Michael.
Cleo and Rose's Apartment.
02:35

I release a hollow yet quiet yawn as I rise from Cleo's bed.

After our movie 'date,' we found ourselves completely exhausted from laughing and wrestling with one another and decided to sleep in the bed together. In the process of it, it gave me more room to tease her as enjoy her intoxicating scent in my arms as she fell asleep. Now, she was laying on her stomach, sleeping with grace and serenity as I leaned over and place a kiss on her forehead.

Unfortunately, after the kiss, she scrunches her face at my sudden movements as I slid out the bed while grabbing my beeper from the nightstand.

"Where...where are you going?" she asks groggily.

I chuckle as I walk over to her side of the bed before leaning over to her with the cheekiest grin, "I'm just going to go check on these patients and get you some breakfast. Would you like that?" She slowly rolled over on her back as her head faced me.

"I want you to stay."

She pleads quietly with her hands wrapped around my massive one, pulling me to stay as I click my tongue in the annoyance of her clingy behavior.

I was afraid of this happening.

"Don't get clingy, doll. You know everyone must get a slice of me, but I'll make sure you'll always get the biggest one of me," I teased.

She sits up to the point where she's resting on her knees in the bed as I continue to stand beside the bed, facing her. Her response was only a groggy moan as I watched her crawl to the edge of the bed and wraps her arms around my neck, causing me to raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Her cheeks radiate that same sheer peachy tone when she's embarrassed as she mumbles, "Aren't you going to give me a kiss before leaving?" I tilt my head in curiosity before kissing her lips sweetly before wrapping my arms around her waist.

A kiss from her instantly brought serotonin to my morning as my heart burst with excitement.

With the impact of my grasp, she wraps her legs around my waist, allowing me to hold her in my arms. Once we break away from the kiss, she hides her head under the crook of my neck, causing me to laugh.

"Doll, there's no need to be so bashful. I don't bite," I replied before kissing the top of her head.

Eventually, I set her back down on the bed as she releases herself from my body as she mumbles, "Come back soon, okay?"

"Of course, go back to sleep. I'll be back before you finish counting sheep."

I walk out of her bedroom into the living room to be met up with Rose, who was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and reading the paper. Immediately, her eyes met up with mine as my breath hitch at the sight of her dark onyx orbs.

"Oh? Dr. Jackson spending the night with my best friend? Scandalous even for you," she coos.

I raise my hands in the air defensively before laughing nervously, "Nothing happened, I swear. We just...felt asleep together." She takes another sip of coffee before looking back at the paper.

"Oh, I guess your little plan to make her hate you backfired? Just admit it, you're a simp! You don't have to explain anything to me, though, just know if you hurt my best friend, I'll kick your balls up your ass," she threatens before taking an another sip of her coffee.

I spat out mockingly, "I don't plan to hurt her, mom," before leaving the apartment as Rose's words echoed in my mind as I walked to the hospital.

She was right. Every moment I found myself around Cleo, I was digging a larger hole by the second. My heart tinkled the moment I see her or hear her voice.

In a way, I was feeling a sense of completeness that my work, my marriage, my hobbies couldn't satisfy. Things made sense when I was with this girl.

Was it because she was much younger than me or our history together?

Even as a surgeon with over ten years of education under my belt, I still didn't know all of the answers.

I walked down the ambulance bay to see Dante sitting on the bench outside. He was drinking a cup of coffee as I asked, "Hey, waiting for a run?" He sighs before shaking his head, "No, I'm off, just too tired to move. Uh, there's someone here to see you. A 'Mr. Eliezer?' He's waiting in the lounge."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion as I ran inside of the Emergency Room and into the lounge as I saw Eliezer sitting on the couch. He was watching the morning news as his eyes went to me as I walk to him.

"Master Michael! Oh, you're here!"

I ignore his sudden pleasure to see me as I blurt out, "What are you doing here?! Who's caring for my mother?!" He grabs my frantic, shaky hands as he frowns, "Your mother...she's not recovering from the sickness, sir. If anything she's getting worse. She's barely eating and only wishes to see you. She begs to see you, please. You must see her."

