Veil saw June off to the hospital's parking lot. It was dark outside as they stepped out through the main entrance, and the whistling of crickets hit them at once. Veil and June had a little old joke about the language of crickets and the possibility that they were trying to cry for help from another group of aliens.It was all teenagers' chatter, but it made a lot of sense to them at the time. They couldn't understand why the insect was built that way and why they sounded like they were tired of Earth."They still sound the same," June muttered, sighing into the cold air."Of course. It's impossible they change. There would have to be some problem with evolution.""And that's the exact reason I know you are hiding something, Veil," June said, suddenly sounding serious. "I know you are over the moon that Dad is finally getting the help he needs and that he'll be out of death's way soon. But I told you I could talk to my father about the money.""I don't want you doing that, June," Vei
Veil started her journey back into the ward, hoping that June had only been joking and had not, in fact, texted Orleans. She wasn’t sure she was ready to speak to him, considering everything that had happened in the last 48 hours.It had been the longest and most eventful 48 hours Veil had experienced in a while, and she really wasn’t interested in making it any more complicated.But her hopes were all for naught as she turned the corner leading to the hospital entrance and met Orleans standing there, with his hands on the door, about to push it open.Holding her breath, Veil halted at once and made to slowly turn around, positive that Orleans hadn’t seen her yet. But he chose the minute to turn around, his eyes falling on her petite figure.“Veil!” He called out before she could dash off into the night. “I just want to talk, okay?”“Well, I don’t!” she retorted, turning fully to face him. “You should have gotten that clear from all the unresponded calls.”“I know I messed up again, a
Veil didn't wait to see if Orleans was behind her as she bounded after the nurse, her pulse racing and her heart thumping erratically. Despite the chill of the night, she felt a sheen of sweat on her forehead as fear wrapped itself tightly around her like a burrito.Different scenarios flashed through her mind during the short journey, and the images got worse every second. Tears pooled in her eyes as she thought about the smiles on their faces earlier today. He just had to stay put for one more night. Just one more night.Yet, even the cosmos didn't want to grant her that.When they arrived at the ward, Veil saw a lot of medical personnel surround her father's bed and the machines were beeping so loudly. Her chest ached and she almost fell to the ground but Orleans wrapped his arms tightly around her, keeping her warm and steady.Looking around for her mom, Veil found her standing by the couch in the room, fear clouding her eyes. She tapped the nurse that had sent for her, almost be
Even with the news, Veil found it difficult to sleep. Excitement coursed through her bones, keeping her awake through the remaining hours of the night. She passed through different stages of emotions all in a couple of hours and even her mother burst out laughing.Veil cried, danced, laughed, jumped, and fell to the couch in exhaustion and hunger. Orleans offered to go get something to eat on his way back from his house since he had to freshen up. He asked Veil to follow him, but she wanted to be around when her father opened his eyes.She was sending in a formal leave of absence for the day when Mr. Hart was wheeled in on his bed. He was still asleep but the nurse assured them that he had a smooth night and would be awake in no time. After sending out the mail, Veil joined her mother at the side of the bed, watching him like he would suddenly disappear into thin air. Orleans returned with breakfast an hour later and Veil didn't know how hungry she had been until the scent of the foo
The lobby was a little too quiet, as only the nurses at the desk were in the space, and even they seemed to be restricted from making themselves seen or heard. Veil thought Anders probably had something to do with it. She could imagine him telling the hospital authorities that he needed as much peace as he could get on this floor. The father of his fake girlfriend was in recovery.Or was Veil overimagining things?Anders didn't stop until he reached one of the spots for seating that had been prepared for the families of patients while waiting. But he didn't sit. Instead, Anders paced the contained space, trying to get his thoughts in order before he said anything.These days, he was trying his best not to put Veil off, but it was hard when she kept on doing things like these."Why did Orleans spend the night?" he finally asked, bringing his foot to a halt in front of Veil. He couldn't figure out why a person who wasn't her boyfriend had willingly decided to stay with her while she wai
“I thought I might find you here,” she said in a sultry voice as she approached, ignoring the nurses who had tried to say hello to her. “I stopped by your office to ask for Veil, and I was told you took a leave of absence today.”“Yeah…” Veil stammered. “But I didn’t include my reason for the leave.”“You didn’t have to,” Sophia replied, taking Veil into her arms. Veil felt like she was drowning in the middle of so many luxurious scents, all paired beautifully well on her. “I made a few calls that led me here. And a strong part of me believed Anders would be here as well.”Anders said nothing, watching intently as Sophia pulled out of the embrace slowly yet replaced her arms on Veil’s shoulder. On the other hand, Veil looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here. It was all shades of awkwardness for her, being plastered that way in the middle of Anders and Sophia, who had almost joined together by their families.“It’s funny how Anders had never been one to care for his employe
Anders walked quietly beside Sophia, oblivious to the intensity of her gaze boring a hole in his back. He nodded to the nurse at the front desk and moved to the exit, stepping out of the way to allow Sophia through.She stopped too, daring Anders to break the silence that had lodged itself so strongly between them since they left the room. He wasn't going to take the bait; didn't want to. Sophia caused too much drama and Anders still wanted to give his father what he had demanded, at least, to the best of his abilities.Sophia stood as still as stone, waiting for something. Anything. She meant it when she said it was unusual for Anders to pay visits to his employee's relatives or even bother about them at all. And she had known Anders all her life, regardless of the fact that they had to grow apart from each other at some point.Anders didn't make spontaneous decisions. When a change showed in him, it stemmed from proper calculations or a deeply rooted feeling. Sophia knew that Anders
Veil returned to work the next day with a bright smile on her face and a spring in her steps. She said hello to the doorman who beamed at her in response. He wondered why she was at work that early. It was barely 6 am and Anders hadn't gotten to work yet. Attributing her reasons to the cause of her excitement, he wished her a beautiful day and went on about his business.Everything sparked to Veil, even the usual grumpy receptionist at the front desk. She waved as she sauntered into the elevator, hitting the button for the 16th floor, and leaning on the wall. The doors opened in a minute and she strolled up the hallway to her office.It was a plain space and although Veil had thought about decorating a few times, Anders’ demeanor made her chicken out of it each time. The space was exactly the way she had left it, folders properly organized on one side of the table and a computer on the other. But there was a card right beside the computer, looking out of place. Veil knew that the las