Rachel's POV
Friday afternoon, I was summoned to the Hedger’s residence. It was set in an aesthetically pleasing corner of an elite neighbourhood, and the serene vibe of the sight eased the tension we’d carried throughout the ride.
Before Alan could use his chivalry to impress me, I opened the door for myself. My eyes continued to admire the beauty of the mansion as Alan walked up to me.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, mesmerized.
“It’s better inside,” That seemed impossible. “Come on.”
He guided me toward the entrance door with a hand on the small of my back. Although I’d not preferred it, I didn’t make any conscious effort to escape the intimacy. Once we’d reached the doorstep, Alan spread his arm over my shoulder to reach the doorbell, but I’d quickly turned around and blocked his path. He looked at me quizically.
“Should I be worried?”
“Of what?”
“Your parents.” I said, “Are they going to like me?”
“Just be yourself,” He said, leaning closer to me so he could get to the buzzer, “They’ll love you.”
Turning my back to him, I faced the door with an appreciative smirk. Now that I was aware of the kind of traits that impressed them, I’d be displaying everything but them to earn their disapproval.
Alan’s sister opened the door with a creepy smile that a doctor gives you on the OR bed before knocking you off with anesthesia. At least there you know you might wake up to good news.
“Hey, Rachel, it’s so good to see you!” She pulled me into a hug so tight that I feared I might need a supplementary breathing aid to restore my balance. “Look at you, you look so pretty! Prettier than last time!”
I cleared my throat and looked over my shoulder to catch Alan looking down to hide his smile.
“It’s so good to see you too, Sasha! It’s been so long!” I grinned back at her.
I had always been quite fond of Sasha and had actually known her better than I knew him. Sasha and I grew close over a weekend getaway when a few of us from our friends’ circle went camping. We’d shared the same tent, and that led us to forced conversations and eventual liking.
Over the course of two days, I’d realised that Sasha was completely opposite to me personality-wise, but something about her triggered my tolerance levels to rise. Quite a feat that was as I generally never got along with people like her.
But, regardless of those two days, we drifted apart and never met each other to pick up things where we left off. So naturally, I assumed she was no longer as fond of me, but her evident delight upon reuniting with me warmed my heart. I wished her brother learnt a thing or two from her when it came to respectfully preserving old friendships.
“Kids, come on in!” Natalie, Alan’s mother, waved us over from a distance.
Circling her arm with mine, Sasha pulled me with her. Onto my right I noticed a huge wall painted grey, along which hung innumerable photos. I recognised some were from Alan’s childhood, some recent, but they were all happy ones. Alan was closely following behind us, but he was not the male specimen who was attracting my attention.
“Hello, Rachel.” Alan’s father’s grin stimulated my own.
“Hi, dear, so good to finally meet you,” Natalie said immediately after.
“Hi, Kevin,” I’d first addressed him and then turned to his wife, “Pleasure’s all mine.”
Once we’d settled around the centre table, Natalie said, “I’m glad you could take some time to visit us. With the wedding fast approaching, I can only imagine how stressful it must be.”
“We’re managing,” I shrugged with a chuckle, “Just trying to keep my head above the water.
“Well, with wedding preparations, that’s all you can do,” Sasha said in amusement, “I’ve once volunteered to help plan a friend’s wedding and one month into it, I’d realised how much of a daunting task that was. But it was highly rewarding and interesting.”
“It was surprisingly simpler during our times,” Kevin said, “We never had to go through so much hustle. I mean, I barely remember choosing the flowers for decoration.”
“Honey, that’s because I did all the planning. Your job was to just show up in a tux. And you had somehow managed to mess that up too.” Natalie said.
Kevin jerked back to frown at her, “Don’t blame me! It was Cameron who hid my tux so he could enjoy my agony.”
She playfully rolled her eyes at him, “Well, I just hope everything goes smoothly for our son’s wedding. Since the guest list’s pretty concise, I’m not expecting as much trouble and hustle.”
I watched the couple in wonder. There was no hint of hostility in their voice, and the truth of it was not settling well with me. Were they pretending to be good to each other just because I was there?
“Well, I’m actually quite worried about the idea of Alan handling everything,” Sasha said as she looked at her brother, “Do you even know what a wedding is?”
“I know there are flowers, food and a ceremony,” he replied. “None of which will need your assistance so you might as well rest the idea of you taking over the task from my hands.”
“Honey, he’s right.” Her mother said with a playful smile, “We love you, but we can’t let you plan Alan’s wedding.”
