No Reason But Us

Chapter 63 : Prevent or Protect

Three days passed, and it became worrisome. Three days felt like years when Oddey was still not awake, and loved ones were getting on edge, yet still hoping that she would come out of the deep sleep.

Leon had not been resting and had just stayed in the hospital. Also, he had not been going to the office or at least worked for a while, too, to make designs for his elite clients. Nothing was more important than his daughter.

Although Eva took care of everything, even though she was just as distraught over the girl who treated her like her own, after seeing the state of her fiancé, she needed to be his rock.

The friends, Rita and Felix, could not visit since they had a lot to do for school. They were hoping that Oddey was already well and everything was back to normal, so they could hang out again. Being in the university was not the same anymore without their artsy pal tagging along with the couple.

Rita missed having her bestie and roommate with her. The dorm room just felt so big and very quiet. She missed going to the art room, chatting with Oddey about everything while she painted. The laughter and secrets they shared felt like they never happened.

Felix also missed having a dear friend like Oddey. A more reliable human being to be around than his two friends combined. However, after confiding in Gage about their friendship towards one another, it had improved. Still, in his books, Oddey was a better friend. He missed the support she gave towards anything, asking her for paint, and used her brush for his clay.

As for Gage, he could not stop looking at his phone to wait for Eva to text him. There were messages that he sent, asking for any updates about his Juliet. There were responses, just not much news that Oddey was getting better. He still intended to see her in person. It just didn't seem possible after last time.

In class and practice, he kept checking for any notifications. Even a small vibration, he would take it out from his pocket, too, if it was from Eva. Nothing. No other news had appeared on his screen.

He would do that while also rehearsing in the auditorium. The theatre club people were saddened that their absentee members were in such a state. They knew that it was Gage's father who was responsible, though good thing, nobody dissed him about it.

Most of them missed Oddey, especially the set and prop designers. They loved working with her since she made work fun for them and admired how great a leader she was to them without being bossy about it.

Then there was Madame Vestia. She had to look strong in front of the students because on the inside, she was also in pain that her favorite art major was not sick, but in a coma. The professor missed how passionate Oddey was in her field and how she loved to express herself in her classes. It felt like the heart of the art studies, ripped off from them, and thrown cruelly.

Of course, the only person who did not miss her was Courtney. Hearing the members talking about Oddey annoyed her, and that includes her two friends. She did not know what was worse, the art student's existence or being absent. Either way, it just sowed a seed of agitation in her.

As for Gage, school had not been easy for him. He checked his phone a lot to see if Eva had texted him, even though he was in his classes and rehearsal in the auditorium. The guy could not help but get anxious every time his phone buzzed, and it was not from the person he wanted to hear from.

It was practice time again in the auditorium, while the professor directed the other actors for a different scene. Gage and Courtney were rehearsing privately by the seats, reading out loud their lines from the script.

"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near the day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark. That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear. Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree: Believe me, love, it was the nightingale," Courtney recited.