Through Your Eyes — Chapter 10

Eric rolled up his window and threw me a confused stare. All of a sudden, I lost my courage to say it personally to him that I was already leaving. Not because I had hesitations, but because I did not want to hurt myself anymore. I knew he would start insulting me again and remind me how ungrateful I was.

"Eric," I greeted him as soon as I was done placing some of my things in the passenger's seat. It was not much anyway because I already pulled some of it every time I dropped by.

"What happens to your car?" I was right. He didn't notice the absence of my things, even in our bedroom. Either he was too busy with my best friend, or he just didn't care about it. I was used to it, anyway.

"It's safe from scratches here. Long hours in the hospital's parking lot is too risky."

"I won't mind. You can have it fixed anytime."

Oh, really. What makes him so gentle today?

"Thank you," I said, giving him a pursed smile. "Eric, I have to go now."

Eric stared at me and chuckled afterward. "You sure you don't want to talk to me about Shirley?"

I shook my head and didn't say a word. Yet, the pursed smile in my lips didn't save my tears from clouding my vision. To save me from an emotional outbreak, I bid him a quick goodbye then slid into the waiting taxi. Eric didn't seem to mind anyway. He dismissed me easily without raising an argument.

Just as soon as I asked the taxi driver to go, my eyes fell unconsciously to the other car that stopped behind Eric. I saw the driver opening the hood, perhaps checking some trouble with the engine inside. Yet, as we moved past them, I noticed the window rolling down. To my surprise, I saw a familiar face grinning at me. Before I could take my eyes off him, my phone vibrated. It was from Sean.

"Stop right there," Sean said. "I'll take you wherever you want to."

Just because I was stunned, I got lost for word. Eric did not even offer the same thing to me, although I was glad he didn't. I only returned to my senses when the taxi driver called my attention that a car was blocking our way.

"Ma'am, do you know who's in that car?" the driver's anxious voice jolted my attention.

I did not have to answer the driver anymore because Sean walked to us and knocked on the passenger's door. I opened my bag and pulled out paper bills from my purse, handing it to the driver after making an apology.

"Let me take your things." Sean's wide smile greeted me as soon as I opened the door for him. His charm captivated me again that I was no longer able to refuse. I only realized how I looked silly when I felt his face close to me. He was reaching over for the bag I placed beside me.

"Is this all? Or, did you put something else in the trunk?"

I looked at the driver, and somehow, that look made him go out from his seat and picked up my things for me. Sean followed him anyway without waiting for my answer, so I was able to take a deep breath before stepping out of the car.

"Here, sir." I heard the driver speaking to him as he showed him my things. "Shall I place these bags in your trunk?"

"Yes, please," I heard Sean replied before turning back to me. I just stood a few feet from the taxi, watching them with a slow processing mind. Who would ever think that a famous billionaire would be carrying my things?

Ushering me first into the comfort of his car and sitting right next to me afterward, made me more uncomfortable. This had become more personal, I thought, having me in his car. If his sudden appearance and his presence overwhelmed me, his next move stunned me further.

"Easternville Block 7, 10th house," Sean said, instructing his personal driver where to go. It was the address of my new place. How did he know about it? Is he stalking on me?

I stole a glance at him, but I met his amused smile instead. I was tall, but he was still much taller than me that I had to tilt my head back to be able to see his face.

"I already expected that you would confront him first thing after your shift. So, I planned to wait outside, in case he would be violent. However, I did not expect that it would end up easier."

I gazed at him tongue-tied. He seemed to know so much about my private life. I did not say a word, but I knew he followed my eyes as I glanced at the driver. I would never start a scene with another unwanted audience, especially his driver. He nodded and smiled, giving me that tender look again.

The rest of the short trip was silent. The moment the driver pulled to a stop in front of my gate, I did not have to invite Sean into the house because he carried all my bags. His driver followed next, bringing what seemed like boxes of food. Sean took it from him and placed it at my dining table. And contrary to what I expected, I heard Sean dismissed his driver and the latter left, leaving Sean and me alone with each other.

"Can we have breakfast first?"

I glanced at the boxes on top of the table and smiled. "Thanks for bringing it, Sean. You must have expected that I have nothing here except water."

"I know. That's why I also bought some instant foods and beverages." I stood gaping at what he said, but he stepped closer and hovered over me--chuckling while placing a hand at my shoulder. Dear skies, I felt I could faint at any moment. I had never felt this way with Eric.

I got an excuse to get away from him as I suggested to open the boxes and spread the food on the plates. I also heated the cups of coffee he bought before mixing up the cream and sugar for the two of us. Sean sat across me, and we started eating our breakfast silently. I was about to sip my coffee when a hand grabbed mine that was holding the cup. I looked up with a puzzled expression.

"You have to sleep well. No coffee before sleeping." I held my breath for a second, as I felt my heartbeats racing. I didn't need the caffeine anyway. His presence was enough to boost my energy.

ama, an island in the southwest region of Philippine territory. The source of the virus was still unknown, but the epidemic started in this place. Being a famous destination swarmed by tourists from all over the world, this place's status had caused the fast spread of the virus to more than 300 countries worldwide. It then led to more than a thousand deaths in the Philippines alone, forcing retailers and travel operators to close stores, cancel flights, cruises, and warn investors about the inevitable financial crisis. To prevent the spread of the virus, thousands of people across the world had been placed in quarantine, especially tourists from the Sama Islands and those they had close contact with.

My thoughts were still on those infected children and those quarantined travelers when a friend of mine, who was also a resident physician, appeared in the doorway.

"Red, have you saved a box for your family?" she asked, and through her worried looks, I could tell that she was also concerned about the shortage of masks.

I shrugged my shoulders off and stretched out my palms open. "Duh! Our existing infectious diseases here are more threatening than that. We don't even wear masks all the time even if we know that 70% of the air we breathe contains Mycobacterium tuberculosis."

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the species of pathogenic bacteria that also appeared as a serious worldwide health problem. It is an airborne bacteria, causing an infectious disease that primarily affects the lung.

"Yes, it's true. Our measles outbreak was also deadly, but since this infection is a worldwide threat now, we should also take precautions, especially if we have children and elderlies in the house. School administrators even require children to wear masks."

As soon as my friend left, I leaned my head on the backrest and closed my eyes. The caffeine in my third cup of coffee no longer did its task in keeping me awake. I still had a few hours to complete before I could finally leave and spend the rest of my day off.

Just when I drifted into sleep, having vivid dreams about the earlier events in my duty, a frightened voice, and a hand that shook my shoulders vigorously, woke me up. I opened my eyes but gathered my brows right away, hoping to show her that a simple tap could wake me up. I was sure I did not sleep well because I just had a caffeine boost in my system.