Rogue (Zayn Malik)

Chapter 20: Weak

Your capability of enduring pain makes you stronger, Anya.

"So as we know with the changing trends in the medical field.-"

Don't give up. Don't think about the throbbing pain in the balls of your feet. Not now.

"We have this product designed especially to cater the needs of patients that have newly recovered-"

Yes, you go girl. I'm proud of you. Just a moment longer and you can go dip them in a hot water tub.

"As I stand here now concluding this presentation, all I can say is that this product, it's a breakthrough. A huge deal for medical sciences-"

Twenty minutes and a real time product functioning display later, I was free. Not just from the seminar which I had ending up attending without a chair and making the mistake of wearing high heeled stilettos to work, I felt freedom right from my toes to my brain.

"These frigging shoes will be the death of me." I had the right to complain, okay? Just like anybody else. And if someone were to say why do women even wear this stuff if it's so painful.

Let me put my hand on their shoulder and look deep into their eyes and say, there's a price for beauty.

"Aren't they all?" Sofia, with an f, yeah, commented. "It's a shame because they look fabulous."

"I know." We were in the lounge, joined by a dozen more, easing off our brains from the so called breakthrough in medical sciences seminar. There wasn't anything new in it, they were just using heavy words to lure us.

"Anything special today?" Sofia handed me a glass of coffee from the coffee machine installed in the lounge, the one that's called poison-brewer all over the hospital but at a time like this, it doesn't hurt as much as the straining muscles.

"Thanks." I took the hot styrofoam cup into my hands, smiling at her. "Nothing, actually. They were gathering dust in my closet." I laughed off hiding the fact I just wanted to feel good about myself. Last night's fight left me feeling a little guilty and sad.

"Nothing wrong in that." She's a girl.

She understood.

Bleep! Bleep!

There goes my phone again.

"Hey, El." I picked up hearing her sigh on the other end.

"No, Niall. Not that one--Shoot." I heard a crash noise. "Watch out." She shrieked. They were both a bunch of clumsy peeps; and distracted. "Oh, Anya? Hey. How are you?"

"Good. All okay? What'd Niall do?"

"Knocked down a seventy-five dollar vase." It was a typical Ellie-just-rolled-her-eyes tone. "You don't have to tell the whole world." Niall yelled. "It's Anya."

"Are you calling me to make me listen to you two bicker?"

"No, no." And Niall could be heard mumbling again. "Listen, you free in the afternoon?"

I glanced at the wall-clock in the room.

"I get off on break in two hours. Meet you at The Cheesecake Factory?" They had the most delicious cheesecake in the area around my hospital.

"Great. I'll see you."

***

I wasn't too hungry to make plans for a proper lunch at the restaurant but by the time I got off duty, I got Ellie's text asking me to meet her at the The Blue Ranch.

"But I wanted that cheesecake."

Ellie was sitting, alone at a table meant for four, and I joined her immediately depositing my shoulder bag on the floor.