Loving her wasn't part of the plan

Four- Why

Melissa and Gabriela turned their heads to George he had a huge grin on his face, he overhead their discussion, the part where Gabriela announced she never want to date.

Melisa's smile grew, "Oh, hi George," she greeted.

He waved subtly at Gabriela, "Good morning," she greeted though her voice a bit low.

"...your name, What is her name?"George tried to recollect.

"It starts with a G like your name," hinted Melisa, his eyes light up in recollection.

"Gabriela," he said nudging her arm slightly irking her more, she adjusted herself away from him and stood closer to Melisa.

This is awkward, she thought.

"Where are you guys heading to?" He asked coming closer to Gabriela. A frown appeared on her face but she didn't budge away from him, she tried to earlier a few seconds ago but he was relentless.

"Um...since it is a lunch break, we are going out for lunch," Gabriela responded.

"Can I come along? " He asked.

"No!"

"Yes," Gabriela and Melisa said simultaneously though contradicting themselves.

Melisa poked Gabriela in her arm and decided to leave the two, about the love and relationship she discussed with Gabriela, she just met another match for Gabriela, "Erm...I have a waiting patient, I need to check on. So you can go with her. She would not mind giving you a tour around the hospital to get you acquainted with your surroundings, Right Gabriela? "

Gabriela narrowed her eyes into slits at Melisa, who blew a kiss in her direction.

She is doing it again, trying to get her to date.

"Goodbye, tell me everything later," Melisa whispered the last part, waving at George she turned her back and left.

Gabriela sighed loudly, looking to and fro from George to Melisa. She can't believe Melisa would betray her in this manner.

George had a grin on his face, "Wipe that off," she said walking along the ward aisle, he followed behind trying to catch her step.

"Wipe what?" He asked.

"Your smirk," she replied.

He grinned further, irking her more, "Where are we going to have our first lunch date," she stopped in her track and faced him, causing him to force a halt on his legs before he bumps into her.

"A date? I am not going on a date with you. Could you be less annoying?" Her voice was marked with an edgy tone.

"Right, I forgot you don't date. Why? I am certain I would break that rule." His voice pierced her ears, she kept on moving.

"I don't date because of men like you. You are very annoying, to begin with," she said earning a disapproving look from him.

"That hurts, you already qualified me before actually knowing me. I think you should know me before finalizing what type of human being I am. And you have a very sharp tongue for a quiet girl." He observed.

She huffed at his hurt pretense, "So tell me the real reason, you don't want to date?" He pressed further.

"Simply, because I don't want to." Her solemn voice pronounced her resolution in her words.

She truly doesn't want to date, how then can he find love?

If she doesn't want to.

The first girl he met that doesn't roll over him seeking his attention. The first time he has to do all the work, his last girlfriend won his heart until she ended up shattering it into pieces. Her actions left a scar on his heart. Never to be healed again, well seeing Gabriela and getting a glimpse of her personality provided him with hope.

He sincerely hoped he can find love again.

"What if someone makes you change your decision, or what happens when you fall in love?"

She steeled herself against the world love.

Love doesn't exist in her world it was null and void.

But she isn't sure she could fall in love romantically, her biological parent's history left a scar in her. A scar that cuts so deep in her veins and bled constantly.

She tried to reason why she was neglected, Her life wasn't as beautiful as it looks like now, she never really knows her real father because he rarely visits or comes back home and her mother would wish she was never born or made to see the light of the day, she would sulk all day in depression forgetting to feed her four year old daughter.

She recalled back at that cold night, she waited and waited for her mother to come back.

The cold, made her little fingers numb, some of them turning a grey shade of blue, she clattered her teeth as the ferocious rain hit the roof of the little house. She recalled crouching beside the fridge wanting a companion to reach out to. But no one answered and her four-year-old never understood the fridge, can't talk or comfort her.

The fridge can't help or bring her mother back.

If there is an iota of love in this world her parents would not hate themselves so much, they looked at her as a mistake or loathed her entire existence neglecting her and finally abandoning her.

If love was truly existing, they would have cherished her and loved her, adored her but no they left. Her father left first and her mother followed.

George waited as a long pause followed his question, either she doesn't want to answer or he touched a sensitive part of her.

Everyone has a secret, a pain buried within even he suffered from one, he was taken aback when her voice came through at last, "I don't know about love, George but the day I would fall in love, trust me a miracle has happened."

First of all, he noticed she used his name for the first time, that is one development. Secondly, her little say just made it clear love is not her top priority.

Unlike him, she has given up on love.

Gabriela looked at George and smiled at his efforts to make her his friend, he was very clingy for one and secondly very annoying.

"Come let's go for lunch, after that I would do as Melisa say and show you around the hospital. To be sincere, nothing is interesting about this old hospital, with a cranky director and other staff."

What she said made him laugh out, she looked at him a bit shocked by his laughter a smile brewing on her face.

"Why are you laughing?" She quizzed.

"You are funny, I never knew you had an adjective to qualify everyone."

"I am not lying, he is cranky, he won't hesitate to warn you to head off or bench you whenever you breach a little of rule. I think I am his target most of the time." She whispered the last part, he could not help but be amazed, if he wasn't already deep in her personality, or the airy nature surrounding her.

She was beautiful, smart, and has a great sense of humor. No matter how she finds him annoying, she doesn't hesitate to welcome him as well.

"There" she pointed to the restaurant a few meters away, it looked like a little cafe, surrounded by flower pots, most of the tables were situated outside.

"Melisa and I spend our lunch break here every lunch whenever our shift is on the same day. Luckily today she was also on but you came along." A hint of annoyance followed as she blamed him for Melisa ditching her today.

They approached the little cafe, Gabriela led him to a table close to the window.

"You know! you should have said you don't want me to come along." She drew a chair and sat on it, calling a waiter.

"Well I can't and that would come off as rude and besides any friend of Melissa's is mine."

She smiled at him, and that was the moment he has fallen deep. He never believed in love at first sight or second encounter.

Her smile held hope, gave him lightly at the end of his tunnel, and helped him realize moving to Illinois wasn't a bad idea at all.

Here he was, falling for a woman he barely knows.