I continue to frown at his words as I turn away shamefully, "How can I leave when there's so much work to do?"

He exhaled at my workaholic spirit, "I'm only wishing for what your mother desires, sir. Here. I got you a flight that leaves at 05:00 for LAX. I would hope you will accompany me and fulfill your mother's wishes."

I watch as he hands me a plane ticket before patting my shoulder in reassurance. After, he leaves me alone in the lounge with the ticket in my hand.

Cleo.
Her Apartment.
02:57

"So what are you? Boyfriend and girlfriend or cuddle partners?"

I pour a tablespoon of sugar into my mug of coffee, stirring it in, before walking over to the couch, where Rose was sitting, and sat beside her as I answered, "We don't have a title. I mean we never talked about it. We're just casually seeing each other."

"And platonically sleeping together, kissing, and making cute little puppy faces at each other? Gotcha."

"Puppy faces? Anyways, Rose...he's great. He's different...outside of his work persona. I enjoy this and it would be nice if you could be a little supportive," I pleaded.

She bites her lip for a second before sighing in defeat, "Fine, but only because you like him. Such an old boomer, but if he could keep you smiling like this, who am I to get in the way of this. I've never seen you so happy with a guy especially after Ma—"

I huff out angrily at the mention of my ex-boyfriend, "DON'T!"

My reaction caused her to laugh as she stands up. "Well, duty calls me. You have a nice day off while I go pull little kids' teeth for fun," she jokes before leaving the apartment. I take another sip of my coffee before reaching to the remote and turning the tv on to watch the weatherman.

"Today will be partly cloudy with 70% of rain with mild thunderstorms..."

My eyes began to flutter closed as the sound of the television started to drown out of my own drowsiness. Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door, causing me to wake up from my sudden rest. I got up from the couch and open the door to be greeted by a soaking wet Michael.

I gasp at his appearance before grabbing his arm, pulling him in as he shudders. "Very cold but I got us a little something to eat," he chuckles while holding a bag in his hand. I pull his wet jacket off as he combs his wet curls from his face before handing me the bag.

I open the bag before pulling out the breakfast sandwich. "Oh...you didn't need to do this, come here," I mumbled before greeting him with a quick peck. He smuggles a smile before kissing my cheek.

"I have to go...pack. My mother, she's not doing so well, and Eliezer got me a flight in about 2 hours to see her. I didn't want to leave again without telling you," he explains.

My eyes widen at his words as he looks away with the grimmest emotion plastered on his face. It was as if the liveliness was sucked out of him in a heartbeat as I set the sandwich down on the coffee table and wrap my arms around him. Although my hug seemed so minimal, he faked a smile before hugging me back.

"Thank you."

We release from the hug as he walked to the door of my apartment to leave as I blurt out, "Let me come with you."

My response caused him to turn around before laughing, "What? You can't do that. I wouldn't want you to trouble yourself with such things." I rest my hand on my chest, allowing myself to breathe calmly, before explaining,

"Even if you left, I would still be worried about you. I saw how sad you were when you left the first time and I know I'm not your girlfriend, your wife, or significant other, but I'm still your friend. Friends are supposed to be there for one another. Let me...let me be there for you!"

He stares at me for a moment, possibly trying to read my face as I look at him confidently in my words.

"No. Hard enough I shouldn't be going. I have work to do."

"Yes. And you are going! It's your mother! I don't care, I'm not even asking you anymore. I'm going."

"As your mentor and boss, I said no. Hard enough you have been there for me than I have. I'm not dragging you down into this as well."

"I don't care, I'm packing."

"I will kick you out of the program right now if you dare start pa—"

I didn't even give him a chance to finish his empty threat as I walked to my room and grabbed a duffel bag and began packing. Eventually, he follows me and snarls, "Stop packing."

"No."

"I command you."

"I'm not a dog, you don't give me commands and I'm supposed to be obligated to listen."

"Cleo. I will ban your m-membership and b-ban your access card an—"

Before he could finish, he began to sob, causing me to immediately stand up and hug him tightly. His knees instantly buckled as the two of us were on the floor, holding each other for dear life. His head rested on my shoulder as he cried loudly while I pat his back.

