Boss is out on a meeting, you know what they say, when the cat is away the mouse will play ;)

PS. This chapter is blah, seriously =.= i hate myself, i need to get my sh*t together, i apologize if it's idk bland maybe? 

The door unlocks with a faint creak as my eyes slowly flutter open. Immediately, a smile greets my worn-out face as she steps in holding a tray containing an array of bland-tasting food.

The smells of antiseptic hangs in the air I can almost taste it in my mouth.

“Good day Tiffany” she greets.

“Hi Irish” I answered.

“Here’s your meal prescription for today, in accordance to Dr. Foyers orders, hot beef stew, half-cup rice, nettle soup, buttered vegetables and yogurt alongside here are your daily tablets, don’t skip them” she instructed me in her usual soft yet chirpy voice.

She has long brunette hair, very pretty and she’s tan, probably Asian, I didn’t probe further as I find my physical force still somewhat lacking, she’s a good nurse, attends to our needs very well and isn’t the usual grumpy, domineering medical staff.

“These stuffs taste blah, as always, it’s like I’m not eating anything at all” I sighed, feeling despondent and deprived of real food.

“I know right? that’s why I brought you something, but hush about it okay? It’s our little secret” she has that mischievous look on her face as she whispered and then clandestinely passed me a pocket of strawberry milkshake pop tart. I beamed at her as a form of gratitude and then placed my index finger on my lips as if to say ‘Shhhhh’.

I felt like a kid and for a while, I enjoy the simple things in life. Irish cuts in with an inquisition regarding the one settled beside my bed, it brought back a sense of warm sadness.

“The doctors said to give her a couple more days; she’s still under constant observation. In any event family members or relative should arrive, there’s a high chance we’d transfer her to her own private room, are you sure you don’t want to transfer as well? Other patients might be admitted in here any moment”

“I’ll transfer when she transfers, but thanks for the kind offer” I declined.

“No sweat, Tiffany, better get some rest, the other staffs are about to start their rounds in an hour” with that, she silently slipped out of the room.

Most of our abrasions and lacerations due to the terrible bombing incident have healed, purple bruises are still present though quite faint. The doctor said I needed bed rest for more or less four months with constant medication and then sign up for therapy to help aid my fractured bones, I still flinch and feel a sharp pain deep inside each time I twist certain parts of my body, I can’t even stretch my arms and legs out without feeling like being tortured, and the food here tastes like garbage, the only upside I have here is being with Taeyeon.

Taeyeon who, in a blink of an eye, became suddenly precious to me and to think the only thing I know about her is her name and that she’s from the accounting department of some firm. I look at her; she has really beautiful skin that reminds me of milk and freshly cooked white rice, I let a smile pass through my lips as I coax myself in eating whatever Irish has laid before me.

The next time Irish entered our room I was more jovial because I wasn’t alone anymore. Gone are the days of holding her impassive hand and surrendering to soliloquy for the rest of the day.

Miracles never cease, I can vouch to that, because Taeyeon’s consciousness has returned last week, I woke and found her staring at me wide-eyed and then she grinned. My heart swelled.

“Hello Irish” she greeted

“Oh hello Taeyeon, you’re up early” she smiled at her then checked the tubing and wiring attached to the monitor to Taeyeon’s body.

“Darling, lift your shirt up a little” Irish instructed in which Taeyeon obeyed albeit uncomfortably. The hospital garments the usual thin and light as feather kind of fabric that provides no shield to the cold at all, Taeyeon’s abdomen suddenly comes into view and my heartbeat oddly quickens, I felt a shiver down my spine, goose bumps prickling my skin.

I gulped. What is wrong with me?

I felt a sudden ache in my chest upon seeing the large purple blotches on her stomach, bruises I suppose and scars from cuts and gashes. But I have to admit it looked… hot? Like she was a protagonist from some action movie all scarred and marred yet looks heavenly gorgeous, something like that.

Oh my God, what did I just think? I tried my best to look away.

