NICHOLAS:“Are you alright?” He mouthed.I walked to a corner and stood perplexed, giving no ear to Greg’s concern.“Hi.”“Hi.” Dr. Waldeen responded to Ray with her gaze tight and rigid, pronouncing her not being happy to see me.“Please,” Ray guided her to his inner space, drawing the curtain against us.“Nicholas,” Greg came closer. “What is wrong?”“You!” Acting ignorant of his action put me off. “Nothing.” But I said. I am a thief. It is not wrong if I went in cuffs.“I am sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand.”I walked past him and out of the door. I entered Elena’s ward; if I am going into the cops' car, whose sirens I am hearing now, I will have to see Elena and warn her to stay alive.“Nicholas?”I tilted my neck to the voice of Greg behind me. I shut my eyes to endure his presence but couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stand his betrayal and caring attitude.“I want to be alone.”“What is wrong? You are being strange.”“Strange?” I burst against my intention, making him jump in fear.

GREG:“Good night,” Nicholas whispered and I clutched the jumper to suppress my desperation.I didn’t want it to be a good night. I wanted him to lie beside me, hold me, and maybe, do it with me. Yet I was too unsure to say it.I listened to his footsteps walking out of the greenhouse, and after a few minutes, I heard splashes from the lake.The movement of the water told me he was having a late swim. I could tell it wasn’t because of his prone to water and swims, but his little way of avoiding me, of wanting me to sleep ahead.I understand he needs time alone. His sister is the only meaningful thing to him in this clock frame. But I want him with me. I yearn for his touch.He may want the same, whereas it would be a freak denial to act blind to how important Elena is to him and his subtle to think of nothing else.He stole for her. He wanted nothing but to save her, and that is what I should do before heeding my desires.“Gregory!” Mum answered on the first beep.“Mum.”“What is going

NICHOLAS:“He couldn’t stop weeping, Nicholas. You broke him into a mess. He deserves so much more, you know.”I know about it. I do not need anyone to remind me of how unfairly I treated Rahul. I am conversant of every shit I caused him, and I am fuvking sorry about it.“He is such a darling.”“So you weren’t dumb and blind?” I bowed before the glass of water on the counter, the only approved liquid during working hours, exasperated and guilt-ridden, and Janie stood behind it, wiping bottles of wine off their dust.“I hope he is alright.”“What do you care?”“Don't make me the Lucifer.”“I could tag him better, yeah," She loosened her apron and dropped it on the counter in anger. "At least, I've got a pumping heart.""Whatever! It is your loss though. Big loss!”Janie’s condemnation is prominent, but if compared, I have gained something superior, so her bashes hole no place in me.As I thought, Rahul wasn’t in the country. “He’d temporarily moved to Columbia,” Janie confirmed.I may

GREG:Nicholas advanced to patch his flaws, and I, not deemed so perfect, endeavored to love him without thinking about his known and unknown ex-acquaintances. We incubated our love on a pillar of trust, and by so doing, we rolled daily on a happy swing. He rode me home from the countryside, and like a wave of tides, he was welcomed anew with broad smiles from the household, except Mr. Nazit, whose face tells of how Nicholas will forever be a suspect and never trusted.“Do not spite him," I rescued a troubled Nicholas. "You outsmarted his security tendencies. He won’t get over it.” “I can't help him then. He has to live with it.”Mum didn’t welcome us. She was out of the house to the hospital. She left Granny with a message about Elena’s condition and that Nicholas could visit the hospital at any hour of any day to see her.“I could go see her now.”“Visiting her, however, is permitted after a good report from D’Caprias,” Granny stated Mum’s instruction word by word. “You and Gregor

GREG:The atmosphere drifted fresh and windy. The stars dominated the dark clouds. We sat on the terrazzo floor, enjoying the glorious view from the sky through the opened windows.“Why are you not curious?”Watching the sparkling stars in silence is the only romantic thing we have done tonight, and there, Nicholas ended the moment with a sip of his wine and query.“Do I ought to be?”Not a thing about watching the stars ignites my curiosity except, perhaps, he means the names of the stars: Orion, Altair, Polaris. Well, I am not interested.“I have been waiting to hear you ask. I may not be willing to tell, but I wouldn’t have any option.”“Save your strength. I am not craving to know.”“I was hoping you would be.” Nicholas shifted and adjusted.“No. I won’t remember it by tomorrow. Spare me the burden.”On a swift move, Nicholas stood to his feet. He walked to the kitchen, emptied his wine in the sink, and rinsed his glass cup.Something about his action was strange. I looked and wond