0016

Rosy was seated with her legs crossed as she slowly sips the drink she's holding in her hand, trying to suppress the look of impatience that's delineated on her face. At several intervals, she scanned her surrounding but got disappointed yet again.

She stared at her wrist watch, it was way past midnight and she wondered why Alex hasn't shown up yet. Rosy was furious to think Alex was sitting her down on purpose, alone without himself or anyone else.

"Hey, pretty..." A guy on suit approached Rosy, a small smile on his face. She raised her head slowly to meet his gaze, her brows furrowed. "What's a pretty lady like you doing here, sitting alone?"

"..." Rosy only stared at him for few seconds without saying anything and returned her gaze to her drink, trying to pretend he wasn't there in the first place.

"Did you come with someone or maybe you are waiting for someone?" He pestered, his voice sounds calm but flirtatious —he did not give her a second to reply him before speaking again. "Well, that doesn't matter, I can keep you busy for tonight."

"Can you just let me alone?" Rosy blurted out, her anger leaving traces in her voice. "Can't you see I'm in no mood to entertain anyone? Did you not get the message?"

The man's smile fell from his face, as he stared at Rosy with confusion and a hint of anger in his eyes. "Sorry if I bothered you, I was just trying to be friendly." He said, his voice tinged with annoyance. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset." Rosy replied coldly, refusing to meet his gaze. "I just want you to leave my sight so I could enjoy my drink alone, in peace. I don't need company from a random stranger."

The man's expression hardened, as he realized that he was being dismissed. He tried to think of something else to start a conversation with her as he extended his right hand for a handshake but his hand was grabbed forcefully.

The guy was paranoid as he stared at who had grabbed his wrist, his gaze meeting Alex's angry eyes. "What the..."

Alex did not give him the chance to complete his sentence as he shoved him aside roughly. "Fuck off, man!" He growled, glaring at him. "You don't touch her, she's mine!"

The guy, even though he felt humiliated, on only hissed lowly under his breathe, dusting his tuxedo dramatically. "You don't have to be violent, I don't bite." He enunciated, stared at Rosy for a few seconds before leaving their presence.

Rosy watched the man leave and let out a sigh of relief as the man finally left them alone. Alex took a seat next to Rosy as she flashed her a smile but she only scoffed and looked away from him.

"What's wrong? Are you angry that I came late?" He asked her, reaching out for her hand but she smacked his away. "There is no reason for you to be angry. At least, I came just in time to stop the guy from pestering you."

"Yeah...?" Rosy scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Do you think I'll jump on you, squealing in delight because you stop me from being harassed?"

Alex was taken aback by Rosy's response, clearly not expecting her to react this way. He tried to think of what he might have done wrong, but he couldn't come up with anything —is there any other reason for her to be angry aside for me being late?

"Hey, I'm not trying to be a hero here or maybe I am." He said, trying to diffuse the tension. "I had to attend to some emergency that can't be ignored. There's no need to be so hostile."

"I'm not being hostile." Rosy replied, her tone defensive. "You could have give me a call or at least, drop a message to inform me rather than keeping me waiting and leaving me open for harassment!"

Alex felt like he had been punched in the gut by Rosy's words. He hadn't even considered that he should have given her a call to let her know he would be late. He felt like an idiot for not thinking of that.

"You're right..." He said, his voice heavy with regret. "I should have called you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were left alone and vulnerable. I just wasn't thinking clearly in the moment, a patient's life was at stake."

Rosy sighed, looking away from him. "I get it, Alex. You were caught up in the moment and didn't realize the implications of your actions. But next time, I'd appreciate it if you could keep me in the loop. I just want to be treated with respect and consideration, is that too much to ask?"

Alex shook his head, a look of contrition on his face. "Of course not, you're right. You deserve to be treated with respect and consideration. I'm sorry I didn't give you that in this situation, I'll do better next time."

Rosy nodded, finally meeting his gaze, sparing him her unusual wide smile. "That doesn't matter anymore, you are here now." She uttered slowly as she filled the empty glasses before her, offering him one. "You should have this, you must have been stressed."

Alex nodded lightly in agreement, collected the glass and chugged the drink down. "As if you know what I need right now." He said, returning her smile. "It was a six hours surgery, I haven't even had a proper rest yet since then."

Rosy said nothing but flashed him another smile. "You said you needed to tell me something." She said, changing the topic. "I'm sure it'll be important and worth the wait, isn't it?"

"Uh —maybe?" Alex said with a slight shoulders shrug, leaning on his seat. "I did not tell you yet but Lisa left home since almost two weeks now and there isn't any traces of her till now. She signed the divorce papers before disappearing."

Truly, the news worth her long wait. "Let's get married, Alex..."