STEPS or LOVERS

CHAPTER 6: WHISPERS AND STARES

DENNY'S POV...........

After what happened in the cafeteria today, people started whispering about me. The sound followed me down the hallway. Low voices. Side eyes. The kind of whispers that don’t need words to hurt.

But anyways, I didn’t give a damn.

I kept my head up. I told myself it didn’t matter what they thought. Let them talk. I’ve dealt with worse. The cafeteria incident replayed in my head for half a second, then I shoved it down. Not today.

The rest of the day went by fast. Classes blurred together. Teachers talked. The bell rang. Students rushed out. And before I knew it, the rest of the day was over and I was on my way home.

The air outside felt lighter than inside the school. I pulled my bag higher on my shoulder and started walking. Home. Quiet. Away from the whispers.

The walk was long but I didn’t mind. The street was noisy, but in my head it was quiet. I thought about ignoring everything tomorrow too. If they wanted to whisper, let them. I wasn’t going to let it change me.

By the time I got to my gate, the sun was already going down. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Home meant peace. Home meant no cafeteria, no whispers. Just me.

MARY'S POV...........

I was rushing to my emergency room to attend to patient. My shoes clicked against the hospital floor. Papers in one hand, stethoscope around my neck. There was no time to waste. Emergency cases don’t wait.

The hospital was busy like always. Nurses running, doctors calling out names, machines beeping. My mind was already on the patient waiting inside.

Then I ran into someone.

It happened so fast. One second I was moving forward, the next I almost fell. My body tipped forward and for a moment I thought I was going down. My papers almost scattered everywhere.

Surprisingly, that same hands caught me. Strong. Steady.

For some seconds we stared into each other’s eyes.

His eyes were dark, unreadable. Mine were probably wide with shock. The hallway went quiet for me, even though people were still rushing past. I could feel the warmth of his hands on my arms, holding me upright. He didn’t let go immediately.

Then I remembered. Emergency. Patient.

I snapped out of it.

"Uhm sorry sir," I said quickly. My voice came out softer than I wanted. I looked down and noticed a smudge on his suit. It looked expensive. Dark fabric, neat cut. Like the kind managers wear. I reached out without thinking and started cleaning it. My fingers brushed the material lightly.

But he just keeps staring at me.

No words. No reaction. Just staring. Like he was trying to figure something out about me.

My heart beat faster. Was he upset? Was he okay? Did I mess up?

"Okay sir I have to leave now," I said, pulling back. I gave him one last glance and rushed toward the emergency room. The doors swung open and I disappeared inside, leaving the moment behind me.

But even while working, his stare kept replaying in my head.

DAMIAN'S POV ..............

I walked into the house expecting to see dad. The door clicked shut behind me. The house was quiet. Too quiet.

"Dad," I called. My voice echoed in the living room.

But there was no response.

I frowned. Maybe dad was upstairs. Maybe he was in the kitchen. I dropped my bag by the door and went upstairs to freshen up. The water was warm. I washed my face, changed out of my school clothes, and waited.

A few minutes later I was done. I went downstairs to go wait for dad, expecting the house to still be empty.

Only to see him sitting on the couch.

"Hey dad," I said, walking down the stairs.

"Hey son. How are you doing and how was school today," he asked. His voice was calm, familiar. The kind of voice that always made me feel safe.

"Uhm school was great actually. Just doing my usuals," I said with a smirk. The same smirk I always used when I didn’t want to talk about the details. I didn’t want to tell him about the whispers.

We both laughed. It was easy. Comfortable. Like nothing had changed since I was small.

"So where are you coming from? I’m pretty sure today was your off day," I asked, sitting on the arm of the couch beside him.

"Oh, I got a call from the manager in the hospital for some important business so I went there for some things," my dad replied.

"Oh......ok," I replied and sat down beside him.

The TV was already on. Our favorite show was playing. The theme music started and I felt something warm settle in my chest.

I have loved this show a lot. Actually it was mom’s favorite show before she passed. We would watch it together, laugh and play, and c***k jokes. Dad would come back from work scolding us to stop watching the film.

"That takes too much of your time," he’d say, but he’d be smiling.

But still we didn’t listen. We’d just turn it up louder.

After mom passed, the house felt empty. So to fill the space, dad started watching it with me. Same couch. Same show. Just the two of us now.

Now we sat side by side, watching. No talking. Just the show, and the memory of mom in every joke we used to make. For a few minutes, everything felt normal again.

MARY'S POV..........

Surprisingly, the operation went well.

Relief flooded through me as I stepped out of the emergency room. My shoulders dropped. My hands stopped shaking. Another life saved. I whispered a small thank you to myself.

I was on my way outside to get food. My stomach was growling and my head was starting to hurt from not eating. The hospital hallway was less busy now. Most of the emergency rush was over.

Then someone called my name.

"Nurse Mary."

I heard it and turned to the direction of the voice. It was my fellow colleague, Nurse Stepheny. She was walking toward me fast, like she had something urgent. Her expression was serious.

"Oh hi," I replied, waiting for her to approach me. I wiped my hands on my scrubs.

"The manager would like to see you," she said.

"What? Me? Is there any problem?" I asked, immediately worried. Managers don’t just call you for no reason. Especially not after a busy emergency shift.

"Not sure," she said, shaking her head. "But on my way out of his office he asked to see you."

"But I don’t even know him and I don’t know his office. What’s he calling about?" I asked, knowing very well she didn’t know the answer to the question. My mind started racing. Was it about the patient? Did I do something wrong?

"Well, let’s go find out," she said, pulling my hand. She was probably dragging me to the manager’s office.

A minute later we were at the front of a brown door. Plain. Professional. A small nameplate I couldn’t read from where I stood. My heart was pounding.

"Alright, go in," she said, opening the door and pushing me in.

"But......" I tried saying something. My voice caught in my throat.

My words were cut short when I saw the manager.

It was him.

The handsome man from earlier.

The one who caught me in the hallway. The one who stared at me without saying a word. The one whose expensive suit I tried to clean.

He was sitting behind a big desk now. Professional. Composed. Papers neatly arranged. But his eyes... his eyes were the same. Dark. Watching.

And he was looking right at me.