Taeyeon must be studying me from her bed with concern for she speaks “Tiffany, everything alright?” and I found myself staring back at her, to Irish busily detaching and attaching monitor wires on Taeyeon’s abdomen, travelling up to her chest, a portion of her s’ underside flashed and disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

My cheeks heated, Am I blushing? Christ, I am blushing.

“You look flustered” she spoke again, evidently worrying about me, even Irish momentarily halted whatever it was that she was doing and glanced at me expectantly.

“No, I’m good, just… a little light-headed” So what, it’s not like I don’t have an underside of a too, you’re female you know, I scoffed at myself.

“Take a nap then” said Irish. And nap I did.

“Good afternoon to you” she said.

It was around 4pm when I woke up from my nap, I was awake but nonchalantly staring at the ceiling, idling, and waiting for total consciousness to kick in. I turned sideways and there she was, gawking at me like a hawk.

“Awake yet?” she queries, a playful smile hides on her soft, feminine lips. I shook my head, she chuckled blissfully, her laugh is different, she laughs because she’s amused, I laugh because her laughter is amusing. I had noticed her head bandage was gone; her unruly light brown hair all tousled here and there, beautiful pile of mess atop her head.

“Wow, they took the bandage off already?” I asked her, shocked.

She carefully massaged her head, “Yeah, a while ago, around 1pm I guess”

“Oh, still fresh, how are you feeling?”

She pursed her lips, eyes deep with contemplation. She looked adorable, I unconsciously smiled.

“Hmm, I feel…lighter? More normal, I don’t feel like an alien wearing a headgear anymore”

“What?!” I snorted and giggled endlessly, then stopped, feeling profusely fatigued, a stinging ache boils in my stomach.

“Take it easy now” she warned.

Silence engulfed us after I drank my glass of water, my swallowing seemingly audible. It was like bipolar disease, one second, you’re happy the next one you’re not. But we know deep inside, our casual chatter serves as a mask to what really goes on our minds.

Oh, the utter devastation

Our dead colleagues

The chance of other survivors

The fact that we’re one of those survivors and most importantly

How and where are we going to rebuild our lives again?

Can we even start anew?

“Any news about it?”

“Surely, as of the moment, it’s the world’s most talked about topic, but no. I haven’t heard of anything yet, I couldn’t bring myself to watch the news.” I confessed.

She nods her head in agreement, and I notice how she really looks like for the first time, without the corporate uniform, without her hair tied up in a neat bun. It was chocolate brown, cascading just beneath her shoulder, messy but gorgeous and her eyes, like the first time I peered into them were like a cat’s, round and calm, soulful even despite what we’ve been through. we have a difference in the nose area, while mine is pointy elongated, hers were small and just about the right size, she’s like a doll.

“It’s pretty bad, isn’t it?” she surmised a while later.

“It’s not just pretty bad Taeyeon, it’s ed-up bad”

“Hmm, ed-up bad, we’re so lucky to survive then, I was so afraid, so very afraid to die, to be smashed in between those concretes, to feel the pain before I die” her voice was trembling and I wanted to stand up and sit beside her, pat her back or anything but I can’t move that much.

“But still, with all those, you managed to save me…” I whispered, looking down with shyness.

“Because you were more afraid than I am, I saw it in your face, in your eyes, in your movements, you were so lost, you didn’t know where to go or what to do, probably I was like that too, I just couldn’t resist it.” voiced Taeyeon, her eyes downcast and melancholic.

“Am I?” I croaked absent-mindedly, staring in her deep dark hazelnut orbs.

“Yes” she whispered back, matching my intensity.

Oh boy, I thought. I think I kinda like her. But I'm not even gay!

“You think we’re gonna get our lives back again?” I asked.

“Certainly, that’s not impossible, but everything will change, a lot will change but the remembrance of all of this will stay, like scars”

“But some scars heal right?”

“Some yes, hopefully this one would.”

I could sense we were thinking the same thing as Taeyeon gives me a reassuring smile; I shake my head, a soft smile shadowing my plump lips. There she goes again, spreading hope and she doesn't even know it.

There is hope.