"Cleo...my mother isn't getting better...I can't lose my mother...please..."

I continue to rub his back soothingly as his body slump onto mine as his head slid to my breasts to rest against him as I cradled his wet face. He was starting to calm down with the remnants of small sniffles as I gently stroked the side of his face, "Look, when we get there, everything is going to be okay. She's going to see you, her amazing son, and things are going to be okay, but it's not if we sit here and not pack."

He breathes slowly before lifting his head to nod at my words, "I don't know how I'm going to repay you for this. I'm truly in your debt." I press my lips against the bridge of his nose before smiling softly, "Don't worry about it."

Michael.
LAX Airport.
07:22

Cleo, Eliezer, and I caught the 05:00 flight to California. Of course, Eliezer treated Cleo as a noble lady of high standards and educated her in the Jackson family lineage during the plane flight, where she was quite attentive. The conversation seemed informative...

Until I caught him showing her baby photos of me.

She reacted with a heavy laugh, leaving me with the only thing to do: stick my tongue at her like a preschooler, which caused Eliezer to give me the "Oh, Master Michael, hold your tongue!"

Something about the conversation seemed nostalgic.

As Cleo was getting a taxi for us, Eliezer held the luggage as he leaned over to me,

"She seems like a fascinating lady, wouldn't you say, sir? Do you fancy her?"

I turn away before laughing coyly before turning back to stare at Cleo as she tries to wave for a taxi, "She's phenomenal. Yes, I do fancy her. She easily keeps me on my toes and takes my breath away like a burning fire. She's not easy to handle, and I love the challenge she gives me."

Eliezer smiles in approval as I turn to him to frown, "What?"

"Oh nothing, it seems to me, you're in love, sir. You should just hear the way you ramble like a child who's finally made it to Disney Land."

I wave my hands defensively before shaking my head in denial, "Way too early to believe that, Eliezer. She's just great, okay? It's nothing too serious. Why does everyone believe I'm in love with her? Isn't that like fifth date talk? This isn't a movie."

He sighs in disbelief, " Your stubbornness knows no bounds, sir. Sometimes love can be gradually or sudden. Don't you hear yourself as you talk about her? Don't you feel yourself being elevated in her presence? It's clear she loves you enough to see a baby you with a naked bum in a bathtub."

"I'll keep that in mind. Hey, look she got a taxi."

I walked over to the taxi as Cleo turns to me. "Are you okay? You look flustered?" She asks. I feign her a smile, "I'm peachy." The three of us get inside the taxi as the driver drove us to the family estate.

Once the driver stops, Cleo's eyes widen as she gasps in awe, "T-This is INCREDIBLE! It's huge!" I laugh as Eliezer gets out first to grab the luggage from the trunk before I grab her hand and walk her down the marble-tiled pathway. The landscapers were working on the front lawn, cutting the hedges into different shapes of animals, such as flamingos and elephants. The fountain, which was blended with jade and rose gold crystals that were shaped as angelic cherubs, was placed in the center of the walkway, spurred out water like diamonds.

Cleo sighs in wonder and happiness as she continues to hold my hand. "Michael, this is...heaven on earth, how could you leave such a place? God, I would never be able to afford such a beautiful setting," she describes while being completely captivated by the landscape of the mansion. Wealth was always big in our family, I guess I was never really attracted to the lifestyle.

If anything, I wanted to be far away from it. I liked eating from a can and living in a house that was the size of my room like Cleo's. Here, my closet was the size of an apartment with giant pillows and people feeding me and kissing the ground I walked on and calling me 'Master Michael.'

I escort Cleo inside as I clench her hand tightly, trying to embrace the sudden tension in the mansion as the two of us walk up the spiral staircase. Maids and butlers had their eyes on us before greeting me then greeting Cleo as 'M'lady.'

"I would like you to meet my mother, well, if you feel comfortable doing that," I whisper as the two of us walk down the hallway to my mother's chambers. She whispers back, "I would be honored to." My knuckles gently brushed on the chestnut door as a voice echoes, "Come in!"

I slowly open the door of the room to see a younger maid pressing a cool towel on my mother's forehead as she laid in her bed tiredly. Surprisingly, her eyes lit up when she saw me before answering, "Michael, oh, Michael..."

