sean’s room as she felt like she could not walk anymore. She removed her coat and dropped her bag. She then walked her way to his bed and dropped her body. Without changing position, she fell asleep right away.
It was midnight when Sean arrived at home. He was so exhausted from work but after seeing Tia’s messages a while ago, he hurriedly went home to check on her. He immediately went upstairs to see Tia but the room was empty. So he checked his room and saw her lying on his bed.
He sighed in relief as he started taking off his lab coat and his watch. After hanging his coat, he walked closer to her. He leaned to kiss her forehead before lying beside her. He then fell asleep right away.
The morning came and the two of them were still on the bed after seven. Tia’s head was resting on his left arm, her hand was resting on his chest and her leg was wrapped into his.
“Sean babe…” Tia called out his name, sleepily and tired.
“Hmm?” He hummed feeling the same.
“Don’t you want to go to work?” She asked as she wrapped her hand to his waist.
“Let’s just sleep.” He replied, honestly. He still wants to sleep and his body is still drained.
“Yeah. Let’s just sleep.”
And just like that, they slept again.
Two days passed, Tia was playing with Hajun in the park. She insisted on looking after him after school because Eraus was still mourning. She decided to rest after feeling tired from their game. She told Hajun to play with the other kids while she was watching. So she sat on a bench.
She let out a loud sigh.
“I wonder if he is doing fine?”
She is thinking about Eraus’ current state. She wanted to stay by his side but he insisted on being alone for a while. He said that everything he does reminds him of his best friend which is why he wanted to remember everything they did so he can figure out what he should do next. He told her that he will find a way to get used to a life without his best friend. But Tia knows that… it will be hard for him. Eraus and Osiris had been friends since they were at kindergarten. They were inseparable until college. They relied on each other a lot and Osiris meant so much to him.
“You’re a babysitter now?”
Her thoughts were interrupted after hearing a familiar voice. She looked up to see Arthviu with a frown on his forehead. He then handed her a carton of milk.
She took the milk and smiled. “Thank you.”
Arthviu sighs before sitting next to her.
“You’ve been down. What happened? And why are you babysitting a kid?”
“I insisted on taking care of him for the time being.”
“What happened?”
Tia did not speak for a few seconds. She took a sip from the milk and after gulping, she thought about what to say at first.
“Eraus…”
Arthviu’s brows furrowed after hearing the name of the man Tia claims as a friend.
“That kid is Eraus’ nephew. He would always make time for that kid. He would always play with him but… Eraus is currently not in a good state. The kid misses him but he could not come so I came instead.”
Arthviu did not speak and just nodded his head. Just hearing Tia speak words that are ambiguous, he knows that she does not want to talk more about it or that it is personal. He will respect that since he also had so many things that he did not tell her. Now he thinks of it, what if Tia does not want to be more open to him because he does not open up to her?
He sneakily gave Tia a stare while she was looking at the kid. Silently, he spoke in his mind. He had so many questions for her like… how is she so mysterious? Why does she feel different from everyone? Why… does she feel unreachable? Is her hair bleached or natural? Are her eyes really red, how come?
“Older sister, let’s go home!”
Tia stood up as she approached Hajun to lift him from the ground.
“Are you tired already?” She started wiping his sweat.
“No but it is time to go home. Eraus told me that kids should not play after sunset!” Hajun exclaimed.
“Yes. Eraus is right. Kids should not play after the sunset.”
“Hehehe.” Hajun giggled.
Tia started walking towards Arthviu with Hajun in her arms.
“Is he your friend, older sister?” Hajun asked.
“Yes.”
“Hello, older sister friend.”
Arthviu stood up. “Hello.”
“I am Hajun. I am my older sister’s favorite!”
Tia chuckled with Hajun’s announcement. She pinched his cheeks.
“Yes, you’re my favorite.”
Tia started walking out the park to bring Hajun home. She talked to the child while walking until they arrived and his parents took him. She was offered to come inside but she politely refused. When Hajun was finally taken inside his home, she went back to Arthviu who’s waiting outside the gate.
“Should I bring you home too?” She teased and chuckled when Arthviu’s brows furrowed.
“I’m just kidding. So what are we going to do?”
