CHAPTER SIX
ROWAN
“So, do you like it?” Ailey questioned as she walked up to me. She’d left me for the kitchen a few minutes ago, yet I still remained in the same position which was on the couch while my eyes wandered around the apartment.
“It’ll do,” I replied and she bobbed her head before sitting beside me.
I’d just moved into the apartment a few minutes ago and even though it wasn’t as big and comfortable as my own house, it was still nice and cozy.
Though the whole apartment wasn’t even as big as the living room in my house, it was all I needed at the moment, somewhere far away from my house, from my environment and from all of my acquaintances except Ailey. Even my family didn’t know my whereabouts, not like they cared that much. To keep my life intact, I had to do it.
Staying away from everyone and living in seclusion was the only one. No one could guess I would stay in such a neighborhood or live in the house, so, I guess my life was safe for the meantime.
“Since you wanted somewhere far from home and work, this was the only good place I could get. I can’t imagine you staying in the other apartment I found, so, this is the better choice. It’s still okay, right?” She questioned and I nodded.
“It’s the perfect choice,” I assured her and she smiled.
“Good. Anyway, I found you a help,” she announced and I turned to her.
“Oh,” that was the only comment I could give.
“Yeah, she’s a middle aged woman just like you wanted. She’ll start the job tomorrow.”
“What time will she resume?”
“Eight in the morning and leave five in the evening, is that fine by you?”
“Perfect.”
“Good, let me get us something to eat then,” she said before getting on her feet and then heading to the kitchen which was directly opposite the living room.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I believe it was definitely Alex since he and Ailey were the only ones that called on my personal line as they were the closest to me, even my dad called on my business line.
“Hey,” his deep, baritone voice came from the other end.
“Hi.”
“I just left the hospital now. How come I didn’t know you were getting discharged today? Where are you?”
“Sorry about that. I’m somewhere far.”
“Not as far as not being in the county, are you home?”
“I’m not at my place but somewhere else. You don’t have to worry about me, I’ve got everything in control,” I assured him.
Telling him where I stayed was announcing it to the world, there was no way Adrian wouldn’t know since they were really close and that would lead to Dad knowing about it.
I didn’t want that, since he would keep popping up to try convincing me to take over his business just like he did religiously for the past few months and that would certainly put my life in danger since the people after me could easily trace their steps.
I’d planned to stay hidden for a whole month with the intention of trying to find the perpetrator and recuperating. I still needed more care and attention as my leg wasn’t fine yet and I had to walk with the help of crutches. I needed rehab and since an attending doctor would be coming over for the whole month, the best decision was to stay indoors for a whole month, though I wasn’t the indoor type but I’ll surely cope.
“Are you sure about that? Do you think you can handle it alone?” He inquired.
“Yeah. I’ve got to go.” I ended the call without waiting for his response, I might spill the whole thing to him if I stayed longer knowing how persistent Alex could be.
“Who was that?” Ailey questioned as she dropped the plates on the centre table; the only table in the apartment as a dining room was non-existent.
“Alex,” I replied before looking at the content of the plates.
Creamy lemon chicken pasta. My favorite. Literally the only food Ailey could prepare.
“Alex,” I replied succinctly before picking up the food.
“Oh. Did you tell him about this place?” She asked and I shook my head.
Ailey only knew of his existence likewise Alex but they’d never met physically. I wasn’t sure why that happened. I’d known Ailey all my life, we’ve been best friends since we were in our mother’s womb as they were also best friends, though Ailey was born three months later than me. Our s had been in the same circle while attending the same schools though we had other friends aside from each other but the bond between us could never be compared.
We literally lived together since our house was just beside each other but in tenth grade when I moved to my father’s house after my mom’s death, we lived miles apart and could only meet in school but that didn’t stop us from being the good friends we were.
I never allowed her to visit me in my father’s house, that could surely be counted as the reason she never met my siblings or new family but when I moved out of the house after college and set up my own business and even though she still stayed with her parents, she was able to visit me freely and I could do the same. Her family treated me like I was their son and I could easily regard them as the family I never had.
“Still your saver?” Ailey asked with raised brows that showed she was suspicious of something.
“Yeah, don’t think of something stupid,” I warned and she chuckled, that act made her face dimple.
