Chapter Two

The moment I woke up, Zach had a wheelchair ready, we went down the hospital so I could, for once, feel the breeze of the air. He brought me to the garden in the hospital and we stopped by the fountain in its grounds.

"I feel hungry."

"It's only been one hour, Eva." He grinned as he leaned back with his arms supporting him in his resting position. From this angle, his gorgeous tanned skin actually contemplates the color of his eyes and hair. His jaw tensed as he gritted his teeth, feeling the sun's fading rays, and it really looked good, he looks great but somehow I can see that he's under his deep thoughts, I wonder why. I at least want to see him happy with someone than being stuck with me.

"I'm serious Zach. Why don't you try to go out with someone? It's better than you, always bothering me around." I beamed at him.

"It's better to be stuck with your old lady senses than date, nowadays."

"What? I am not an old lady, Zacharias! Damn you."

He snorted, giving the 'you-asked-for-it look' with his tranquil green eyes.

"Seriously, you must enjoy your time with someone rather than being stuck with me. I'm old enough to take care of myself, and I'm not the lost girl from way back before," my eyes were rolling as I explained myself.

He went down from where he was sitting and goes behind me, starting to push my wheelchair, and leaned his head down to whisper something in my ear.

"I am with you because I want to have that free beef roast every day, not because I want to babysit you."

I smirked, I remember how Zach and I will always go to the beef roast stand after work. He will always have that line about not having any money, forcing me to pay for us right after.

"You are so gonna make me poor."

We filled the air with laughter and chatted our way up to the hospital.

"Zach, who do you think did it?"

I uttered at him, as I lay down on the hospital bed. Zach is arranging some of the things he brought with him.

"I don't know." His eyes were uncertain and he is angry. I can see how mad he is even though he is far away. He walks toward me and sits beside the bunk.

His gaze softens immediately when he laid his hand on my head, caressing me, like a newborn child.

"They said that it may be a stray bullet."

"Well, that means I am unlucky enough to have it pierced right into my chest." I snorted.

"Whatever it may be, I won't let anyone hurt you." His eyes were deadly serious.

I won't let anyone hurt you.

My head suddenly felt a sting of pain that made me rattle. It hurts. The last words of Zach echoed in my ear making me want to scream in pain.

"Babe, what's happening?"

I can feel Zach holding me on his arm but my mind was terribly static-like my antenna have been played with. I can see a silhouette—a man, offering his hand to me, mouthing me some words. I won't let anyone hurt you...

Who is that?

I heard Zach whisper something in my ears—what is it? The pain subsided but my eyes felt very heavy.

****

I slowly opened my eyes when I hear continuous knocking by the window glass. What is that? I yawned and squinted my eyes then saw a bird outside the window. It was a crow. I hopped off the bunk gently and headed to open the window pane.

“I need some air too,” I mumbled.

I slid the window open and the crow just flew as I did, coming back to stand by the frame. It was the same crow who always stayed outside my house. This crow has always been around ever since I was in the convent.

“It’s you again,” I giggled and the crow cawed. “You are such a weird animal, don’t you think?”

I rubbed my forefinger on its head and it didn’t move. It wasn’t scared of me. Sometime I thought of it as some sort of a guardian since it has always been around. The figure of the man with the black hair last night entered my mind once again, making me stop to look at the night sky.

“Who do you think is that guy?”

I talked to the crow and he cawed before flying away. I laughed at how crazy I am for talking to a bird and just stared at the sparkling stars hanging by the night. 

One week later

"I am effin ready to go!"

I shouted in my hospital room as I stomped my feet from left to right. Kate and Cathlyn laughed at me and we talked about so many things that I have missed in our office. They also talked to me about Zach, and I felt uneasy knowing how he would always fall asleep at our workplace. He's been my caretaker for the past week and I guess he barely gets some sleep because of it. I want to make it up to him. But I don't know what to do. We were having a good time, it felt good to have them with me.

Kate drove me back to my house and all of my miseries slowly dissolved knowing that my precious place hasn't been ransacked by robbers. I sighed, seeing my single-storey house giving my eyes the proper gleam of colors white and brown.

"Thank you Kate! I owe you." I hugged her from the passenger's seat and opened the car door and stepped outside.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" She answered from her car window, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Nah, I got this. I want to have a proper reunion with my house,” I replied.

She then waved her goodbye and I ran towards my porch. I opened up the door and I felt peaceful. Nothing has changed, the brown concrete floor, the white walls, my small kitchen, my cream sofa—everything feels nostalgic. I missed this house.

This house was my first accomplishment in life, I bought it for a fair price after I saved a reasonable amount on the bank. I am never going back to renting apartments, I want something to be called mine and this is it. Slowly, I bought all the stuff that I needed to live alone—of course, Zach helped me too by arranging and designing it the way it is now. That's why he also knows this house like the back of his hand.

I filled my cheeks with air while slouching on my sofa. I pinched the soft couch and buried my face on it.

I suddenly felt that something was wrong when the air blew on my head. I haven't opened any window yet. How would the air blow in here? My heart suddenly beats fast like hell. I said that I don't believe in the supernatural but I think I am just really scared that it might be real. I walked lightly, without noises emitting from my every step and opened the door to my room.

Fuck!

My eyes widened and my heart seemed to want to have a heart attack.

A man was sitting on my bed, with his head tilted at the side making his shiny black hair flow with the current of the air that enters from the open window in my room. His gaze was cold but his lips were curled lightly. I never even dared to move since I know who he is-- he was the one who came to visit me the night at the hospital—the one I thought to be a dream. The man with that intense blue eyes.

"Welcome home, Eve."

His deep voice had that British accent. His smug face and mischievous grin made me gulp my throat in.