“Your friends?” Gio asked.
I glanced at him, exhausted. I was feeling quite sleepy. “They’ve left. They just left a while ago.”
I walked to the second floor. I entered the bedroom and searched for some sleepwear in the walk-in closet. I picked up some pajamas.
As I exited the walk-in closet, I saw Gio loosening his tie while sitting on the bed. He looked at me, so I averted my gaze.
I was on my way to the bathroom when my phone rang. I approached it quickly. I saw Nina’s name, so I answered, thinking they had arrived home. It was too fast.
“Hello, Nina.”
“Millie!”
I got nervous with the tone of her voice. In the background, I could hear the sound of an ambulance. My heart dropped where I stood.
“W-What happened, Nin?” I didn’t want to think of anything negative. There probably wasn’t anything wrong. Think positive thoughts, Millie.
“Rae had an accident! His car hit a post! We’re on our way to the hospital now.”
My eyes widened, and the attempt to think positively vanished. I was immediately overwhelmed with fear.
~*~
I was with Gio when I went to the hospital where Rae was rushed. I was breathless as I arrived at the emergency room entrance. I immediately spotted my friend Nina.
“Nin!” I approached her quickly, my eyes welling up because I had been conjuring up various scenarios in my mind since Rae’s incident.
“Millie…” Nina glanced at the man behind me and greeted Gio as well. “Gio.”
Gio accompanied me because he didn’t want me to go alone earlier, even though I was initially upset. So, despite my lingering annoyance, I hurried because I needed to get updates on Rae’s condition.
“How’s Rae?” I glanced at the emergency room door before turning my attention back to Nina.
“Rae is okay, thankfully. There were no severe injuries. He just has some minor injuries on his leg, but the doctor assured us he’s fine. In fact, he was conscious earlier, but the doctor decided to put him to sleep because he was agitated,” Nin said, shaking her head in apparent disappointment. “Some police officers will be coming here because Rae was proven to be driving under the influence. They might want to talk to Rae. You know Rae, right? He suddenly sped off in his car!”
Nina’s prediction was spot on. Shortly after, a group of police officers arrived. I knew they were just doing their job, but I worried about my friend. Rae had been in an accident. Couldn’t this wait for another day?
“Could you please ask the police to hold off for now?” I inquired, gazing into the distance.
“Rae also hit another vehicle earlier. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious, but there were some injuries. They want to press charges because of Rae’s drunk driving.”
I wanted to blame myself for not insisting that Rae stay at home. If only I had convinced him to spend the night here, this accident might not have happened. Nevertheless, I knew there was no use dwelling on that, and the negativity was short-lived.
Gio must have noticed my expression. He had been silently standing by my side the whole time, surprising me when he finally spoke up.
“Let me handle the authorities.”
I was too stunned to respond as Gio walked towards the police officers heading to Rae’s room. I could see the surprise on the officers’ faces as Gio politely greeted them.
When Gio returned, he shared their conversation with us.
“Rae will have to pay a fine for the penalty, and since the accident caused physical injury, it will range from 2000 to 4000 dollars. He could also face imprisonment. However, I spoke with the police, and they agreed to forego the imprisonment and let Rae pay the penalty. As for the person Rae collided with, I assured them we would arrange compensation for the damages. The victim’s family won’t file a case against your friend.”
I stood up upon hearing Gio’s words. I knew he must have made a significant difference in what Rae might have to face. I wanted to express my gratitude to him, but we remained silent, locked in mutual appreciation. The perks of having knowledge of the law and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, I suppose.
“Thank you, Gio!” Nina glanced at me. “Thank you too, Millie.”
Nina hugged me. I knew she had been acting tough with Rae earlier, but deep down, she was also concerned about our friend’s well-being.
Shortly after, Nina told me to go home, assuring me that she would take care of our friend. She promised to keep me updated just in case anything happened at the hospital. Despite my reluctance to leave, I was exhausted from the events of the day.
The ride with Gio was quiet. I couldn’t help but keep pinching my hand as a way to remind myself to express my gratitude to Gio. I knew he had done something significant for Rae.
The car came to a stop when we encountered a red traffic light. I took a deep breath and mustered the courage to speak to Gio.
“Thank you,” I said to him. I tried to avoid looking at him, but eventually, my gaze returned to him. “I know you helped Rae.”
“He’s your friend, and I’m always willing to assist those who are important to you, Millie. No need to thank me.”
His words touched me so deeply that my lips trembled. I wanted to make amends with Gio. I didn’t know why I had taken so long to talk to him.
The car started moving again, but I was taken by surprise when it stopped once more on the side of the road. This time, it was just the two of us, alone in the middle of the street.
I looked outside and glanced at where we were when I felt Gio’s cold hand touch mine. I quickly turned to face him and met Gio’s intense, almost pleading eyes.
My heart skipped a beat, and it seemed like Gio could hear it.
“G-Gio…”
“It’s been a week, Millie. How many more days are you going to be hostile?”
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but I realized he was right. I had been the one avoiding him, even though I could see Gio’s efforts to reach out to me. It was a moment of self-reflection, understanding how immature I had been, and how he only wanted to protect me. Now that he was giving me attention, I didn’t know how to handle it.
“I miss my wife, Millie. I miss the days when you used to cling to me, tease me constantly. I miss the time when I could stand freely by your side.” He let out a deep sigh. Even though Gio appeared serious, you could see the longing in his eyes behind his cool expression. “I miss you, Millie. Please, let’s talk about this. We’ve been in a cold war for a week. I let you be, thinking you needed time to understand that I am just trying to protect you because…” He trailed off.
Gio closed his eyes, which was uncharacteristic of him. He had never been like this before, and it was a change I welcomed. I loved this side of him, too.
“Fuck, this is so embarrassing.”