TWO MONTHS AGO...

The invitations had been sent out several months ago, not because the couple was eager to let the world know that they were tying the knot. No. It was simply because that was to be expected from two people each from two of the largest fashion companies in Hong Kong. It showed that they had everything under perfect control. Raymond himself had taken the task in making sure that the invitations didn’t get lost during the delivery process. As her brother, Leila trusted him to do so.

Now on the wedding day, he wished that he did deliberately prevent the letters from reaching their destinations. Leila as always looked like an angel sent from heaven. Her hair was wavy and loose in perfect elegance and her dress was made of the finest white fabric. She was simply breathtaking. But something about her expression was horribly off. Though no one else seemed to take notice, he found it obvious, almost transparent. She smiled like always but her happiness didn’t reach her eyes. Her usually sparkling eyes were so dull that Raymond couldn’t help but let the concern reach his own eyes, even though he had promised to hide it.

And even when Leila gave him a reassured smile telling him that she was fine, Raymond knew she wasn’t. But they had gone through it not only once but countless of times and he had already promised that he would support her. He was one of the only two people who could see right through her. He was her brother after all, though not by blood but by heart.

During the whole ceremony, Raymond found himself turning his head to look at the door, waiting for someone to burst through it and claim Leila, running away with her and leave the church in total chaos. Raymond actually kept turning his head so many times that he wondered when someone was going to yell at him for not sitting still, at least that would delay the ceremony for a couple of seconds he hoped.

Even Tavia, who herself was aching to stomp up there and yank Leila away, grew impatient with Raymond. It was awfully distracting and if he kept doing that he was going to strain his neck. Besides, it didn’t help and he was making people whisper. Apart from the several times Raymond himself had started the discussion with Leila, he had asked Tavia to talk Leila out of the wedding as well. Though Tavia honestly didn’t need to be asked - she had long ago started treating Leila as her own sister and she would’ve continued to do so even if it wouldn’t have worked out between her and Raymond. Thank god it worked out, otherwise it would have led to some awfully awkward situations and she was convinced that Raymond then would have to live like a bachelor for the rest of his life. True, Raymond was a handsome, charming and generous man but when it came to dealing with a long-term relationship and what that involved, his decisions and actions were close to those of a 10-year-old’s. But that was also one of the things that Tavia found so endearing about Raymond.

After what seemed like an eternity, what Raymond had dreaded to hear finally reached his ears; “I now pronounce you husband and wife”.  He didn’t even hear the part when it was asked if anyone was against the wedding. He had actually convinced himself, during the ceremony, to take Leila away from what he knew would be an unhappy marriage, even if it would make Leila angry at him for not keeping his promise. Now it was too late. Shaking his head amidst the joy from everyone else around him, he once again admitted to himself; Ron was a ing coward.
 

CURRENT TIME

Raymond half lay and half sat on the hospital bed with a bored expression on his face. He hated hospitals they smelled of … medicine and sick people, even though it was one of the best hospitals in Hong Kong. Right now he was fighting an inner battle with his more reasonable self. Raymond eagerly wanted to leave; it was as much for wanting to get back to work as to simply wanting to get away from the unbearable smell, but he knew that Tavia and probably Leila were on their way. The nurse had to call someone and of course she would’ve called his wife, who in return would call his sister.

He could ask them why they would even bother each other with such a small matter but he was sure that they then would give him a lecture about how he would feel if something were to happen to either of them. Of course he would get angry for being left in the dark and he would once again have to admit defeat towards the pair of them - the Lam sisters as they called themselves. Tavia became Tavia Lam when she married him. Leila, however, wasn't officially named Lam since her mother remarried to his father when Leila was 18. But Leila had no problem being called a Lam. Leila always told him that they were long lost siblings who where fated to reunite and Leila Lam did sound as good as Leila Tong.

The door literally ripped open, stopping his thoughts. Thankfully he was placed in a single room otherwise he would be afraid that some other patient might have gotten a heart attack because of the sudden and loud action of the door swinging open with impressive force. He saw Tavia’s face and for one horrible moment he feared that she would be none too gentle with him. Though that thought was quickly forgotten as Tavia pulled him into a loving hug.

