Upon hearing Estelle’s soft voice, Cristofer felt a sudden tension in his body.
Sighing gently, Estelle continued, “You once owed me, and now I owe you. Let’s call it even and start fresh, okay?”
Her words stirred a memory in Cristofer. He recalled the day when he first met Estelle. She had just entered junior high school, and she looked slim and beautiful. With her high ponytail and big eyes, she was dressed in a school uniform consisting of a white shirt and a plaid skirt.
“Cristofer, this is Estelle. You can treat her like your sister,” Cristofer’s mother had introduced Estelle to him.
Cristofer couldn’t deny that from the very first moment he laid eyes on Estelle, he never saw her as a sister because Estelle’s beauty was captivating, and he was immediately smitten. He remembered that Estelle had given him a charming smile after his mother’s introduction and greeted him with a clear, soft voice, “Hi, Cristofer.”
‘It’s been a while since Estelle called me by my name,’ Cristofer thought happily. But then he realized how easily Estelle could affect his mood, which made him upset. He closed his eyes with a troubled expression, his thoughts in turmoil.
Estelle, accustomed to his mood swings, didn’t let his indifference bother her. After rinsing his hair, she gently dried it with a clean, dry towel. Then she proceeded to clean the lower part of his body, taking extra care because of Cristofer’s serious leg injuries.
She soaked the towel in warm water and wrung it out before gently wiping Cristofer’s legs. She asked, “Does it hurt? Should I be more gentle?”
With his eyes still closed, Cristofer didn’t respond. Seeing this, Estelle felt a bit disheartened. ‘You would groan if your legs hurt. Since you didn’t say anything, it means that you’re fine,’ she thought. So she continued to clean his legs carefully.
Just then, Luke knocked on the bathroom door, assuming Cristofer was showering alone. He asked with concern, “Mr. Hans, are you okay? Be careful not to get your cast wet!”
“Uncle Luke, don’t worry. I’m here with him. There will be no problem,” Estelle reassured Luke as she quickly grabbed a towel to dry herself off from the water splashed by the shower head.
Upon hearing Estelle’s voice, Luke was surprised, relieved, and smiled. He spoke from outside the bathroom door, “Okay, Estelle. I feel much better knowing you’re taking care of Mr. Hans. The three children have already taken their showers and gone back to their room to rest. Don’t worry about them. I’m a bit sleepy, so I’ll head back to my room for some rest.”
Luke thought to himself, ‘Now that Estelle is back, she’ll surely be able to uplift Mr. Hans. He should have brought Estelle back sooner.’
Inside the bathroom, Cristofer sensed the joy in Luke’s voice. He had intended to ask Estelle to leave and fetch Luke to help him, but as he opened his eyes to speak, he noticed Luke had already hurriedly left, guessing what he might do next.
Hearing Luke’s footsteps fading away, Cristofer closed his mouth, frustrated. About to close his eyes again, he saw Estelle looking at him with a puzzled expression, towel in hand. Trying to act unaffected, he asked in a composed tone, “Are you done?”
‘Obviously not. Why did I ask such a meaningless question?’ he thought. Then, he cleared his throat nervously and said, “Give me the towel. I can handle it.”
Estelle glanced at Cristofer with mixed emotions and a touch of embarrassment in her voice as she replied, “This is my towel. I accidentally got it wet, so I took it off to dry myself… Your towel is right there on the rack beside you. I haven’t finished helping you clean yet.” She was referring to the fact that she hadn’t assisted him with cleaning his private areas.
After her explanation, the awkwardness in the bathroom seemed to intensify.
“If you like this towel, you can have it,” Estelle said calmly, holding the pink towel with a star pattern on its edge.
Cristofer, looking at the pink towel with a cartoon star pattern, was at a loss for words, and his mouth twitched slightly. “No, thanks. I have my own towel,” he replied, reaching out to retrieve the towel that Estelle had hung nearby.
Cristofer realized that Estelle had helped clean most parts of his body, and he felt extremely embarrassed at the thought of her helping with his private parts. So, he quickly dried himself off with the towel, hung it back on the rack, and grabbed his clean clothes. He thanked her in a monotone voice, saying, “Thanks for your help.”
Estelle, sensing his intentions, asked, “Are you going to say something to push me away again?”
After spending quite some time in the steamy bathroom and assisting Cristofer with his shower, Estelle’s face had turned red, giving her a tender appearance. She gazed at Cristofer with her beautiful eyes.
Though just ten minutes ago, Cristofer was determined not to be soft-hearted toward Estelle. Her gaze and lovely appearance melted his determination once again. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned his gaze away and rubbed his temples wearily, uttering, “I’m tired.”
‘Cristofer, what are you doing? Why are you going soft again? Have you forgotten the painful lesson you learned? Your badly injured legs are evidence that Estelle no longer loves you. Even if she occasionally shows tenderness, it’s only a fleeting moment.’ Cristofer couldn’t help but feel the pain of being treated like a disposable toy by Estelle.
Seeing Cristofer in this state, Estelle bit her lower lip, her face paling. She brushed aside a strand of sweaty hair and said, “I’ll help you get back to your bedroom. Remember, the doctor said you can’t walk.” After saying it, she removed the plastic wrap from his legs, wrapped a bath towel around him, handed him his crutches, and assisted him in standing up.
As Cristofer put weight on his legs, he staggered forward, instinctively reaching out and grabbing Estelle’s shoulder for balance, feeling a bit embarrassed about needing her help. Walking out of the bathroom, he couldn’t help but wonder how she managed to support his weight.
“Fortunately, I left the wheelchair outside. The humidity in the bathroom might have affected it,” Estelle remarked, changing the subject, perhaps to alleviate Cristofer’s embarrassment.
Cristofer, who had almost begun responding to her every word, suddenly remembered his intention to maintain a distant and indifferent demeanor in front of her. He chose to remain silent until they reached his bedroom. Inside the room, he told Estelle without looking at her, “You can rest assured now and return to your room.”
While observing Cristofer’s less pale complexion, Estelle thought, ‘I’m much relieved. However, now it’s not the time to leave.’
“I have a habit of completing tasks thoroughly. I haven’t finished what I need to do. I won’t leave until I’m sure you’re safely in bed,” Estelle explained. She noticed Cristofer’s gaze was fixed on the bedside table, so she curiously followed his line of sight.