“But why?” She pouted.
“It’s going to be an intimate affair, darling.” Kevin said with a tender smile on his lips, “I don’t think you can keep yourself from turning it into a grand one.”
Scoffing, she turned her head to glare at her brother, “You’re just scared I might outplay you.”
I turned my head to catch Alan’s next comeback but instead, I caught him staring at his sister with humoured fondness in his eyes. It was something I’d never found myself subjected to. It was only then I realised that I had been robbed of such a bond, and the sudden longing for it had constricted my heart.
Dazed by such bewildering sights, I hadn’t foreseen what was coming for me.
“Rachel, have you booked the date for wedding dress shopping?” Sasha asked from beside me.
“No, I’ve actually-”
“Well! I know a friend of mine who is a great designer and I’d be more than happy to book an appointment for you,” She beamed, “In fact, I’ll even accompany you!”
My mind screamed at me to come up with something rude to say to her and I did, but I couldn’t let them out of my mouth. For some reason, I was being prevented from saying anything mildly hurtful from inside. Begrudgingly, knowing full well that I was going to regret letting this chance at sabotaging my relationship go, I said, “Sure. I’d love that!”
The entire evening, I wondered why I could not execute my prior plan. The answer was right before my eyes, but I hadn’t realised it until much later that the four of them were essentially depicting a perfectly functional family I often watched in unrealistic TV commercials. Young and naive, I had spent the better part of my childhood longing for it, only to grow up and realise that that was the stuff from fantasies. Two decades later, I was watching everything coming to life.
Enchanted, I watched them in awe.
Not once had I noticed Kevin publicly degrade his wife, nor have I seen Natalie regard him with disappointment she’d piled over the years. There was no sign of hesitation before Sasha spoke her mind, and her opinions were acknowledged, respected and validated; something I’d never experienced growing up.
Their eyes spoke the truth of the love they held for each other, and it was a sight so rare to my eyes, yet so pleasing. A hollowness had formed within my chest, and it persisted to strive all through the evening. No matter how hard I tried, I failed to have the heart to disrupt their harmony. Afraid I might not indulge in this bliss forever, I buried my qualms and dwelled in its solace. Comfort and security of a family was a luxury I could never afford in the past, hence I rejoiced their presence that evening, for as long as they lasted, as I knew I wasn’t going to be lucky forever.
Alan's POV Sasha often told me that if the girl hadn’t splashed her red wine over my face one hour through the date, I should consider it a huge accomplishment. According to her, I was the next bad thing after ghosting, that failed relationships. I honestly couldn’t blame her and might as well agree with her on that note, because I had no serious dating experience as such to defend myself. I was a hardcore workaholic who never found time for romantic endeavors and serious commitments outside of work. Of course, I had been with a fair share of women through high school and college but they weren’t very serious. I was a top student and that required a tremendous amount of time and attention to studies, and girls weren’t extremely patient to keep up with my preferences. After getting a job , the intense training and work ethic demanded my full and exclusive attention and I was gladly letting it. It’s a common misconception that people in my field generally feel like they have no time
Alan's POV “What’d she say?” Bruce asked. Rachel practised being passive-aggressive better than anybody I knew. I had always known her to remain calm and composed despite any stressful condition, and for a long time, I even admired it. It was only now that I was realising the downside of such behaviour. Sometimes, it’s just better to get yelled at; at least the outburst helps your conscience. “She hates me,” I groaned. “She’s never going to forgive me for this.” “Do you think she’ll come around though? She better, because this is your last shot.” “I’m not concerned if or not she’ll marry me. Her parents will leave her no choice and that’s not a good thing, Bruce, I hate doing this to her. Damn it, it looks like I’m exploiting her vulnerabilities to get what I want. What’s worse, she probably thinks I’m doing this out of lust.” “Since when do you care about what others think about you?” “I’m not bothered about what she thinks about me. I’m more concerned about how that’s going t
Rachel's POV Dualities are a distinct part of humanity. There are dualities in the way people perceive, understand and react to things. And often, the counterparts work in synchrony. Two halves make a whole. There are two sides to every story. And it takes two people to trigger a connection. The concept of soulmates, twin flames and lovers proves that everything profound in life is in possession of two parties. Covalency, symbiosis and the law of attraction work along these lines. But the question remains - does this union involve the conscious compliance of the two halves? Or is the subconscious to be blamed for the invisible power that draws one to their better half? For me, dualities operated at the basic level of everyday life. When you see something almost every day, you either fall in love with the routine or grow to hate the monotony of it. The latter was the choice I had succumbed to. I looked helplessly at the white fabric that engulfed me within its confines. White is th
