Between The Lines and YOU

Thirty Six

I smiled as I hugged the soft, fragrant pillow. Sleeping would always be this wonderful if my bed and pillow were this soft and fresh. My back didn’t even ache. But my eyes flew open as yesterday’s events rushed back to me. I found myself in the same room where I had first woken up and where Shane introduced herself as my sister.

The bed and the room were both enormous. Near the veranda stood a crib. The rich truly lived luxuriously, even having a veranda in their rooms. My body no longer ached as much. What exactly happened? I rose and approached the crib, an unexpected wave of sadness filling me. I did not even know why. Inside were small teddy bears, a pillow, and a blanket that looked as though they had never been washed. I ran my fingers along the crib’s edge until my eyes froze on the engraved name, Capriana Ace Filmore. This must have been my crib when I was a baby, the very place where I was taken.

“Mommy never allowed anyone to touch anything in that crib.” I looked toward Shane, who was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at me.

“Since the day you disappeared, not a day passed without her coming here just to breathe in your lingering scent. She always cried and fell asleep here.” Her words brought a smile to my face, but they also weighed heavy with sorrow. I could not imagine how painful it must have been for them when I was gone.

“What about Aria and Weston? Are they alright?” She nodded, and I breathed easier.

“They’re at the hospital. You can visit them once you regain your strength.” I nodded again, though I also wanted to ask about Rojien and the others.

“Rojien is already in prison. As for the children, the police has taken them in. I’m working with them so they can return to their families. We can visit whenever you like.” It was as if she could read my thoughts.

“Shane?” I called softly, hesitant and shy, still unsure if I could bring myself to call her sis. She smiled, walked closer, and gently patted my head.

“Call me whatever makes you comfortable. Let’s go downstairs. I know you’re hungry. Mommy cooked a lot.”

We went down together and found her mother, my mother waiting. I could not explain it, but the situation felt awkward. Their household helpers were all smiling widely at me, so I simply smiled back. The dining table overflowed with food, enough to feed a whole village. The woman hugged me so tightly the air was nearly crushed from my lungs. I let her, even though my face was already turning violet. If Shane had not intervened, I might have fainted from the strength of her embrace. At last, she let go and smothered my cheeks with kisses, apologizing again and again, fussing over me in every way.

____________________________

It has been two weeks since the incident, and I must say, everything went well, except for the fact that Knox and I still were not speaking to each other. My friends already knew what had happened, and they spent the entire week hanging out at the house. I often felt embarrassed. I had just moved in, yet my friends acted more at home than I did. Shane did not mind since she knew Kael’s and Ivy’s parents. As for Mommy, she was eager to get to know my friends, and somehow she had grown closer to them than I was.

I had not wanted to move, but I also did not want to burden Ivy, so I agreed on the condition that I could keep working at Wintersea, though only on weekends. They wanted me to study abroad, but I insisted on graduating at V.C.U., so in the end, they gave in. Everything felt like it happened so quickly. Even my surname had changed overnight, from Dawn to Filmore. Yet for the past two weeks, my heart had been aching for Knox. He had been ignoring me completely. It felt as though we had gone back to zero. The way he looked at me, it was as if my face was distorted in his eyes. Other people’s eyes sparkled when they saw me, but his only looked cold. He could not even ask me how I was. It was painful.

I had once asked Shane about him, but my smart and beautiful sister only gave me half an answer. She said that if I was too curious, I should be the one to search for the truth behind the questions in my head. Ever since she found me, her life had suddenly become too busy. Can you imagine that? She even denied it when I asked if they were friends. If you ask me, she just did not want to help me when it came to Knox.

If he did not want to notice me, then fine. I would be the one to notice him. Since he always caught my attention anyway. I had been beaten and broken, yet my brain still seemed determined to be my number one hater.

