Butterfly's year

45. Ultimatum

I arrived at the university just in time. I changed my shoes on the run, and I was putting on my lab coat while running up the stairs, just to make it on time and not attract the lecturer's attention.

I made it at the last moment. The lecturer was just approaching the group of students as I was quickly buttoning up my white lab coat, trying to tame my windswept hair.

– Is that a men's shirt? – Diana asked as I tried to look like I wasn't out of breath from the frantic run up the stairs. – Was the date with Alex that good?

– I barely made it through the end – I said truthfully, adjusting my coat to make it look neatly buttoned.

Diana looked at me as if I had just told her I was pregnant with her boyfriend's baby, but she didn't comment, for which I was immensely grateful.

Then it occurred to me that I had taken this shirt without asking. So I pulled out my phone from my pocket and quickly typed a text message.

Paulina: I borrowed one of your shirts in exchange for the turtleneck you tore yesterday.

– Texting during class? – I heard a male voice right behind me.

Startled, I turned around. The cardiologist leading the class was standing next to me.

– Boyfriend? – he asked in a surprisingly carefree tone for the situation.

– I don't have a boyfriend – I replied automatically.

The lecturer, whose name and academic title had long evaporated from my mind, smiled at me indulgently.

– Casual acquaintances are interesting too – he muttered understandingly and patted me kindly on the shoulder. – Finish up your message. But don't let it happen again. We're here to learn – he added with a roguish sparkle in his eye, which ruined the whole menacing effect.

As confused as my roommate, I watched the professor walk away and couldn't utter a word. But before I had fully grasped what had just happened, the man signaled the whole group to follow him, so I went along with the others, erasing the strange incident from my mind.

I quickly sent the message, then made sure my phone was on „do not disturb" mode and buried it deep in my lab coat pocket, promising myself I wouldn't take it out for the entire duration of the class, not even to check the time. Only four hours later, when I stood on the other side of the hospital's entrance doors, did I take it in hand and read a message from Victor.

Victor: No problem, Snowflake. You can keep it permanently :* I'll strip it off you tonight...

I looked at the text and hesitated for a moment. Meeting him tonight? That sounded very tempting, but...

Paulina: I've already made plans with Alex.

Victor: So you two are still seeing each other?

I looked at the message critically. What did he mean by still? Nothing had changed since yesterday. I think...

Paulina: Why wouldn't I see him? I saw him yesterday too. Maybe we can meet tomorrow?

Without waiting for a reply, which wasn't my priority now, I jumped on my motorcycle and rushed to the hospital where my mom was now.

I didn't check incoming messages before entering the ward. I left my phone in my bag and only about an hour and a half later, after seeing my mom, questioning the doctor, and extracting a promise from Tommy that he wouldn't take his eyes off her until she was discharged, did I take the smartphone in hand.

Victor's message had come almost immediately after mine, and when I read it, my heart froze for a moment and then started racing dangerously.

Victor: You know what? Go wherever you want with whomever you want. I don't have the patience for this anymore. I'm not interested in knowing a girl who doesn't even know what she wants. Good luck in life. Have fun at someone else's expense.

I stared at the message, unable to believe my eyes. I immediately dialed Victor's number, but he didn't answer. I called again, and still nothing. On the third attempt, the call was rejected, and I had no doubt that his message was absolutely serious.

Something heavy and cold sank to the pit of my stomach, and my heart raced. What was happening? He couldn't just walk out of my life like that. Not now. I needed him now. And he needed me. He wanted me. And we were friends. Friends don't just disappear from each other's lives like that. He couldn't distance himself from me like Filip did. Not now.

I looked around in panic. I felt that at that very moment, the person I didn't even know how to define in my life, or how I fit into his, was slipping away from me with every second I couldn't reach him. For some reason, this plunged me into a state of mild panic that intensified dangerously fast.