I bow my head out of respect to the nurse caring for her before responding, "Thank you for caring for my mother." She bows back, "Of course, Master Michael." I watched as she escorts herself to give me some time with my mother as I smile at her, "Mother, you look so pale, but I'm here now. Your Michael is here."

My hands reach over to grab her weak, frail one to kiss her knuckles gently, causing her to sigh in relief.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you like this, Michael. I just wanted to see you again...I know how much you love your work and being a doctor...you always make me so proud."

I gently caress her hand while smiling, "Anything for you, mother. I want you to have something worth being proud of." Her eyes wandered from me to Cleo as she asks, "Who's this pretty girl, Michael?" My head turned to Cleo as she was looking away shyly.

"This is Cleo, she's one of my interns and my friend. She heard about how sick you were and insist to be here as support."

She continues to look at Cleo quietly before asking, "Come here, child." Cleo's eyes look up to my mother as she slowly walks over to her bedside to look at my mother, "Yes?"

"Hmm...Michael, can you give us a moment?"

I squint my eyes at her before setting her hand back down.

"But mother, I-"

"It will only be just a moment, Michael."

"Of course, anything for you, mother."

Cleo.
Katherine's Chambers.
08:02

I watched as Michael left his mother's chambers, leaving her and me alone in the room. My heart was thumping a million beats per second as I didn't know what to expect from her.

Granted, I didn't have any major assets nor a lick of wealth like this family.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable level of silence as I look away nervously. My hands were trembling as his mother asks, "What really brought you here with my son?"

My eyes looked up at her nervously as she was studying every ounce of my movements.

"I wanted to be here for him. I remember the last night he left and he was so miserable. This time, he seemed scared and I wanted to be there for him."

She continued to look at me quietly, possibly complimenting if I was lying or not.

"My son normally doesn't bring friends along when visiting home and it wouldn't surprise me if you're the reason he's come to see me as getting him to come here is like pulling teeth. I'm betting you are an important asset to his life. I know you're not lying to me, child. I see it all over your face that you love him. Are you in love with my son?"

I look away, somewhat astonished by her brazen comments before answering, "Yes, I love your son. I know you're probably suspicious of me...I'm not wealthy or anything but I do love him and care about him."

"Yes, care about him to forget your own life and jump on a plane to be there for him and jump into his own life. Doesn't sound like someone looking for wealth to me. Does he love you?"

I bite my lip in defeat before turning back to her, "I don't know. I would assume he likes me, but love is such a strong word. Our relationship doesn't have much of a title. I don't think he's ready to be back in a serious relationship so soon."

She laughs at me, "Oh, child. If only you knew how much he talked about you during his long visit with me. How brilliant you are. How he enjoyed doing his little operations with you. You're sure his favorite student, but seeing you here, it's surely more than that. My son is such a brilliant yet stupid man. Forgive him for being so foolish and idiotic towards you. Can you go over there, open the drawer, and grab that small box in there."

I nod my head as I follow her directions and grab a small burgundy box from the drawer as she commands, "Open it."

I lift the lid of the rectangular box to see a small necklace with a glass Magnolia flower attached to it. The Magnolia was made from pure white marble while each bead of the necklace was gold. It was more than just exquisite as she states, "It belonged to my mother, which she gave to me, and now, I want to give to you."

My eyes widen at her words as I shake my head in denial, "I cannot take this! Oh, please, Mrs. Jackson, surely there's someone better for this." She insists, "Please, child, between me and you, I know I'm going to die soon, and I need to know my Michael will be okay. I'm happy to know he has you to be there for him. Please." I look back down at the necklace before looking back up with her with eyes filled with tears,

"I will cherish this for the rest of my life. Thank you."

She smiles in approval as I walk over to the small vanity in the corner of the room put the necklace on. My appearance seemed to flow more with the necklace on my neck as my fingers rubbed against the cool golden beads.

~

20:37

Michael and I spent the whole day on the estate as he gave me a tour of the whole property. He showed me where he and Eliezer would go fencing and horseback riding, the many rooms in the mansion, some of his father's paintings, and lastly the garden which was filled with different herbs and plants.

