If the heaven allows LingOrm

ITHA 3

Surprisingly, after that coffee “date,” a week had passed without them seeing each other. No texts, calls, or anything. And guess what? It drove Maeve to the brink of never-ending loneliness. A week of constantly looking far ahead, not caring for her surroundings. Whenever someone talked to her, she was shocked because her focus wasn't on the present time but rather on her future, which is Olivia.

It wasn't clear why there seemed to be that distance after that day, but to Maeve, it was clear as day: she missed Olivia, and she was going to get her to notice her one way or another.

A big declaration indeed.

Now what? Maeve thought. She was in front of the hospital where Olivia worked but barely inside. She contemplated, blood rushing to her cheeks as rationality caught up with her. Why would she be acting like a deprived girlfriend when they were still clearly strangers in each other's lives?

But I have all the time in the world to know her! But what if she thinks I'm being nosy? Or weird? Or is she avoiding me, perhaps?

Thoughts about Olivia ran through her mind like a free-flowing river. Unaware of her surroundings, Maeve had no idea that a certain doctor—who occupied her train of overthinking—was just standing in front of her, eyebrows knitted, curious about what was happening to Maeve, who looked like a malfunctioning toy in front of a hospital holding a bag of food.

“But what if? She...she...”

“Maeve...?”

“She can't be right? I mean, uhm...”

“Maeve!”

A jolted Maeve had Olivia stifling a laugh. The younger girl seemed too engrossed in her thoughts that when she heard her name, she quickly looked up with tears threatening to fall at any second. Upon seeing the teary-eyed girl, Olivia panicked. She didn't know what to do, hesitant to go near Maeve, who was just standing still but now having small, light hiccups from trying to stop herself from crying.

“Maeve... Don't cry, darling, hmm? What's wrong? And why are you...here?”

Upon hearing Olivia's voice, and most importantly her question, that's when Maeve burst out crying. Like a child deprived of all the sweets in the world, she was upset by Olivia's question. It was as if she was the only one feeling the longing she had been dwelling on for a week. It felt unfair to her.

“You.”

“Me?” The clueless doctor tried to get near the now-sobbing girl but was stopped by a hand on her chest.

“Don't come any closer or I'll throw hands, Olivia.”

“Wait, what did I do? Am I the reason you're that upset? Maeve?”

She couldn't believe it. Maeve couldn't comprehend how dense the doctor must be—the audacity to ask! She was furious; she wanted to grab Olivia by the neck and kiss her senselessly in front of this huge hospital, but of course, she refrained from doing so. That would be a big scandal for the doctor if that happened. Let's save that for later, Maeve thought.

“You dense, angel-looking doctor. You basically ghosted me!”

“Maeve, tone it down. Please allow me to explain?”

“Oh, now you're explaining?”

“Come here, let's talk in my office, darling.”

Olivia didn't even let her decide; she just grabbed her inside, heading to a private elevator and pressing the highest floor number.

The inside of the private elevator screamed awkwardness. The younger girl, behind the older one, was throwing daggers, while the older one could definitely feel those murderous stares but chose to ignore them. The elevator stopped at the very top floor—the penthouse. It was spacious, leaving Maeve in awe. She didn't know how big the doctor's position was in the hospital until she saw this space right in front of her.

“Get in, Maeve... Set yourself comfortably. Do you want something? To drink or to eat?”

“You.”

“Hu? What is it again?”

“Nothing. I'm good, don't bother yourself with anything.”

“I see... I'll just inform my secretary to cancel something, then we'll talk?”

“Hmm.”

Olivia heard. If she didn't, she wouldn't be blushing like a teenager while walking out of the room. She was bewildered to see the younger girl in front of her workplace, but more so when she cried. She knew she had done something wrong—maybe the no-contact part after their coffee “date.”

The phone call was quick. Olivia came back with some refreshments but was surprised when she saw Maeve sleeping on her big bean bag. The girl was sleeping so peacefully, maybe due to her crying, that Olivia couldn't help but sigh. She was drawn to Maeve's carefree attitude, but at the same time, she wasn't. She didn't understand what those feelings were, which was why she had been avoiding her.

Olivia came close to Maeve, tucking a loose hair behind the sleeping girl's ear, but Maeve moved her face so close to Olivia that the older woman almost forgot how to breathe.

“Are you avoiding me?” a question Olivia didn't see coming, from a supposedly sleeping girl.

“I'm not, Maeve.”

“Liar. You're not very good at it, you know?”

“You think?”

“This is pointless; I should get going now. By the way, I cooked that food I brought—eat it if you want.”

“Maeve, wait!”

“What!? What now? I'll just leave; you'll keep lying anyway.”

“Okay, I'm sorry! I won't lie. Just... just stay. Please?”

You know how to keep me in the palm of your hand; you know just the right words to make me stay, Olivia. Of course, I'll stay. That's what Maeve thought. What can she do? She basically liked the woman in front of her.

The two of them settled on the couch. Awkward silence enveloped the room; no one dared to talk. Olivia fidgeted with her fingers, low-key scared of the way Maeve was waiting for her long-overdue speech.

“You see... I didn't mean to ghost you, as you said. It's just that I'm torn.”

“About what? Tell me; I'm all ears.”

“About the little things you made me feel. It's something I'm not accustomed to.”

“Ohhh... Olivia.”

“I know. Aside from that, I've also been too busy; the hospital needs my attention. I'm basically running the whole thing, if you're not aware.”

“You big shot, girly. I appreciate you being honest about all this. But I'm still mad at you for ignoring me.”

“I'll make it up to you, then. Let's have some coffee at the place I took you last time. It's on me.”

“That place again? Hmm, okay! You treat me to anything I like, then.”

“Anything you like, darling.”

Darling. She's been calling me darling ever since she saw me today. Does she know how terrible my heart feels already? I'm about to burst here! Take responsibility, you God-sent beautiful woman!

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