Custom Made For You

Chapter 69- Nice Number But Seriously, What?

  "Chill, I'm not dead yet, am I?" Airi rolled her eyes, bringing up her cup of warm water to her crusty dry lips. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Actually, what doesn't kill you would just give you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and really dark humour," Vastel chided, eyes fixing dead on Ceb.

Ceb didn't seem to acknowledge Vastel's gaze, even if she did, she didn't seem to care. She stood in the corner she had been standing the day before, this time in a layered gradient one piece dress, the red matched her makeup perfectly in such a way that the dress almost looked custom made for her. (Ceb definitely has better taste than Vastel, and that's a fact.) She appeared to pay no mind to whatever was being said, not bothering to look up from her phone.

"Why are you here anyway? Didn't I ask Lulu here to get you after work? You left at least an hour early, if you're here right now. What the hell, Kaiser?" Airi pointed her cup at both Luzien and I, the look of betrayal written all over her face. She might be sick, but her sass was still over the top and seemed to look very much not sick.

"Uh, good question. I sort of made him get me here? It's kinda not his fault?" I gave her the most unconvincing casual smile.

She rested her face on her index finger and her thumb. "Sort of? Kinda? Tol, seriously? I know that you totally made him. The real question is, how did you know that I'm awake? He wasn't supposed to tell you that he was here, it was supposed to be a surprised!"

"I bet he could smell, what we call, the hospital smell. It's obvious, just so you know," Vastel shrugged, casually flipping through the papers a clipboard he picked up from the table to right of Airi's medical bed. "Considering how close these two might get."

Air raised her eyebrows in my direction. "Well?"

"Uh," I avoided her burning questioning stare. "Let's just say yes? It's not his fault though."

"I swear, Tol, if you get into trouble with Adro for this, I will kill both of you. You're gonna get a promotion and we all know it depends on the manager if you get the promotion," she sighed.

"He'll be fine," Luzien spoke up. "I told Adro about the situation and she agreed to let Tolmer come, don't worry too much."

"Y-yeah, she asked you to get some rest before having to continue your work at home," I chimed in, trying to help.

"Did she say anything about my leaves?"

"She, um, said that your leaves are being used and no leaves once you leave the hospital."

Airi leaned back to her bed hard, a groan escaping her. (I honestly felt her pain here.) 

Vastel leaned towards her, asking, "What are you going to do about your mothe-"

Really big mistake.

"She's not my mother anymore, we have no relationship whatsoever. Do not link me with that woman, I would like to live the rest of my life without a mother like her," her tone froze the entire hospital.

Vastel held up his hands, backing away from her very slowly. "Okay, my bad for asking."

Poor guy was probably just curious. Then again, curiosity kills the cat. Or, he was doing it on purpose, I would literally never know. He always seemed to have something behind all his actions.

"When can I leave again?" Airi asked with an eerily monotonous voice I had not heard in a long time. My heart sank knowing that she would probably never bring up what had happen, killing all ways to talk to her about it and attempts to help her.

"Tomorrow. I'll go back to work now, so you guys just talk or something. Try not to kill each other. Ceb, we gotta go," Vastel returned the clipboard to its original position, before dragging Ceb out with him. Muffled cries of protest could be heard from inside the room once the door was shut.

Luzien looked at me with concern, as if for confirmation that my sister was alright. I looked back at him with the same look, questioning what Vastel wanted her for. Neither of us had the answer to each other's query.

"Oh, gods, just stop, both of you. You're literally not the only person here," Airi waved her left hand slowly in front of us, cutting our eye contact. She poked Luzien on his back. "Lulu, buy me a drink would ya?"

He looked at her and let out an unwilling sigh, "Sure, patient."

Well, I wonder how much Airi had asked him to do before I got here.

"Tolmer, honey, you coming?" He asked, half of his body already out of the room.

I looked at Airi, a part of me knew she had something to say, "Nah, I'll stay here."

" 'Kay, keep Airi busy, yeah?" the rest of his body disappear, the door closing after him.

Airi smiled at me, "Heh, guess it's just the both of us now, huh."

It pained me to do so but I nodded.

"When are you moving? You accepted the offer, no?"

"Next week, maybe. I mean, by then it is the end of the month," I said, avoiding her eyes. I really didn't want to leave her, she's the person who had been taking care of me since what felt like forever.

"Okay, I guess this is a good time to tell you."

"Tell me?"

"I love you."

"I know, I love you too."

"Not as a friend, Tol."

What?