On my way to the library, I saw him walking toward his office. V.C.U. was divided into four buildings. It was so vast that the chances of us crossing paths were supposed to be slim. Yet I was just unlucky enough that his office happened to be in the same building as the first- and second-year classes. Unlike the third- and fourth-years who lingered outside classrooms or in the corridors during breaks, here no one was allowed to loiter in their free time. He hated that sort of thing. He disliked noise, and he disliked having his way blocked whenever he passed.

I remembered the first day he bumped into me because I was standing in his way. Maybe that was one of the reasons he held a grudge against me. If that really was the case, then he was even more childish than a kid. Sometimes I could only shake my head at how immature it seemed. My brows furrowed when I saw him stop, leaning against the wall while pressing his temple. He still had some distance to go before reaching his office.

“Good afternoon, Sir.” I was about to walk past him after saying that. Of course I had to act like I did not want to see him, that I was angry at him.

I glanced back when it seemed he had not heard me. Not because I wanted his attention, he probably still did not want to see me, but because he looked so pale, and his shoulders rose and fell as though he was struggling to breathe. I walked back and stopped in front of him.

“Sir, are—”

“I’m fine, don’t mind me.” I froze when he finally looked at me. He did not look fine at all. His words sounded like they were dragged out of exhaustion. Stress was etched across his face, and yet, he was still so breathtakingly handsome.

You’re falling for him again. I am not.

On a normal day, he would already be glaring at me in annoyance, but this time was different.

“You don’t look fine, Sir.” The moment I said it, his eyes swept me up and down. Sometimes I wondered if he was really a professor. He acted so professional with other students, but with me, he was something else entirely.

“You’re really annoy—” He was about to walk past me when his knees gave way. I caught his arm and hand just in time, saving him from kissing the glass floor. Was this what he called being fine? Before he could snap at me again, I spoke.

“Save your anger for later. Let me help you get to your office first.”

He did not say another word after that. He simply allowed me to support him. I felt his body stiffen when my hand settled on his waist to steady him. I was startled too, I had not even asked permission. Me and my stupidity. I am always messed up. I waited for him to protest, or maybe push me away since I knew he was surprised too. But he did not. He remained silent, and I took that silence as a yes. I was absolutely certain I felt like lightning had struck me when I placed his arm around my neck.

It was as if my knees weakened little by little. His body was soft against mine, and his scent, it always left me hypnotized. I also knew he was watching me. I did not follow Shane’s advice. I knew she wanted the best for me, but could I not be enough for Knox without leaving him, without staying away? I simply could not.

“Couch.” That was all he said the moment we stepped inside his office.

I immediately understood and led him to the couch. But before we even reached it, he pulled away from my hold and sank weakly onto the cushions, pressing his temple once again..I felt so sorry for him because he truly looked like he was struggling. Was his head hurting? Stupid, why would he be massaging his temple if it was not painful?

If he could help it, I would be the very last person he would allow near him, because he hated me. He had no choice earlier. He had been so weak, and I was the only one there. He stopped rubbing his temple and stared at me blankly. A moment ago he had looked exhausted, and now he sat there bored and unbothered. Amazing.

“Are we finally going to talk?” It took everything in me to ask him this way. When would we ever talk properly? When would we discuss us? How long would he keep acting as if none of this mattered to him?

“Leave.” I stared at him in disbelief. He really had the worst attitude. A simple thank you could not even come out of his mouth. Instead he pretended he had not even heard me. Since I did not want another argument, I simply nodded and walked out of his office quietly. The urge to slam his door out of sheer frustration was strong. His attitude was unbearable.

My brows were still furrowed as I walked down the hall and ran into Kael, who was carrying a paper bag.

“Are you alright?” he asked when he reached me. I froze when he gently brushed my forehead to smooth out my frown. The simple gesture calmed me down. I still felt uneasy speaking with him, unable to forget our last encounter. It had not ended well. Yet after he disappeared for days and returned, he behaved as though nothing had ever happened.

“Where are the others?” I asked instead of answering. He smiled faintly, realizing his little gesture had calmed me.

