Chapter 25

“What does it mean?” I asked Grayson, confused.

His mouth reached near my ears so I flinched and held his chest to stop him but he was persistent, not minding the teasing shouts from the audience.

Wow. He’s really popular in this hospital.

“It means back off or they’ll fuck up.” 

My forehead knotted out of confusion.

“That’s new. You never did curse unless you got tempted. What does that mean?”

“No one’s allowed to own my property.”

I don’t get it.

“Alessia, right? You look more beautiful and dazzling than the last time I saw you. Haley by the way.” Grayson's friend lend me her hands and smiled.

“Obviously she’s under my care. What do you expect?” Grayson bragged.

“Yeah. . .” I just answered Haley and avoided her gaze.

I tightened my grip on Grayson’s coat, asking his help because I’m uncomfortable with her making eye contact with me.

“My baby’s scared. Stay away, Haley.” He shooed her away.

The guy named Jason laughed hard in his mocking tone.

“Because the girl looks like a tiger ready to eat the baby!” He was not looking at Haley when he said that, instead, he was looking at me while mocking Haley.

“No one’s allowed to call her baby. Only me, Jason.”

I mentally rolled my eyes at that thought.

He called Lia a baby! What kind of shit is that?!

“And you’re the lion, afraid of the tiger, Jason.” Lia said in her laughing tone.

“I’m not afraid!”

“Oh really? Why can’t you look at her, Huh?” It was Lia, challenging.

“Are you talking to me, Jason?” Haley’s voice was echoed in the whole canteen.

Wonder what relationship does this two have.

“Nice to meet you, Alessia. I’m Jason, your boyfriend’s friend. You’re so beauti—” He looked at Geayson and gulped. “.  . . by the way, if you have a sister, kindly introduce her to— ahh! Fuck!” Haley kicked his cock.

“You and your hook-ups!”

“My sister! Introduce her to my sister! Because she’s fond of you! But you don’t like her!” Jason’s voice was mad at Haley but he was looking at me while feet were curling out of pain.

His sister? Whom is he talking to?

I grasp Grayson’s coat.

“Jason.” He warned.

“I’m not mad! Fuck it hurts! Fuck you, Ha— self!”

I looked up to Grayson who’s now staring at Jason with his perilous eyes.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

His face softened when he looked at me.

“Why?” He softly asked and his arms that were wrapped around my shoulder went down to my waist.

He pulled me closer even though I’m already close to him, then, he turned his back on them and hoofed his way towards one of the empty table.

“Do you still have work?”

“Yeah. 20-minute rest for now and after that, we’ll come back to work.”

I bit my lower lip.

“Where will I stay?”

“You should come back to our home and rest.”

“Can I stay in your on-call room?” I tried.

He didn’t answer me, instead, he pulled a chair for me and made me sit on it so I sat and waited for him to sit beside me.

“It’s better to stay in house and rest than there, it might be hot and uncomfortable.” He sat beside me.

“Aiden?” I unconsciously saw him entering the canteen.

“Aiden!” It was Rhiana who greeted him.

Haley and Jason sat in front of us while Lia and Rhiana talked to Aiden.

“Oh, you knew Grayson’s brother?” Haley asked after following my gaze.

I nodded.

Aiden’s eyes and mine met and the shock on his face was palpable but then later on, he smiled at me. I heard Jason’s teasing whistle but I didn’t mind it because my attention was focused on him who’s now walking its way towards us.

“Wassup, guys.” He greeted Jason with high five and Haley with a nod.

“What a great coincidence, right?” Lia asked, laughing.

“Can I sit beside you?” Aiden asked me.

I was about to nod when Grayson pulled my chair closer to him and wrapped his left arms around the head of the chair I’m sitting to.

“New target unlock.” Jason whispered but I heard him.

Haley gave him a glare.

I don’t know what does that mean.

Without my words of yes, Aiden sat beside me.

“What are you doing here?” Aiden and mine’s voice were synchronized.

I heard Grayson’s scoff beside me.

“You go first—” We synchronized again.

As much as I want to hold back my laughter, we end up bursting along with Lia who’s the only one laughing with us while the guy-Jason on the other hand was smirking.

“I can sense Grumpson is coming. The grumpy son.” Jason  laughed.

“Oh you bastard. Just shut the fuck up. Can’t you see that he’s having a hard time controlling.” It was Haley.

“I was here to visit Grandma. She called me earlier and she just fell asleep just now so I decided to grab some snacks here.” Aiden smiled.

“Grandma’s really fond of me as her daughter-in-law.” Rhiana chimed in.

I bet she’s beside Grayson but I don’t give a damn shit about that because his full attention was in me.

“Well that’s because she hasn’t met Alessia, just yet.” Lia answered.

“Yeah. I didn’t get to introduce her properly.” Grayson who was quiet, chimed in.

