Chapter 3: Getting Close

Till we reached his ward no one had ever spoken. Samuel opened the door slowly thinking Desmond might be sleeping. The stillness inside gave us the impression of it so. But I stayed foot on the door frame when I saw he was not alone.

He was with someone. And this someone was crying...beautifully!

"Who is she?" I whispered to Samuel and he was about to answer when the girl turned around and stared at us.

"Dad!" she called.

"Valerie, what are you doing here?" Samuel immediately asked. "Pardon me, señorita. She's my daughter!" Samuel apologetically answered.

"Uncle Samuel, señorita!" I glanced at Desmond accidentally ignoring this Valerie's wave earning a snort from her. Desmond's face looked much better now and his blue eyes that were fixed on me radiated some meanings I couldn't define. He seemed to be happy seeing me here but at the same time, I could also feel his anxiety.

I ambled toward him while Samuel followed behind. Valerie was sitting on the edge of his bed and wiping her tears with a tissue she took from the side table. I stretched my hand giving him our present before I spoke my first word to him that day.

"Hello, Desmond. How are you feeling now?" a thin smile crept up my face. I could feel a slight blush on my cheeks. I also sensed Valerie's face tense as I side-glanced at her and met her furious look.

"I'm getting much better now, señorita. Thank you for your visit and the cake!" he shyly told me. A tingling sensation sparked abruptly when our fingers accidentally touch each other when he took the cake from my hands.

Like the time stopped ticking for a while I just stood there staring at him while his face showed a smirk. It didn't make him less gorgeous, it just made him more charming. I shook my head when I heard Valerie's voice beside me.

"Thank you for visiting Desmond, Miss de la Frontera!" I could hear the sarcasm in her tone and when I glanced at her, I saw her angled eyebrow. This girl was looking for trouble.

"Hrm! Val, don't you have classes today? Why are you here?" Samuel's stern voice behind me broke her smug face. She shifted her glance at her father and got up. She took her purse from the bed and smiled at Desmond. She walked toward him and leaned her body forward.

"Bye Des. I will visit you again next time!" her voice was a whisper but good enough for me to hear it. However, her next move was the one that took me by surprise. She gave a swift soft kiss on his cheek which the latter just calmly accepted. His expression would tell that wasn't his first peck from her.

"Valerie!" Samuel roared. I imagined him widening his eyes at his daughter at that moment. But me, I fixed my unpleasant stares at the young lad who couldn't look me in the eye.

When the door closed, Samuel cleared his throat first before he followed his daughter outside. Now, it's just us left here in the ward. I glanced around the four empty beds. The other patients might have been discharged I thought.

"You're the only patient here!" I uttered breaking the awkwardness as I shifted my stare back at him. I could feel his enchanting sapphire blue orbs glued on me.

"Yes! Two patients were discharged earlier!" he replied timidly. Now, he was bowing his head. Was he embarrassed about that kiss? That gave me the idea to ask him.

"Is...Valerie your girlfriend?" for a bit, I felt a pang deep inside while asking that question. I was also anxious to hear his answer.

"She's my best friend. We grew up together. We have the same age!" he suddenly lifted his head leveling my face. His deep stare was meaning something. Was he checking my reaction to that answer?

"Ow! I see. Then why did she kiss you?" again, the first thing that came up to my mind was that stupid question. And I even asked aggressively.

Foolish me, really!

"It was just a friendly kiss. It has no other meaning at all!" he explained with a tad bit of tease in his voice, his cute lips slowly turning into a sneer. "Why don't you sit beside me? Your legs are gonna get hurt standing for too long!" he uttered before I could let out a word.

"I can manage!" I raised my chin showing my señorita aura I learned a little from my aristocratic stepmother. "Besides, I'm not staying here for too long. I have some stuff to do at the resort!" my arched eyebrows were taunting him. I couldn't understand myself but all I knew was my heart skipped when he accepted the kiss from his childhood friend.

Was I experiencing some trickery coz I saw his smirk shifting into a gloomy expression? "Could you at least stay for a little bit? I mean...you brought a cake!" he then hesitantly uttered.

