Med Romance

Chapter 3

Akira

It's already been a month since I've been working at this shithole. The place itself is beautiful and the girls aren't so bad themselves but it's the rules which grate on my nerves. Esme is a dream. She's been with me every step of the way and helped me whenever I needed it. I have told her about mom and dad's divorce and all the tea about my school and in return I know literally everything about her by now.

She seems distant and cold whereas she's actually a softie by heart like those people who look like they might kill you but actually are a cinnamon roll. I know for a fact that she hates vanilla ice-cream but loves vanilla cupcakes which I have tried to bring every day for her from Laura's because the headmaster doesn't allow for sweet delicacies inside the faculty. Asshole. I've managed to sneak them in everytime but I guess I managed it only because Alex paid the guard to ease the process. He drops me off here everyday even though I can drive and simply glares at me when I state the aforementioned.

Anyways, the whole 'Charity work' isn't so bad. It's tolerable and I mainly have to do the menial tasks like arranging the books in the bookshelves or teach the little girls and sometimes I even manage the e-portal. I've also discovered for a fact that this place isn't what it seems too. The girls are always jumpy, sometimes they would yelp or even run away when I'd offer help or they would simply glare at me like I had asked them for a kidney or liver. Initially I thought that they were uncomfortable with having an outsider in their safe place but now I've realised that they're plain weird and grouchy.

As I now walk through the iron gates and the perfectly manicured garden, I notice atleast a dozen guards on either sides adjacent to the boundary wall. I frown and quicken my pace when the clouds roll and thunder with the signal of incoming storm. The thumping of my bag echoes in the silent entryway and I look around for Magda, the old woman who always sits at the reception desk. The woman herself is a spitfire having grey hair with rainbow highlights curled and styled exceptionally everyday. She also has a nose ring, a tattoo on her neck from her adulting days as she likes to say and loves to threaten to beat me with her umbrella which she carries with her regardless of the weather.

"Magda?" I call out. No answer. I carry on, the clacking of my doc martens echoing in the dreary silence.

I move through the circular archway which subtends to the bunks for the girls. The left hand side is for the teenagers whereas the rooms on the right hand side is for the girls falling in the age group from 12 to 15. I pass all the rooms and turn right until I reach an isolated hallway with only one suite and knock on the door. I can still hear whispers and occasional yelp and giggles coming from behind other doors signalling that the girls have a holiday from their daily duties.

"Esme?" I knock a bit loudly. It's weird that every girl in the orphanage has to share their quarters but Esme has her own private suite and washroom. When I've said this to her the other day she had closed off and left me in the library without any explanation. I had been confused but had apologised to her for offending her and she had just shrugged at me and told me not to worry about it. As if her non - answer and abrupt departure would not make me worry.

I try the knob and on finding it unlocked, open the door. I grimace at the loud creak and look around. It's the millionth time I have entered her room and every single time I've grimaced from the loud noise. Esme found it funny, saying that my face literally spares no inner thoughts even if I don't voice them. I pass the spacey kitchen with bare minimum - a stove, microwave and a small refrigerator which barely reaches my waist but is big enough to not call it a mini refrigerator.

Esme's room itself is bare of an expression and she is literally the most passionate person I've ever met. If given the chance, I would paint her room sage green (her favourite colour) and add some Harry Styles posters (she is obsessed with him) on the wall along with fairie lights (she's always wanted a room with lots of lights) and a bookshelf with tons of books.

But her room itself is neat and very...sterile. I knock on the hardwood door and open it and release a relieved breath when I find her lying on the bed.
I walk towards her and sit beside her on her bed.

"Look at what I've brought today. Blueberry cupcakes and cold coffee!" I say cheerily and tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

She opens her eyes and I freeze. A chill crawls it's way across my spine. Her eyes are haunting. I've always found her eyes either flat or dead but this month have brought a light in them. But now they're as dead as a rotten corpse. Shit. I've always been an idiot, never knowing when to shut my big mouth. Her eyes are so swollen and red I frown and wonder how she's even able to see me. Her lips are bitten and even seep blood due to her incessant biting.

"What's wrong?" I lean in and she jumps away from me.

"Don't touch me!" She shouts and cowers away from me like a terrified animal. I get up from the bed and raise my hands to comfort her. I know that Esme has her demons just like I have but both of us have respected our own personal choices to never discuss them. I am to blame for that partly because I've never let anyone in on my trauma and knowing that Esme herself has been through so much herself, I didn't want to add more baggage for her. I've never broached the subject of her demons and she's done the same courtesy to me. But her behaviour, her dead eyes and the tremor in her whole body is scary the freaking shit out of me.

"It's me. Akira. You're fine." I slowly walk towards her end of the bed and she shivers the closer I approach her. I slowly wrap my arms around her and she falls into me like she's been starving for contact. Her arms crush me like a vise and I crush her equally hard as sobs take over her entire body. I rub her back in soothing circles and whisper words in her ear as she cries on my shoulder.

"Let it out. You're not alone, Esme. You're not fine right now but you will be. I promise." She shudders and I realise a second later that I'm crying along with her. If I could manage, I would have laughed at myself for crying when I didn't even know what I was crying for. But seeing Esme break has somehow broken some part of me right along with her. I don't know how much time has passed but eventually her sobs turn into cries which turns into hiccups and all through it I keep her close to me and stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry." She sniffs and pushes away from me and I quickly wipe away my tears and concentrate on the bright light of the lamp to erase any traces of them.

"You never have to be sorry for showing emotions."

"No, I just sort of threw my emotions at you." She snorts and gives a watery laugh and I shake my head.

"You can throw anything at me and I'm pretty sure I can take it." I smile when her beautiful eyes soften. I clasp her hand between both of mine. "You don't have to tell me what happened but I want to tell you that I'm here anytime you want me. Though I would prefer you tell me who's hurt you so that I can go and shoot him myself."

Her eyes widen and she gives a disbelieving laugh. "You're joking, right?"

"Right." I say drily and anyone without hearing aids can notice the sarcasm in my voice. "I do know how to shoot and I'm sure Alex will help me bury the body. So you don't have to worry about anything. All you need to do is give me a name." Though a part of me is worried that if Alex knew about this mental breakdown, he himself will go and shoot the person responsible and then shoot himself so that he'll never have to admit for caring for Esme. Or anyone. Fucker.

"I'll be here for you, you know?" I lean back so that I am lying facing towards Esme.

"Promise?" I lean back and look at the childish hope and doubt on her face.

"I promise."