“Hi baby, you okay? Leila is outside speaking with the doctor. Do you need anything?” Concern filled her voice as she cupped his face and gently turned his head from side to side as if she could determine whether or not he was okay by looking at his face.

Raymond’s face broke into a wide smile. He removed her hands from his face and instead held them in his, “Silly… I’m perfectly fine, I just fainted”. That didn’t ease Tavia one bit as she looked even more worried. Raymond probably should have left the fainting-part out. She would hear about it eventually but he would feel much safer if the doctor had been the one to tell her about it. Raymond would especially have preferred to be in the doctor’s company rather than alone with Tavia when she was told the reason for him passing out.

“You JUST fainted? Fainting is a serious matter. What if you fell unconscious on the street and someone mugged you or what if you fell on the way down some stairs and broke your neck or…” Okay now Raymond thought she was seriously overreacting. As it seemed, Leila wasn’t the only one with a wild imagination. Tavia and Leila were so alike it was hard to believe that those two didn’t get along when they first met. Then again, being so alike could be the reason for their initial dislike towards each other.

Cutting her rambling off, Raymond took her hands again. “Tavia lo- look at me. We can ‘what if’ till next Tuesday and it still won’t mean a thing. I fainted inside, on save ground, in my office, at my desk where I was sitting doing god knows what. I’m not quite sure what I was doing actually…” He trailed off, pondering for a second, but quickly continued when he saw the impatient look on Tavia’s face, “The thing is, I’m safe and nothing serious happened to me. Okay?” He watched for a moment, as she finally, slowly, nodded her head with relief.

“I was just worried” Tavia admitted the obvious. She was a lawyer and she was freakishly composed when working or being around people she didn’t know … well … she was generally always cool and collected. Even Raymond who was the closest to her, apart from Leila, found it weird when Tavia lost her calm.

Raymond gently pulled her face to his. “I know” he smiled against her lips.

Tavia smiled dreamingly for a second – yes, definitely losing it, before returning to her questioning. “Why did you faint anyway?” Tavia had a plausible reason in her head but hoped for his sake that this wasn’t the case.

So much for distraction Raymond thought. Prolong it, prolong it. “Well actually-“

“Actually he is lacking sleep and food, he is way too stressed and works close to 24/7” Leila finished his sentence as she entered the room. Well more interrupted his sentence since he had no intention of revealing why.

Raymond widened his eyes and timidly tilted his head towards Tavia in a clear ‘not now’ gesture directed towards Leila but Leila simply smiled innocently in return.

“What? Raymond! I’ve already reminded you several times to eat and sleep enough! You can’t keep living like this it’s unhealthy. I knew I shouldn’t have stopped checking on you at nights…” Tavia had been living with another female colleague for the past couple of weeks. She was working on a long and important case and her workplace was much closer to her colleague’s place than her and Raymond’s. Though she and Raymond still saw each other regularly they mostly talked over the phone, every day actually. Some people advised the couple against living apart when they hadn’t even been married for a year yet, but their relationship was strong, even a blind person would be able to tell how much in love they were.

“.. from now on I’ll call you every two hours and I’ll ask mom to go see you personally as well ..” Tavia continued her lecture. Raymond looked guilty. And Leila busied herself with fluffing Raymond’s pillow.

“.. I’m sure I won’t be done at the end of this week but I will move back in. I’ll make sure you’ll get proper rest and food and water …” By now Raymond looked tortured. Leila cared about Raymond too, so she would never let him get away with it that easy either but by the looks of it, Tavia could continue for god knows how long, and so Leila felt compelled to stop her. She didn’t feel sorry for Raymond. He deserved it for making them both worry but as of now she wanted him to rest.

“Tav, why don’t you just finish your work completely so that when you get back you’ll be able to fully concentrate on making Ray here fat and lazy …” Tavia cracked open, about to say something but Leila silenced her with a look before continuing “and … in the meantime I’ll look out for him. I’ll visit his office, I’ll bring him food and I’ll even tug him into bed if necessary.”

Tavia considered Leila’s words for a moment, then seemed satisfied and agreed before excusing herself when her phone rang. She mumbled annoyingly on her way out. Work again no doubt.