"The cake is only for you. It's my sorry gift for accidentally hitting ~"

"I can't eat the whole cake. Also, a chocolate cake gift tastes better if you share it with the person who bought it. My mom always tells me that!" he smiled ignoring the fact that he just cut me off...in an adorable way. "Please, señorita!" now, he's even pouting. I couldn't help but chuckle and found myself sitting on the edge of his bed facing him.

"Okay! Only today!" I shrugged my shoulders off while he formed a wide grin. He set the patient's table and put the cake on it. He took the plastic bread knife and sliced a pie.

"Wait!" I said and stood up to get two paper plates from the side table. "Here!" I gave him one while I was holding the other one.

"Thanks, señorita!" his smile was reaching his ears and his eyes glistened like crystals. "This is for you!" he gave me a slice of cake and took the other slice.

A few minutes had passed and we were now both enjoying the sweet delicious taste of the dessert that I bought.

"That's so funny. How did you escape then?" I laughed at him and lightly slapped his shoulder after telling me his story.

"Well, it's so easy. I just told the teacher, I had diarrhea that day and she let me pass the dental check-up!" I burst out, my hands were on my tummy. Just one more jest from him, I also might have ended up at this hospital due to stomach pain.

He was just telling me how scared he was of the dentist at their school that every time they had students' check-ups, he would lie that he couldn't do it because he was having the trots. That happened a lot during his primary days.

We laughed, we talked, and we ate the whole cake. We forgot about the time. When Samuel opened the door and entered the room, he was stunned at how close we were. I saw a tiny smile escape his lips but didn't really ask about it anymore.

"Señorita, your father has been calling you. He asked me why aren't you answering!" he uttered.

That's the only time I realized I spent more than an hour at Desmond's ward. I got up immediately and took my purse from the bed. "I gotta go!"

"Wait!" he stopped me with his abrupt word. I turned around and glanced at him. I saw sadness in his eyes, feeling like he didn't want me to leave yet. "Could you come again tomorrow? It's really boring being alone here!" his voice was gentle and his eyes were beseeching.

"Well! I dunno! I mean...I'm kinda busy~"

"Please...señorita!"

"Desmond, Señorita Amy Leah is busy. You can't just take her time. She's going back to the mansion this Monday!" Samuel disclosed, making us both surprised.

"What?!" we questioned in unison. Yeah! That wasn't the plan. As far as I had known, I still had a week left. "Daddy said I will be staying at the resort till Friday!" I clarified whimpering a bit.

"Yes, señorita. But Don Miguel has some sudden appointments with the company's clients. So, Jack will be arriving tomorrow to pick you up. Jack was my dad's driver and bodyguard. He'd been working for my father for five years now.

"That's too bad. I've been even planning to discharge earlier so I can tour you to my favorite place!" Desmond butted in, disappointment was written all over his gorgeous face.

I chuckled at his little gesture and placed my hands on my waist. "Well, where is that favorite place of yours then? Huh?!" feeling haughty and chesty, I sternly asked him. I was trying to pretend I was snobbish for suddenly asking me out but my shoulders which were bouncing up and down just exposed me.

He sneered at me. We totally ignored Samuel's presence who was just listening to us with amusement. "Can't tell you. Unless you promise me to come back here tomorrow!"

Hah! I knew it. This handsome lad was feeling advantageous. He thought he could buy me with those tantalizing eyes and killer smile he was doing at the moment. I raised my eyebrow at him but he just winked in response. This becoming annoying crony of Adam, seriously?!

"Okay, fine! I will come back here tomorrow!" he threw his fist in the air, a sign of his vicious victory. "But...If that favorite place of yours isn't exactly charming, I will leave right away!" I lordly said. Samuel was just awkwardly gawking at us. At first, he was stunned. Then he also smiled in the end.

"Deal!" he shortly answered and shook his hand with mine.

"Deal! So, see you again tomorrow, Mr. Desmond Thompson!" I replied standing like we had just closed a business deal.

"See you tomorrow, Señorita Amy Leah de la Frontera. Eight sharp!" he responded with a wide grin.

"All right! Let's go Señorita. Don Miguel might get mad at us!" Samuel butted in and stepped out of the door.

"Bye, Desmond!" I whispered before I followed Samuel.