To Infinity and Beyond

Dreadful Surprises

Alice's POV
One month later

"You are thirty minutes late. You know how I hate waiting for you every single time, and yet you never learn. I have an appointment in precisely forty-five mins from now, so you will have to hurry up..."

"Well well.. hello to you too, Alice!" He chuckled as he took a seat opposite me, "you know you look adorable when you are mad like this." He nudged the tip of my nose, turning it into a darker shade of red as if my rambling had zero effect on him. As always.

"Cut it, Chris! You just love annoying me, don't you?" He winked in response making me roll my eyes and then addressed the server to bring him his usual mocha.

"Obviously I love annoying you, Alice. You are one hell of a cry baby!" He teased.

Gradually enough, after bouts of banter, we were both sipping our coffees in peace. That's when a fierce wave of nostalgia hit my gut, causing my frail heart to sink deeper. How I loved my coffee in Mark's company. The moment his memory crossed my head, the sooner I shoved it back, bringing my attention back on Chris. I tried to address my worries without giving too much thought to anything, rather anyone else.

"So, any update on the situation? Any news?" My cautious eyes met Chris' intense brown ones.

"Nothing. Silence. Pure silence. Maybe we scared him away for good. You should learn to relax a bit."

"No, I don't think he gets scared that easily, Chris. What if he is planning something big? We cannot let our guards down. Please, make sure we do our due diligence.." I pleaded but before I could complete, Chris cut me off. He held my hand from across the table and squeezed it gently

"Of course Alice, I am hot on his trail. He must have figured about us by now, and he knows who I am. We will strike the moment he makes a move, I promise."

Letting a sigh of relief, I nodded in agreement.

"Thanks a lot, Chris. You have no idea what this means to me, I don't know what would I do without you."

"You don't have to do without me, Alice. I am here for you always." His smile returned to his face, boring deep dimples on his cheeks as he continued to sip his coffee. The rest of the conversation flew seamlessly. Time sped whenever Chris was with me, and soon enough we both had to head back to our respective work.

Chris was one of a kind. Sorted and mature, yet a kid at the same time. His presence had grown on me in the past couple of weeks, and I would be forever grateful for all he was doing for me.

***

As I entered the hospital, I was quickly followed by my new assistant to my cabin.

"Alice, you got three more appointments for the day. Also,  some new interns have joined the department and you are in charge of onboarding them." He mentioned all my priority tasks in one go and handed me my very busy schedule for the week. My new assistant, Bran, was both organized and professional, but yet he wasn't Elsie. Nobody could replace my crazy friend and ex-assistant who was now working as a Student Counsellor at one of the most elite elementary schools in town.
Even though I felt proud of her achievements, yet I always missed her company, especially at work. I decided to make time and meet her this week.

Nodding and dispersing Bran, I quickly took my phone and dropped Elsie a message to meet me for lunch tomorrow. Her reply came almost immediately, and she agreed by giving me a place and time. The way things turned up, I have learnt the hard way to treasure and value the handful of people left in my life. Never ever was I taking anything for granted again.

The rest of the day went by in a wink. It was almost evening, and the weather was getting chilly. The shades of sky resembled that of a mysterious canvas, and it was evident that the winters were soon approaching. I parked my car in my driveway, and headed for my apartment. Before I took the elevator, I checked my mailbox for any dreadful surprises. Holding my breath, I opened the box and thankfully found it to be empty. Relieved, I stepped into the elevator.

The night was solemn and the corridor stood in pin-drop silence. I was about to open my apartment's door, when suddenly my phone's ringtone blared in through the empty space, scaring me to death.

I hurried inside and searched my purse to answer the call. I instantly calmed down as I saw Britney's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey, Britney!" I answered while throwing my bag on the couch and putting on the lobby lights.

"Hey, Alice! Are you home yet?"

"Yes, I just got in! Are you prepping for your dinner party still?" Britney had one of her routine get-togethers with her gang at her place, and like a routine now, I gave it a pass.

"Are you sure you won't be able to make it? Max says he can come to pick you up?" Both, her tone and words were hesitant.

"We cannot keep going over the same conversation, again and again, Britney. You know why I don't want to come." I heard her sigh on the other end.

"Come on Alice, you two will face each other someday. You cannot keep dodging meeting us like this.."

"I ain't dodging anything. Plus, all your friends hate me. You know they blame me for everything."

"No. Not all, at least. Jake asks about you every now and then."

"He is perhaps the only one who cares and I regard him highly for that, but the rest.."

"The rest will come around too. They don't know anything about you, all they know is how Mark is hurting and it's hard for them to understand." Britney retorted.

"I get it. And maybe I kind of deserve all this too. But I just need time, Britney. Please understand."

"I do sis. And I love you. Just take good care of yourself."

"I will. Love you too. Now get back to your party while I make a futile attempt at cooking some dinner for myself." Both of us chuckled at my culinary expertise, and further, after a small exchange, dropped the phone.

I did my chores and slumped on my bed to call it an early night. My mind wandered off for some time. Mainly contemplating how I was convinced that love was jinxed for me. For the sake of everyone's safety and happiness, I had embraced my reality wholeheartedly, and somehow it didn't bring hurt anymore. In fact, I felt at peace. After all, not everything was meant for everyone.