Midnight Smiles【COMPLETED】

Chapter 4: Fatherly bullshit

Natalie was hired by Mathew a year ago, which was the only good thing he did for Jake back then. After that, he pretty much let it all to Natalie to deal with. It was only recently that he would ask Natalie after every session about Jake's condition or call her from now and then when Jake's behavior was too unpredictable. The last time he called her was three days ago when Jake stayed outside the whole night and came back home only early in the morning, high as a kite, talking nonsense.

Now, Mathew was waiting behind the closed door of Natalie's office, where she and Jake were in the middle of the session.

Natalie was a middle-aged woman, with kind features and a soft voice that always gave Jake the impression of a children's storyteller. Jake was one of her favorite patients but also one of the most stubborn ones who just wouldn't even want to get better. This gave Natalie a headache.

"Your father said that you shouldn't stay outside until after midnight these days."

Jake didn't look at Natalie. He stared at a big painting hanging on the wall behind her. It was some abstract art that he never quite understood. The colors were a mess that always stirred him inside. The chaos of that painting made him uncomfortable for some reason.

"Mhmm."

"Where do you go?" Natalie patiently asked.

When she asked this question, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Jake's face that left Natalie stunned. The pale, handsome face of the young man sitting in front of her suddenly looked gentler. The smile, even though small, was too beautiful to the point it made people angry. His soft pink lips curved slightly upwards, his long eyelashes trembled... This face was made to smile, yet this was the first time Natalie had seen him do so.

Now Natalie got curious. What is it that made him have such an expression on his face?

But Jake didn't say anything.

With no other choice left, Natalie tried to approach him differently. "Have you found something that makes you happy?"

The smile on Jake deepened as he hummed a soft response. Then there was silence. Natalie deliberately didn't say anything, hoping that this silence would make him talk. Sure enough, her hopes weren't in vain.

"I have met someone."

The answer left Natalie stunned. What is this development? Unconsciously, she straightened her back and shifted in her chair. "New friend?"

Jake shook his head. "I haven't seen her for a long time."

So it is a "she"?

Okay. Things are getting intriguing...

Natalie again chose to provoke Jake by remaining silent. Even though this trick didn't always work with him, today apparently was a fruitful day.

Jake remained silent for a while, absorbed in his thoughts which was, again, something new to Natalie. Usually, this young man would just stare at the painting behind her with furrowed eyebrows and a frown on his face. Never did he look so thoughtful.

Suddenly, Jake abruptly straightened his back and put down his legs that he had been hugging up on the chair until now. The sudden movement made Natalie jump back for a second for it truly took her by surprise. Unconsciously, her cheeks turned slightly red because of her reaction.

"Do you... Do you think someone can recognize the other by just listening to their voice?"

What the...

"Yeah. That's... actually, a question with a pretty obvious answer..."

Jake frowned and shook his head. "No. I mean... from two years ago. Let's say... you talked with someone only twice, and then you met them after two years... Would they recognize the person just by their voice?"