“Oh! Is this a battle of daughter-in-laws?” Jason bantered.

“Jason, just shut that fucking mouth of yours.” Haley again, obviously mad.

“If it’s a battle then she’ll probably lose. She’s nothing compared to me.” Rhiana said with her haughty confidence.

They all looked at me, waiting for my answer. Even Grayson was waiting while playing with his lower lip using his finger as he stare at me.

I shrugged.

“Care to defend your stand?” Haley can’t stop but to ask.

It was quiet for a while. I thought they were joking but it wasn’t the case so I sighed.

“Why would I need to battle when I had already won? Wouldn’t that be just a waste of time?” I asked in a matter-of-fact.

I hate to brag that fact but what can I do? That’s the truth.

Jason slammed the table in a playful manner and stood while Haley’s mouth was half-opened.

“Grumpson is now leaving. Grumpy son, are you still there? Hello? All I can see is the smiling Grayson in front of me. Where are you Grumpy son?” Jason asked the man beside me while acting as if he was talking to a walkie-talkie.

“Grumpson left the earth.” Lia answered and laughed.

Haley laughed too so Jason’s attention was back to his girl-friend.

“Thank god you’re not in your menopause stage.” Jason muttered while staring at Haley’s laugh.

“Just confess your feelings, Jason. You’re being too transparent.” Grayson was in his jovial mood.

In that cue, Jason slapped himself and sat, blushing for no reason while staring at nothingness.

Haley noticed Jason’s sudden change of mood so she stopped laughing and went back to her usual grouchy face.

“What the fuck are you blushing about? Do you have feelings for Alessia?”

“Oh, Haley. Such a numb woman.” Lia clicked her tongue.

“Just like you. Numb.” Aiden whispered beside me so I looked at him, confused.

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged and smiled.

I was about to utter a word when a familiar woman went in front of us.

“Ja, help me with my patient.” It was Herra, talking to Jason.

I know she knew I was here. And I know she just wants me to know that she’s here. She even glanced my way.

“Oh right. Alessia, she’s my younger sister named Herra. You remember her? She told me about her childhood friend, she even showed me your magazine photoshoots last year the moment she met you.” It was Jason.

Herra avoided my gaze.

“How could I not?” I avoided my gaze too.

How could I forget the person who left me with a scar?

It was a moment of silence.

“Are you both perhaps. . . in a terms just like these two brothers in this table? Bad terms to be exact?” It was Haley who can’t help but to ask again.

“Oh, Haley. Such a numb person.” Lia clicked her tongue again.

“Let me guess. A girl was the case with this two brothers so maybe it was a boy problem for the two of you?” Jason asked because Haley looked embarrassed that no one answered her question.

“It wasn’t a girl.” The two brothers said in synchronized.

“Maybe now it will be.” Jason said and looked at me with a smirk.

Lia laughed to lessen the awkwardness.

But unbeknownst to her, it became more awkward. With me in the middle of this two, in my position it was awkward and uncomfortable.

“I’ll go now, Ja.” Herra turned her back on us and with a hastening steps, she disappeared.

She just wants me to know she’s here.

I wonder if she forgot the scar she left in me.

The reason why I couldn’t trust a friend again.

Again, it was a moment of silence.

Until an alarm clock rang.

“Okay. 20 minutes is up. Back to work.” Lia stood and clapped at the three doctors.

“Too fast! I didn’t get to eat!” Jason complained and stood with his lazy energy.

I stood too when Grayson stood and gave him the pack I packed.

“I envy you, bro.” Jason sighed loud and glanced at Haley who’s in her grouchy face while staring at both of us.

“You packed something. I didn’t notice that.” He smiled and accepted the pack that I pack.

“Eat with your friends.” I glanced at Jason whose eyes beamed after hearing what I said.

“You are so grea—”

“Nah. I won’t share.” He hid the lunch bag behind him.

“That’s a red flag, Mr. Grayson. Won’t you share anything for me?” Lia asked in her puppy voice.

“I’ll call you Grumpson forever if you don’t share.” Jason warned.

“What a fucking stupid threat.” Haley rolled her eyes.

Instead of answering them, he hugged me tight and kissed my forehead.

“I’m falling hard. You want me to be harder later?” He whispered with a tease.

I don’t get him so I just nodded.

He laughed probably he knew I don’t get it.

“I’ll go.” He looked at my back. “No one’s allowed to own my property.” He added before smiling at me and bidding goodbye.

“What’s the drill?” Lia asked her two friends.

“A distance with her, keeps the Grumpson away!” The three shouted in chorus and laughed before hoofing their way out.

“Aiden! You know that we’re referring to you, right?” Lia shouted when they were already far, teasing him.

“Whatever!” He laughed.