“They still have classes. I just came by to give you this.” He handed me the paper bag. Inside were two slices of red velvet cake and two bottles of sterilized milk. My stomach grumbled instantly, but—

“Wait, this is for—” He cut me off by taking my hand and placing the paper bag firmly in it.

“Eat it, alright? I will get mad if you do not finish everything.” And before I could reply, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. Then he walked away quickly, giving me no chance to argue that I could not possibly eat it all. I had no idea what Kael was up to.

Instead of heading toward the library, I found myself on the path to the clinic. I was not even sure why I was doing this, only that I wanted to bring him some medicine. I wanted to make sure he was alright. What if he fainted in there, and I ended up being blamed for not checking on him?

Was that really the only reason you wanted to see if he was fine? Or was there something deeper, something you could not quite name, that made you want to check on him again?

Maybe you truly cared about him.

I hesitated at the thought. Why would I care about him? Did he care about me when I disappeared? He had not even bothered to ask if I was still alive or being mourned. But of course he had no way of knowing what had happened to me. How could he?

I set aside the nonsense my mind kept feeding me. I would not feel at ease until I knew he was okay..When I arrived at the clinic, before anyone could question me endlessly, I quickly told them Professor Sandoval had sent me. That was enough for them to hand me the medicine immediately.

I half-walked, half-ran back to his office. For some reason, the closer I got, the harder my heart pounded. I was nervous, though I could not explain why. Sweat was starting to form on my forehead. With the paper bag Kael had given me in one hand and the medicine from the clinic in the other, I stopped before his office door and took a deep breath before knocking. I knocked again and again, but still the door did not open. What if he truly was fine? Yet the look on his face earlier had been far from fine.

What if he only needed you a while ago? I let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the medicine I was carrying. Maybe he does not really need my help. Just as I was about to give up and turn away, I heard a loud thud from inside. My heart lurched. I stepped closer to the door and raised my hand to knock harder, but before I could, I noticed it was slightly ajar. That was when it hit me, the door had been left open since the moment I walked out.

Which only meant one thing. I hurried inside, not caring if he would be angry later. But horror gripped me when I saw his body lying on the floor. His desk was in disarray, papers scattered everywhere. What in the world had happened?

“Knox!” Without hesitation, I rushed to him, setting the paper bag and medicine down on the couch.

“Knox!” I called again, checking his breathing and pulse. Relief washed over me when I felt the faint rise and fall of his chest. It was the deepest sigh of relief I had ever breathed in my life.

I lifted his head and adjusted my position so that his head rested on my legs. For a moment, I found myself staring at him. He looked as though he were only sleeping, but the pallor of his skin betrayed how unwell he truly was. How could someone be so effortlessly breathtaking without even trying? And to think he had fainted.

I fumbled for my phone in my bag. The first name that caught my eye in my contacts was Ivy. I was about to press call, certain she could help more than I could, when suddenly he stirred. His eyes fluttered open slowly. What on earth…

That face card was unfair. How could someone look that good just by opening his eyes? Our gazes locked, and my heart threatened to leap right out of my chest. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I realized, mortified, that I was blushing. To be looked at like that by Knox Ares Sandoval, it was almost enough to make me faint myself. I quickly looked away, embarrassed, my throat tight as I cleared it.

“What happened?” I asked, my eyes darting everywhere except at him.

“Just exhausted.” His answer was curt, too simple, and it irritated me. I had practically flown to the clinic and back to bring him medicine, only to be brushed off like that? He was clearly more than just tired. The awkwardness of our position sank in, and I quickly glanced at the items I had left on the couch.

“I… I brought you some medicine” I murmured, biting my lower lip. For heaven’s sake, could I stop stammering like the one who needed treatment here was me? I made a move to stand, but froze when he shifted closer instead, as if adding weight to his body against mine. His eyes closed again as he leaned to his side.

“Ten minutes.” That was all he said before he seemed to drift off once more, even crossing his arms as though settling into rest. I nearly collapsed right there from the rush of emotions. No. I could not let myself swoon like some lovestruck fool. Why did I suddenly feel like screaming in delight?