Scars of Time

Chapter 40: "Too much in common"

Hope's POV

It’s hard to believe I actually shared that with Josephine. We’re not even that close. Maybe I just needed to get it off my chest—someone to hear me without judgment.

"Really? Oh, that's why you said you have never met her!"

Her response was too easy, too calm for it to be a normal reaction.

"We are adopted." I repeated, just in case she didn't understand me the first time.

"Yeah, I got it." She gave me a sympathetic smile. "I can imagine how difficult this must be for you. Any idea what you’re going to do?"

"I don't really know." I sighed, leaning back "Time would be mad if I spoke to her."

"Look,” she said, folding her arms, “I’m not the best at giving advice, but if I were in your shoes, I’d rely on my gut. If your intuition’s telling you to meet her, maybe you should. She wouldn’t have shown up out of the blue if she didn’t have something important to say"

I mulled over her words. While she might’ve downplayed her ability to help, what she said struck a chord. That woman had said she wanted to explain something, but Time hadn’t let her. The memory nagged at me.

After kindly preparing a cup of tea for me, Josephine proceeded to cook dinner, leaving me alone to grapple with an even greater dilemma than before.

In the midst of my own thoughts, I was abruptly pulled back to the present when her phone started ringing. Without a second thought, I grabbed it from the table, intending to bring it to her.

However, glancing at the screen, which illuminated with the words "My A❤️"

Alex!

My chest tightened, and a pang of jealousy surged through me. I could feel it spread like poison, tainting my mood. With deliberate coldness, I ignored the ringing and set the phone back down.

Moments later, Josephine walked in and grabbed the phone. Her eyes flicked to me briefly, as though gauging my reaction. She must’ve known I’d seen it because her voice carried an undertone of guilt as she said, “I forgot to change it."

She answered the call "Hi Alex. What's going on?......I'm home right now. Okay then....I'll be waiting. Bye."

"I can go if I'm interrupting something" I said coolly, even though it stung to say the words aloud.

"No. You're not a stranger. It's okay." she reassured me with a warm smile before returning to her cooking. However, just as she disappeared from view, the doorbell rang unexpectedly.

My first thought was, How did he arrive this fast? Was he this impatient to see her?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I rose to answer the door. I'm intrigued to find out if he will be disappointed to discover that she isn't alone at home.

To my dismay, it was Time who greeted me instead, leaving me disappointed in turn.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, his voice gruff.

I shrugged, plopping back onto the chair, "Yeah. Josepine took good care of me."

"Okay, then let's not bother her any longer."

"Where do you think you're going? I'm cooking dinner" Josepine rushed out with lightning speed, as soon as she heard of our intention to leave, trying to put a halt to our departure.

"I'm not hungry. We'll cook something at home" Time said and didn't even take off his coat. He looked tired and wanted to go home, so sensing his weariness, I decided to follow suit and rose to retrieve my coat as well.

However, she insisted, "Sit right there. I didn't prepare all that food for it to go to waste."

"Jo, I'm tired." Time muttered, his voice softening slightly. "I just want to go home and lie down."

Making her way towards him, she reached out and pressed her hand against his forehead. "Are you getting sick too? You don’t feel hot, though."

He gently took her hand and moved it away, then placed his own hands on her shoulders, steadying her. His eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made me feel like an outsider in the room.

"I'm not getting sick, I'm just tired."

Her resolve faltered for a moment before she tightened her grip on his sleeves. “Then lie down here,” she said firmly. “I want you in front of my eyes.

I couldn’t believe it. Are they always like this? Watching them, I felt a strange mix of amusement and envy. They were...adorable. The way she scolded him and the way he listened—how did she manage to make someone like Time so obedient.

The moment she left the room, I leaned forward and whispered, “Alex is coming.”

Time’s reaction was instant. His head snapped toward me, his fatigue seemingly vanishing. “At Jo’s house? Why?”

He shrugged off his coat, suddenly energized.

I smirked. “I thought you were tired.

..........................

Alex's POV

Ensuring I packed every last piece of clothing belonging to Jo, I realized it wouldn't be appropriate to leave them unattended outside her door. Since we had become somewhat friendly, I decided to give her a call and she confirmed she was home. However, when I arrived, it was Hope who greeted me at the door.

"Why are you gathered again?" I asked, surprised when I saw Time was also there.

""Why? Were you expecting Jo to be home alone?" he asked and I could sense the tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"I certainly wasn't expecting to see you, not anytime soon at least."

"What's the matter with you two this time?" Jo asked after greeting me. "I thought you had become friends just the other day."

"Unfortunately, we have a lot in common. As much as I don't want to see him, that much we meet."

"Regrettably," he uttered with a sigh, settling onto the couch as he skillfully bound his arms together.

With a mischievous grin, I turned to Jo and casually mentioned, "Here. I brought your clothes that you left behind from the last time you stayed over at my place." while observing Time's reaction.

He rolled his eyes and looked the other way.

"You're a true savior! I must admit, I was in a bit of a fashion crisis. And it appears I've been crashing at your place more often than I realized" she chuckled, causing me to glance at Time with a smirk.

"I also have some of your belongings in my wardrobe. I have to apologize though, I'm wearing one of your shirts right now. But don't worry, I'll wash it and bring it back to you, I swear."

Time stood up angrily, causing all of us to turn our attention towards him. It made me wonder if he was about to hit me.

But out of nowhere, he asked, "What's for dinner ?" abruptly changing the topic.

"Why did you get up like that? You scared me" Jo asked and I could tell her why, but it would be shameless of me. He was exploding from jealousy. Even though he is the one who has her. But he should know it's not that easy to get rid of me. Our love was bigger than whatever they have right now.

If he is jealous, then I was jealous too when he proudly showcased her on the camera, soundly sleeping on his bed. He might have forgotten about it, but I know very well what I was feeling that day.

So, even if Jo tries to make us friends, that is never going to happen.

Because, as I said, we have too much in common.

We still love the same girl.