I sat back in front of him while Rhiana left, following Grayson but I shrugged it off.

“You remember Herra?” I asked him.

His forehead knotted.

“Herra? Yeah. You both were close when you confessed that you had a crush on me.” He laughed.

I mentally rolled my eyes.

“Not that. Stop mentioning the crush thing. Remember that we three became close friends?”

He scratched his Jaw with a confused look.

“We did? I don’t remember being close to both of you.”

My forehead knotted.

“What do you mean? I still remember the time you approached and talked to me! I was crying that time.”

“Maybe I forgot. But what did I do?”

I smiled at the memory.

“You sang me a song with your guitar to comfort me.”

His mouth parted as if he remember something but no words came out.

“That time, I was five when dad abused mom again so I ran towards the pond and cried because dad gets annoyed by my sobs and I don’t want him to hear those since he’ll be mad at me.” I looked at nothingness while reminiscing the past.

He sighed.

“And you. You sang a song to console me. You were even behind the oak tree while singing that song. Your voice was cute back then.” I smiled.

His lips was parted but no words left his mouth.

“By the way, how did you get the nickname White?” I asked curiously.

I tried to remember it but the memory was kind of vague.

“I just remember that you said your favorite color is white? I guess? While Gray? They think it’s gray that you like?” I was reluctant if what I remember was right.

“Oh. They think it’s gray? Gray. . . Gray, huh.” He laughed.

I don’t get it.

“By the way, whom do you like? The Aiden you confessed to or White?”

“It’s just the same person.”

He laughed.

“Just choose. I’m comparing which type of personality do you like more.”

Even when confused I just nodded.

“White of course. You, I mean White made me love Andra, my step sister. At first, I hated her because she’s the fruit of my father’s mistake but because of White, I learned how to cherish her as a whole, without blaming the fault that she doesn’t deserve to be blamed of.”

“What would you do if you meet White?”

“I already meet you!”

“Nah. Just answer me. I’m curious.” He smiled.

“Probably if your brother wasn’t fast, I would’ve dated you after knowing you’re the White whom consoled me at the times I needed. You see, I couldn’t forget you along with this one person whom I met seven years ago.”

“Seven years ago? What a coincidence.” He muttered to himself while staring at nothingness.

“At first, I have this huge hunch that the person I met seven years ago was White but meeting you, I don’t think so.”

“What’s the person’s name you’ve met seven years ago?”

“Ethan.”

At that, his mouth parted out of shock as if he knew the person I’m talking.

“E-Ethan? You mean. . . he let you call that name?” His voice was full of disbelief.

My forehead knotted out of confusion.

“Why?”

“Well. . . I know this person who hated to be called by that name. Maybe it was just a coincidence right?”

I shrugged. 

“Don’t ask me. I’m not fate.”

He laughed.

His phone rang so he stopped laughing and shove his hands inside his pocket to grab his phone and I just watched him.

“Wha—” He immediately distanced his phone away from his ears.

I have a hunch about who that was so I gazed the whole canteen but he wasn’t here.

“Here.” As expected, he gave me the phone.

I accepted the phone and readied my ears for a shout.

“. . . flirt with her! I have a spy every—”

“We were just talking.” I cut him off.

He was quite for a while.

“Okay, my baby. Go home and rest.” His voice melted.

“You—”

“Jason! Don’t eat my carbonara! I’m watching you!” He shouted on the line.

“You’re selfish! Break-up with Grumpson, Alessia! He doesn’t deserve your carbona—”

“Shut that fucking mouth and just monitor the patient in room 112!” It was Haley on the line.

“Okay! Here I come patient 112! Wait for your handsome, doctor who didn’t get to eat!” Jason’s shout echoed on the line, it was obvious, he was mad.

“I have to go, my baby. Bye.” He hung-up.

I sighed and gave the phone back to Aiden.

“I have to go. I think I need to visit, Andra. Kind of miss her all of a sudden.”

And with that, I left him alone.

With a smile plastered on my face, I hummed and pressed the 2nd floor  on the elevator wall.

I can’t wait to tell her that I am finally healed!

“Andra?” I shouted the moment I entered the condo.

It’s early in the morning so she’s probably asleep.

The lights were off so I turned the lights on.

“Andra!”

I immediately ran towards her after seeing her figurine lying on the floor.

She opened her locked eyes and there, I saw her bloodshot eyes. Instantly, her tears flow.

“Am I dreaming?” She asked in her low and hoarse voice.

It was obvious, she cried whole night and ended up sleeping on the floor.

“No. I’m right here. I’m sorry.” I hugged her tight.

Her shoulders move in an aggressive manner and just by that, I know she’s crying even when she doesn’t want me to hear.

“Why? Tell me what happened?” I softly asked.

“Mom. . . mo-mom died. She died, A-Alessia. She left me alone.”

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