Rachel's POV“He’s such a gentleman.”It was expected of Emilia to say such a thing when my husband checked all the boxes on her list when we arrived at the party.To say Alan was on his best behaviour would be an understatement.From the moment we walked in, the entire vibe around us seemed to change. Perhaps because I rarely went to parties with my husband, but something about him was definitely intriguing to me.My previous worries of how I’d manage to include him in my group without forcing his presence into it had seemed to vanish into the thin air as Alan’s charms seemed to work their way through everyone.“Yeah, he kind of is.” I agreed. “The first time he met my dad, he was on his best behaviour and won his approval in mere seconds.”“Honey, he won his approval when he made him aware of the size of his wallet.” Emilia had always been aware of the kind of person my father was, although she met him personally just a few times.The fact that father barely called me when I was in
Rachel's POV “Fine.” I forfeited, seeing as she’s clearly not going to be a good judge when it came to him. Seeing that it was something I should do solely on my own, I tried to divert the topic. “How did your date go with the dermatologist?” At the mention of him, she beamed. “Well, turns out Tinder isn’t that awful after all. We actually had an amazing time.” In a desperate attempt to get rid of her single life, Emilia signed up on Tinder upon Mark’s advice. Since the dating apps mask the real personality and only provide pieces of superficial information like his looks, Emilia was never convinced with her matches. One day, she happened to tell me how she’s intrigued by this guy she matched with, who also happened to work in the same hospital as we did, however in a different department. “Dermatology, Rach. It’s like a pin against a sword. He’s not hardcore or a workaholic like me.” “It won’t hurt to go on a date, would it? And undermining other departments just because we trea
Rachel's POVShrugging, I took lazy steps toward him. “Nothing. I was just remembering the times I spent the nights here. It was mostly when we got too drunk and Henry’s place was the closest from the bars we went to so all of us ended up spending the night here. Good old days.”Seeming to have noticed the longing in my eyes as nostalgia took over, he frowned. “What changed?”“Um, nothing. Except that I got married and depressed.”That drew a laugh from him, “I wouldn’t have had any problem if you wanted to go out here.”“Didn’t you hear what I said? I was depressed after marrying you. Having fun with my friends didn’t occur to me as I was busy hating you.”“If it’s any consolation, I wasn’t in my best spirits either after our marriage.”“Yes, because you were busy chasing me in clubs worried someone might kill me.”He didn’t look pleased, “Now who is talking about death? I thought you hated it.”Reclining backwards, somewhat, I said, “Alright, sorry. Just kidding.”“Don’t repeat it.”
Rachel's POVThe entire while I walked back to join Emilia and Amy by the bar, I was thoroughly aware of the heat that climbed to my cheeks. If someone had taken a look at me right then, I was sure they’d think I had been in a steam room.Trying my best to avoid glancing behind my shoulder, preventing myself from taking one last look at him, I made sure I kept my head straight the entire while I walked toward the bar counter. Amy was playing with her glass, which was brimmed with liquid, while Emilia was nowhere in sight.“Where’s Emilia?” I questioned as soon as I reached her.“Oh, she’s having a chat with Mark in the hall.” She said. “What took you so long?”If she hadn’t taken the hint already, I was sure my blush right now would surely make her aware of the reason why I was late, “Yeah, well, I met Alan on the way so ended up having a little chat with him.”“Oh,” She nodded and sipped on her drink. I almost widened my eyes at her obliviousness but realized that it was indeed for t
Rachel's POVWhen we approached everyone at the table to wave them goodbye, the tables have turned against poor Alan.His attempts at dragging me back home from indulging myself in more alcohol have proven to be futile when I strongly insisted on having some more fun. He knew better than that, and he also knew that if he’d let my drink more - she’d get completely out of control.Knowing that he’d drive a hard bargain, I teasing said,“I miss having drinks with my friends, are you going to take that away from me too?”“Smart one, aren’t you? You know exactly how to get things done your way.” He said as he watched me hop onto a stool by the bar.“Yes.” I grinned, “You think you don’t have a weakness? Hell no! I’ve learnt that guilt is your one huge weakness. And I’m going to make use of every opportunity I get to exploit it.”“Mind your actions, you’ll render me immune to it if you over-use that tactic,”“Oh, I know you won’t.”“You know me that well?”“Yes.”“Well, if that’s the case,
Rachel's POV“Does it really have to be now?” Alan groaned from beside me as I eyed the sight before me with a huge grin on my face.“Yes.” I said. “They say now or never.”“I don’t think that quote applies to ice-cream cravings in the midnight.” He protested. “You’re drunk as fuck, how are you craving for an ice-cream now?”“Is there a rule that says you can’t?”Shaking his head, he held his hands up in surrender and reclined back, “Please.” He said and waved his hand toward the ice cream parlor as a welcome for me. “After you.”“No, after you.” I frowned at him. By this point, I was well aware of his intentions to hover behind me.Rolling his eyes at me, he obliged. I sighed in relief and followed him as he led the way.Right after we left the party, Alan made sure I stepped right into the cab before wandering about. I was certain by now he knew what I was capable of once I’m wasted and I was almost glad for that. It was only when we reached our house that my eyes fell on the ice cr
Alan's POVA month had passed since Douglas was enlightened about Rachel.There was no news from him since then, no update about April’s health. This never happened. In the few years I’ve known Douglas, never did he block me out of his life like this. It surely took me sometime to become a significant part of his life but it was sooner than most others managed. I was his go-to person for everything - he never spared me any news that was of grave significance to him. Which was why I wasn’t at rest knowing how he was not updating me about anything right now.“Do you know if April’s coming to the hospital for follow-ups?” I asked Rachel.She was standing before the dresser in my room, fixing her hair, and her eyes flickered to look at me behind her shoulder as soon as she heard my voice.“They came in for a few in the beginning.” She said, “Their next appointment is not until another three weeks. She was in good health the last time she came, which was about three weeks ago. Or maybe two
Alan's POVIt was almost evening when I received a call from her. In the meanwhile, I ran errands, met up with Bruce for lunch and did our laundry. Rachel never complained but I knew she wasn’t really fond of doing domestic chores. She was often too tired to clean up after herself as her working hours were outrageous.She gets called for work in the middle of the night, even if she was not on call. When I asked her about it, she said she was more than happy to work at such odd hours if the situation demanded her presence.Unlike her, doing daily chores seldom bothered me. I had always been punctual, and I definitely didn’t mind cleaning up after her. And now, seeing how I was mostly home, I didn’t see it as a task anymore. It was merely an excuse to keep myself busy.“Yes?” I asked once I took the call.“I’m not going to be home for another six hours.” She said, panting.“Why are you panting?”“I, uh, I thought there was an emergency but it was a false alarm.” She explained. “Long sto