“I’ll take you home.”
She stared at him for a bit. “Are you sure you want me to go home?”
He did not speak and Tia knows he is hesitating.
She sighed and started walking slowly as Arthviu followed her. “You know, I always think about what other people would say before they speak. I always wonder… if they are telling the truth or did they filter the truth? Well, I know it is hard to trust people especially when you are once betrayed or when you are worried about getting involved with other people again. So,” Tia paused and she stopped walking to see Arthviu’s face.
“How am I supposed to know if your feelings are real or just a façade to maintain friendship?”
Arthviu’s eyes widened as he felt the weakening of his body. All this time… has she known that he is trying to avoid topics that concern his personal life? Is she disappointed that he does it?
“But it’s okay to remain like this, Cyn.”
His eyes lit up as if his burdened heart started getting lighter.
“There are limits to what needs to remain in the dark and what needs to be shown in the light.” Tia smiled genuinely before walking again.
There was a short silence there. The wind blows as Tia’s red hair dances with it. Arthviu could only watch it and again, he is bombarded with a lot of affectionate thoughts again. Just why does he feel connected to her?
As soon as they passed the convenience store, Tia suddenly stopped and turned back to face him. She stared at him for a bit before speaking.
“Should I tell you a secret one day?”
Arthviu forze as he felt like his heart stopped. He somehow felt the need to know what secret she wanted to tell him right away. What is it? Will it answer all the questions he had been suppressing to ask?
“Cyn, honestly, I want to know more about you.” Tia showed a small smile. “If I tell you a secret of mine, would you tell me something you have not told anyone yet?”
His heart started beating fast. His eyes could only look surprised as he could not speak words in his mind. If she says it like that, how could he not tell the things he does not want to share? Tia is just as curious as he is to her life. He wants to know more about her too. He wants to know what is in her that he feels this way.
“Yes.” Somehow, he feels light that he can finally vent out the feelings that he keeps to himself. He can finally pull out the darkness he had been keeping to his heart. Finally, he has someone he can tell everything on.
Tia giggled upon hearing what he said. She messed up his hair like a proud parent.
“You should go home now.”
Arthviu nodded. He could not help but embrace Tia because of the happiness he is feeling. He hugged her before running away to go home.
Tia was laughing while she watched Arthviu run away. She sighed when he disappeared in her sight. So then she started walking home too. And there she saw Sean waiting for her outside the gate. She runs to him to wrap her arms around his waist.
“You are early today.” She looked up to him.
He blushed. “I hired a new doctor to assist me.”
“You must be tired.”
“Yes but I am still sad that I could not save everyone…”
She smiled to cheer him up since she knows that he found out about Eraus’ best friend passing away before arrival.
“It is not your fault. It was an accident and it happened unexpectedly. I know you did your best.” She pinched his cheek.
“Let’s go inside—
Tia was cut after seeing Sean suddenly looked petrified while looking at the left side. She turned her head to see what he was looking at and her eyes expanded when she saw Arthviu catching his breath.
Her mind went blank as she could only think of Sean's reminder that the two of them should not meet. Arthviu was looking at Sean. And Sean trembled while looking at Arthviu. She wants to move and do something but her body is not cooperating because of the unexpected situation.
Finally, Arthviu’s eyes went to hers. She immediately stood before Sean to cover him as she faced the frowning Arthviu.
“W-Who is he…?” Arthviu seemed shocked and terrified as well. He suddenly grabbed Tia’s hand and pulled her towards him.
Arthviu wrapped his arms around her like he was protecting her.
He glared at Sean. “Who are you? And why are you holding my teacher?” Arthviu sounded firm and intimidating. He walked backward to stay a bit away from Sean.
“Cyn?” Tia spoke to calm him down. “He is my boy-
“You should stay away from him, he is a dangerous man.” Arthviu cut her.
Tia could only look at Sean who cannot do anything but just stand where he was a while ago. She got worried as he looked terrified.
“Listen to me, Cyn. He is not dangerous.” Tia tried to explain.
Arthviu stared at her then he looked back to the man he could not see his face. Who is this man who dared touch his teacher? What is he? Is he a monster? Why is his head black? Is he hallucinating? What is in the world he is seeing?!