Rachel's POV As promised, the wedding ceremony and the reception that followed were lowkey events. Since it was mostly just close family and friends, the evening had ended sooner than I’d expected, and I was very glad about it. But Alan had remained morose and silent as the day withdrew to an end. Generally, that would not have bothered me but since I was going to spend the rest of the evening with him, it was beginning to turn into a concern of mine. He had barely spoken to me on our ride back home but I didn’t say anything. I figured that the day had overwhelmed him and decided to give him some space. But I sincerely hoped he’d come around by the time we reached the hotel because if not, I wouldn’t know what to do. Once we’d stepped into the hotel room, I’d begun to grow nervous. The ultimate question haunted me - what now? I looked over at Alan for help and realised that his eyes had already been watching me. “I need to talk to you,” He said, “But you might want to freshen up a
Rachel's POV “You two know each other?” “Yeah, we kind of got married last week,” I snorted as I filled the charts. “Alan, why did you want to go New York City Hospital when we had someone we know work here?” The man, who I had learnt was Jason, asked. As it happens, it was Jason, Bruce and Alan who had rushed into the ER a few hours go with another man named Cameron who had collapsed in their office. Cameron was also Jason’s father and it seemed to me that he was like a father figure to the rest of them too. “Yeah, except I didn’t know.” Alan mumbled begrudgingly. I rose my eyebrows in surprise and gave him a questioning look. Seeming to slip from his trance, he corrected himself, “I mean, it slipped my mind. I thought New York City Hospital was closer.” I shook my head in despair of his dishonesty. It was perhaps a habit of his to lie so effortlessly with everybody, “Anyway, the patient is stable and will be out of surgery in an hour or two, if all goes well. Doctor Degrassee-
Rachel's POV "That’s your husband?” Emilia cocked her head toward where Alan and his friends were sitting. “That isn’t a human, Rachel. That’s a fucking greek god.” “Damn,” Mark sighed beside me. “I can’t believe that’s what you were complaining about.” I gaped my mouth at the both of them, looking over at Henry to see if he’d back me up. And like the good friend that he was, he frowned at the both of them, “What’s the matter with the both of you? Is that all you wish for in a husband - good looks? What about his cock?” My jaw dropped to the floor as Mark and Emilia burst out laughing. “Well, considering his looks, I’m guessing he’s great in bed too, right?” Mark spoke, trying to hide his grin. “What part of I hate him to the core did you not understand?” I asked them, annoyed. “I was even tempted to tear his skin open today while suturing his wound." “Jesus, I gotta be careful around you.” Emilia said took a small step back. “Oh yeah, you better.” “Anyway, Rachel.” Mark spoke
Rachel's POV The next day, the four of us gathered in the resident’s lounge. While Henry and I were changing into our scrubs, Emilia was getting ready to go home after a long night shift. Beside her, Mark had passed out on the locker door after coming back from a long surgery. “I want to kill him.” I said as I shut my locker door with a bang. Mark - who was resting his head against the locker beside mine - shook out of his trance at once and yelped in surprise. “Jesus, what the hell?” he scowled at me and placed his hand over his chest. Henry chuckled, “Go home, Mark. I’m sure Doctor Merch can manage one day without you.” Mark had a night shift the previous night which meant he had the day off. But much to our surprise, he was hell bent on working today too. Among us, Henry and I were the ones who always insisted on working more at the hospital. The both of us were very workaholic and extremely introverted, so naturally, our social life was cut down to a bare minimum. In that res
Rachel's POV We got pulled into an emergency trauma surgery right when we were about to leave the hospital and that delayed things for worse. By the time we were let off the hook, it was almost ten and we simply changed plans and decided to go to a club rather than a bar. I wasn’t a fan of clubs - the loud music and crowds were not really my thing - but after enduring a tiring week, I thought clubbing could help me blow off some of my heat in its busy vibe. Amy was a sweetheart and never complained about our change in plans. Amy had never been particular about things like me. While I never openly declared my disapproval, I had always tormented myself with the disappointment that things didn’t go my way and simply didn’t understand how people like Amy could move on so quickly. It was something I really wanted to change about myself because it brought harmony to nobody. In fact, it was beginning to pose as a self-destructive trait as I was essentially ruining my chance at having a fu