Now, the two of us were taking a nice evening stroll outdoors as he took me over to the circular pergola that was connected to a white bridge that hovered over a large pond. My arms rest against the railing of the pergola as the light from the moon glistened against the crystal clear water, revealing a plethora of fish swimming. He stood beside me as the two of us stared at the fish swimming together.

"Cleo, I can't stress again, how much it means that you came here with me. I just know this would've been much more difficult without your support," he explains for the billionth time today.

I nudge his shoulder playfully, "It's fine. Stop thanking me, I'm just doing the bare minimum."

He looks over to me before shaking his head, "The bare minimum is sending me a card or giving me a phone call. You quite literally looked me in the face, regardless of the consequences, and told me you were going to come here and be here for me. You stopped your own life to be here for me. You spend the day with me and forced your ears to listen to Eliezer's babbling about me and me talking about my life and childhood memories. You tried to stop the maids from working and offered to do their damn job. That's not minimum, that's quite massive in my eyes. I never met a girl like you, you're quite literally different. A good difference. A different I like. A different I..."

Before he could finish, my lips were pressed against his, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. His body turned toward mine as he pulled my body towards him possessively. Our lips continued to move in perfect sync while his hands slid up and down my waist as he pulls away unexpectedly. I lick my lips as he sighs calmly, "I love kissing you."

"You're doing too much."

His hand pushed one of my braids from my face as he murmurs, "You're so considerate and selfless. How is that possible? How can a surgeon be so graceful and emotionless with a scalpel yet manages to say intact to their own emotions to feel?" I shrug my shoulders as even I didn't know the answers. His eyes look away from me to look back at the small pond under the two of us before answering, "It's getting late, let's go back to the house to wash up and get some rest. I want to take you somewhere special tomorrow."

I nod in agreement as the two of us found our way back into the mansion, hand in hand. His fingers easily interlocked with mine as we walked upstairs into the abyss of silence before reaching a door. "Here's a guest room that Eliezer prepared for you. I'm sure you can make yourself at home. Any of the maids here can help you with anything you need. I had a great day with you. Goodnight," he whispers tenderly.

His voice was laced with that fruitful affection as I open the door of the room, inhaling the warm scent of Piña Colada and Hawaiian flowers before closing the door behind me.

The room was intricate, yet set up as if I was spending the night in a hotel. My baggage was resting against the wall, completely unpacked, causing me to grow in concern about where my belongings were. As I walked to the dresser, adjacent to the bedroom, I open the drawer and all of my clothes were neatly folded in nice, miniature stacks.

After a warm shower, I found myself in the comfort of the king-size bed. Granted, the cold bed easily engulfed my petite body as I tossed and turn restlessly as I couldn't sleep.

Was it because of the bed? That I was away from home?

This behavior continued until around two in the morning as I eventually got up from the bed and left the bedroom. The hallway was filled with a plethora of rooms, God knew it would take me forever to find where Michael slept.

"Couldn't sleep, doll?" a voice answers.

Frightened, my head snapped in the direction of where the voice was coming from down the hallway as Michael walked up with a cup of milk in his hand. It was astonishing how ravishingly he looked with only a robe and his boxers on as he grins widely, causing me to look away instantly.

"Oh? You like what you see, girlie?" He coos playfully before walking over to me.

His scent was different from the sensual scent of his cologne as now he was smelled like the scent of cool mint and herbs. Instantly, his arms open to indulge my body with his own as he groans out, "I missed my sleeping buddy. Would you like to come lay with me?"

My head was too far buried into his chest, inhaling his scent to give him an answer as if I was starved from his presence. However, from my silence, he took it as a 'yes' as the two of us walked to his bedroom.

My arms were wrapped around his torso as he sets the glass of milk down on his nightstand before pushing me onto the mattress. A giggle escapes my lips as he slides in the bed beside me to study my giddy expression.

He clicks his tongue before sliding his body on top of mine to shower me with a plethora of kisses to my lips.

"That was for being here again...

"...and because I love you."

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A/N: Decided to give you guys a little longer character, missed you guys! Happy reading! ☺︎︎