As soon as the door closed Leila seated herself on the bed facing Raymond, and Raymond almost pathetically thanked his sister. “Lei, you’re my savior, thank yo-“

Leila interrupted him, “Ray I’m serious. You can’t keep up like this. You’re making us both worry unnecessarily. There is no need to overwork yourself like that and you know it. The company has enough people working as it is.” Concern was written all over her face, much like with Tavia moments before. Raymond was a great brother. An older brother she always could rely on and feel protected around but sometimes she played the role of the eldest.

Sighing, not with irritation but with guilt, Raymond turned serious. “I know, I know and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again” the situation would seem comical where it not for the true concern and guilt in the words exchanged between the siblings. It looked as if a child was being scolded by his mom or older sister.

Leila lightly brushed Raymond’s hair away from his eyes. “I know you like what you’re doing and that you don’t mind … but keep the hours down will you? Tavia is getting wrinkles with worry”

Raymond nodded. “Sure … I can do that and I’m sorry.”

Leila shook her head, dismissing the apology. She hated giving him a bad conscience. “The doctor said you should stay for the night, just to keep and eye on you. You’ll be back home again by tomorrow.” She finished and rose from the bed.

“Okay” Raymond replied, though he hated the idea of staying. “You’re going back to work now?”

“Yeah, I’m actually done for today. I just need to pick up the designs for the new collection”

“Great. You wouldn’t mind tidying my office up a bit would you? I’m afraid I left it in quite a mess” Raymond hesitantly asked.

Leila smiled. She knew he didn’t want to burden her with it. But she also knew that he wouldn’t ask was it not for the fact that anyone else would make an even bigger mess out of it. He would only be able to find his things if they were stuffed away where he usually left them. “Sure, just promise you’ll rest”. She squeezed his hand and gave him a smile.

Raymond returned the smile “Absolutely”.
 

Leila scanned the room as she searched for that one person who invited her today. She hadn’t even talked to him yet. Last Leila checked, Tavia was still with Raymond at the hospital and she refused to leave his side, which left Leila to go alone to the opening of another gallery of Ron’s. Ron was a fulltime photographer and occasionally a painter - when he felt like it. He was famous for his beautiful photography skills and had published a few paintings throughout the years. Today was the opening of his third gallery.

“Hello stranger” Leila’s distant thoughts were interrupted by a rich deep voice. “Would a beautiful lady like you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?”  Leila knew the hint of glee in his voice all too well.

With equally as much delight in her voice Leila turned around to face this ‘stranger’. “Oh, you’re awfully cute and you’re rich but … I already have plans for the night, in fact, I have dinner plans with the owner of this gallery, so I would be careful if I were you. We wouldn’t want you kicked out, would we now?” She had been in enough situations like these to sound believable in her act to play hard to get. But he also knew her enough, to not believe her pretense. And of course, there was the obvious fact that he was the same man she was talking about.

He had invited her but he had seen very little of her. With a dashing smile that revealed his dimples, Ron took her hand in his. “Sorry for neglecting you.” He gently squeezed her hand, conveying his sincerity.

That smile and his honesty never failed to make her melt. She almost withdrew her hand, she didn’t want to feel like this but years of friendship and her pretense even after her marriage prevented her from doing so. It would seem strange if she suddenly felt awkward about the whole thing. And she didn’t want to give him a reason for distancing himself from her either.  Nothing changed right? They were still friends. The only difference was her – now a married woman. And surely that wouldn’t make a difference to him. After all, he only treated her as any other friend.

Leila carefully squeezed back, smiling. “It’s fine… I got to talk with a couple of people. They all seem to love your work. And I enjoy it as well.”

She smiled. That smile… he loved it. He loved it the most in the morning, when he would wake up to that adorable smile of hers, her hair ruffled and her eyes still a bit dazed with sleep. When she stayed for the night, it had never been as more than just a friend. There had never been anything between them other than friendship. They were so close friends that they had gotten past the stage of feeling awkward when sleeping in the same bed. Despite being comfortable with her, his heart never ceased to beat faster when she was near and he wanted so much to hold her close. Every. Single. Time. And that’s what frustrated him to no end. He wanted her to smile only for him. He wanted her all for himself. A selfless thing he knew.

And something... He could never have.