A PURPLE DESIRE

A HEART ON FIRE

"This was not supposed to happen. It was definitely not what I had planned. Where did this all go wrong? How could I have been so terribly stupid?"

Frank spoke to himself.

Meeting Lea tonight was a mistake he shouldn't have made. He could have accomplished so much more if he had stayed in his office and not wasted his time by coming to see her.

As Frank paced back and forth in the room, he glanced at his wristwatch to check the time, only to realize that it was already 9 o'clock in the evening. Three hours had slipped by without him even noticing. Suddenly, Lea stirred from her earlier unconscious state, her eyes fluttering open as she regained consciousness.

"Where am I?" Lea's first word.

"Frank, you still here?" she inquired while observing Frank with clarity. As she shifted her gaze to the left. She was reclining, her right foot bound with a strap.

Ever since their last encounter four years ago, she had noticed only subtle alterations in his physical appearance. The most prominent change was the emergence of fine lines around his expressive eyes, which added a touch of maturity to his overall appearance. Furthermore, his once flowing, jet-black hair had been transformed into a cropped, shorter style, which took her by surprise as it was not a familiar sight to him.

"Oh shit, I have to go.." Leah said.

She's doing alright. She was simply complaining about the mild discomfort from the wound on her leg. She made a slow effort to stand up.

Frank was merely observing her, and said, "You should have informed me from the start about your foot injury. Did you know that I don't have time for this?"

"I'm sorry..." Lea said.

She came to the realization that Frank had done everything that was necessary for her at that moment. Moreover, she was fully aware of the immense effort Frank had put into healing her wound.

Lea settled herself on the edge of the bed, inhaling deeply to gather her strength. With determination, she gingerly attempted to put weight on her injured foot. A sharp pang of pain shot through her, and she could sense the warm trickle of blood seeping from beneath her skin.

"Are you going home?" Frank asked her as he looked after Lea, who took her shouldered bag from the adjacent table.

"Yes, I have to go..." Lea answered softly.

"Alright. I guess you will be alright."

"Thank you Frank,"

Lea glanced at him after uttering those words, but she couldn't help but notice that Frank's expression was different this time. Unlike before, when every encounter with Frank seemed to brighten up his surroundings, now he appeared distant and unhappy. Frank had always been the one to add color to her life, his kindness and infectious smile inspired her to dream big and strive for the best possible future.

But Lea stopped in her deep thoughts when Frank asked her again.

"For what?"

"For bringing me here to the clinic."

"I am not the one who brought you here, it's my driver," Frank replied.

Lea couldn't help but notice the seriousness etched on his face, as his words lacked any trace of gentleness. It dawned on her that perhaps Frank harbored genuine animosity towards her ever since she walked away. It became evident that he was merely using the excuse of his driver's name to justify his actions.

"Ah, Frank can you....." Lea stopped when Frank continued to speak, as her voice was drowned out by Frank's sudden speech.

"Head over to the reception counter and have a conversation with your physician regarding any concerns or questions you may have about your health. Additionally, please be aware that there is a nominal fee that has been applied to your account. Kindly settle this payment before you leave the clinic to ensure that all administrative matters are taken care of smoothly." Frank's words seemed to be like an order, while Lea remained silent and looked at him.

Lea found herself instantly captivated by Frank's gaze as soon as he uttered the word. It felt as though the word held a mysterious power over her, compelling her to pay attention. For a brief moment, she was completely taken aback, unable to tear her eyes away from Frank's intense stare.

Frank, you've really changed! Lea reminded herself. Then she attempted to tell him,

"F. Frank... "

Lea cannot communicate properly with him. Because Frank spoke quickly as if avoiding everything she wanted to say, in short, maybe Frank just didn't want to hear anything from her side. And out of the blue Frank immediately went out of the room, shut the door and lost his sight.

"It's getting late, and I should probably head home," she finally managed to say.

Lea discreetly peeked out of the car window, intrigued by the discussion that had transpired over the past hour. Her mind was consumed with thoughts about the questionable topic that Frank had brought up.

Upon casting her eyes outside, she was met with the sight of relentless rainfall, cascading down with such intensity that it swiftly enveloped the entire ground.

Upon Lea's exit from the car, she was confused to see the group of individuals affiliated with the local fire protection department, as well as several social media influencers capturing images and footage of the residential building. The loud revving of motorbikes and cars added to the commotion in the area.

As Lea approached the gate, she initially felt taken aback by the unexpected gathering. However, her astonishment quickly turned to horror as her eyes widened in shock at the scene unfolding before her.

"Andrie!" Lea shouted.

Even though she used to walk slowly because of her wounded feet, now she is running more than her normal speed.

"Sorry ma'am, you are not allowed to enter."

One of the firemen attempts to stop her. Now when she looks again, a large part of the south wing of the building where she's living is currently consumed by fire.

"I need to go to check my unit!" Leah insisted.

"You can enter the building once the fire is gone. For now, it is under our control," the fireman said. But Lea's reactions screamed in the loudest voice that she could release.

"Please let me go...!"

But the man didn't agree with that. So Leah finds a way to reach her unit.