Their Parallel Universe ✓

Chapter 18

Childish. Hot-tempered. Snarky. That's the way he's always been with Eujae.

Amiable. Lighthearted. Kind of spoiled. That's the person he is to other people.

Chatty. Impassioned. A bit of a worrier. That's how he has known him as Ten-Ten.

He has seen him get flustered for a couple of reasons. Sometimes it's because of embarrassment; most of the time, it's because of annoyance.

Needless to say, Eujae has seen so many sides to Apollo that he can safely assume that the guy can be temperamental. He had even made him almost cry because of the kiss during the King's Game. Poll might have actually cried after running out of the room at that time, but it was out of anger that he acted that way.

It is different this time.

The tears that had threatened to fall were not of outrage but of fear. The expression that Poll made in the snack bar after receiving the call from his twin sister was something that Eujae had never seen from him before. The male Torres twin was so troubled, and it took some time for the other man to assuage his panic.

It was only when Eujae promised to bring him to the hospital on his motorbike, telling him it would be faster in the middle of the traffic, that he saw the anxiety in Poll's eyes start to abate. He then snatched Poll's stuff and thrust the laptop into the backpack that the guy had had a hard time unzipping, before grabbing his wrist and guiding him outside to where he'd parked his bike. Poll seemed shocked the entire time that Eujae had to put the helmet on him and say a few words of comfort before getting him to hop on his bike.

As Poll settled himself behind Eujae, the latter reached to his back to blindly take hold of his passenger's hand and put it around his middle. "You have to hold on to me," he explained, "I'll go max."

So go for the maximum speed limit, he did.

A few minutes before arriving at their destination, Eujae feels Poll's hold around his waist tighten. Still on edge, he suspects, as anyone would be if they heard that someone dear to them was brought to the hospital.

Immediately after Eujae stops his bike in the hospital parking lot, Poll alights and begins to fumble on the helmet's chinstrap.

"Let me," Eujae offers as soon as he removes his and then extends his hand to unfasten the strap of Poll's helmet.

Once it's off, Poll doesn't waste any seconds as he hastens out of the parking area and to the hospital building, without so much as expressing his gratitude to the other man.

Eujae follows him inside the building after securing the helmets to his motorcycle. Reaching the front desk, he asks, "Excuse me, Ma'am, may I know the room of patient Amelia Torres? She was brought here just a while ago due to fainting."

The female staff looks up at him curiously. "Someone just asked a minute ago. Aren't you with that boy?"

"We're together, yes, but..." Eujae responds with a hesitant smile. "The patient is his mother, and he was in a hurry so..."

The older woman returns his smile with an understanding one. "Oh, I get it. He did look so anxious. The patient is in the general ward, room three-oh-four. It's on the third floor." She motions to the right side with her hand.

With his eyes, Eujae follows the direction that the female attendant is pointing and realizes that she is gesturing at the elevator. When he turns back to the staff, he sees that she is still smiling, but there is a small regret in her eyes.

"Your friend made a dash out of here as soon as he heard the patient's room number and I didn't have the chance to tell him he could use the elevator. He took the stairs."