Ailey was easily the prettiest person I’d ever met, she was the human replica of an angel. Sweet looking and also, sweet at heart. Her hazel eyes never missed the chance to glisten whenever she was happy or excited and that could pass as the most attractive feature on her face.
She had the kind of face that you would always want to stare at all day long. She was both beautiful and attractive, never failing to attract people both male and female. Ailey knew she was beautiful and she carried herself just well.
“I’m not thinking of anything but you just confirmed it though,” she teased as she wriggled her brows and I shook my head.
“Your brain is so full of shit.”
She gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
“I’ll take your word then. You don’t intend to include her in your score sheet, right?” She asked with a teasing smile.
“Of course. Do you really think I’m always after the ladies just to get them to bed?”
“Is that not what you turned to after she left?”
I gave her a sharp look and she licked her lips. She was aware that I didn’t want anyone mentioning her.
“Sorry, anyway, if you insist you don’t have ulterior motive, then I’ll believe you. Though with how persistent you were and how much you wanted her to be the attending doctor, I still have some doubts,” she uttered.
“I haven’t even met this lady yet.”
“So? You can easily recognise her, you saw her in the video, right?”
“I did. I only want her because I feel she’s the only one that could understand me. Also, I wanted to repay her for her kindness, she saved my life twice, remember?”
“I can never forget that.”
“Good, so, get your mind out of the gutters.”
“Okay sir.” She gave a mocking bow and I smiled. The smile that only slipped out of my mouth when I was with her. We returned our attention to the food until two minutes later after the plates had been emptied by us.
“Let’s talk about you,” I started as I turned to her and she raised her brows.
“What about me?”
“You’ve been single since forever.”
She pursed her heart shaped lips.
“That’s an exaggeration. I’ve only been single for three years.”
“And what’s that? Is that not forever?”
“Last I checked, you’ve been single since that time too. The only difference is you sleep around.”
“Ouch!” I feigned pain and she rolled her eyes.
“But seriously though, you should try getting into a relationship, it’s been so long. Do you even have a crush?”
“You don’t have one too.”
“Do you intend to stay single till you die or what?”
“You should answer that too.”
I shook my head.
“Goodness, you’re a lost cause.” I told her and she scoffed.
“We are similar in a lot of ways,” she retorted. I can never win against her. We were really similar in many ways.
Ailey left few hours later leaving me to myself. Night had fallen and I was in the only room in the house when I heard a sound from the door and that was when it dawned on me that I hadn’t locked the door. My mind became unsettled that instant as different thoughts raced through my head. What if the perpetrator had found my whereabouts? Would he eventually achieve his aim and I’ll say goodbye to the world or he’ll torture me.
I got up from the bed when I heard the sound of something breaking which startled me. With the help of my crutches, I headed to the door with the intention to lock the door of the room before the person could think of coming in. Once at the door, I peeped through the door but noticed there was no one in sight. What the hell?
I remained in that position for a minute as my eyes scattered around the living room and kitchen in search of the invisible person. Since I didn’t see anyone, I guess it was my mind imagining things, maybe I was traumatised due to the accident or something. Turning back to return to my bed, the sobs coming from the living room made me stop in my tracks.
Oh my goodness? Is the house haunted or I’m hallucinating? I didn’t know the answer between the two, so, I decided to confirm it by heading to the living room.
Once in the living room, I finally got my answer. It was neither of the two.
A lady was sprawled on the couch and from the looks of things, it was apparent she was drunk. Drunk to stupor. Certainly she stayed in the apartment building too and had missed her way. She changed her position and turned to my side.
Then I noticed she was someone familiar. My eyes widened when I realised she was just the person I was looking for.
My saviour.
How come she ended up in my apartment? To think I would see her after all the hassle was something I could never imagine. I wasn’t even sure she would show up as my attending doctor in two days since her boss had told me she was on leave and probably wouldn’t accept to be my doctor since she didn’t like being alone with strangers and had never tried being an attending doctor to someone outside the hospital.
Looking at her now, she seemed so vulnerable and broken. With the way tears rolled out of her cheeks even though she was asleep, I wonder what could have really happened to her. To think this tiny lady was the one that saved me twice was unexpected.
She looked so small on the couch and even in her sleeping state, I could guess she was a beautiful lady. For her to look that beautiful with her eyes closed and in a crying state, I wonder how she would look when she was herself.
Somehow, I looked forward to that. That video didn’t make any justice to her.