Beneath The Orange Sunset ✔️

Thirty four

The heart sees further than the head

~34~

The dim yellow lights hummed through the night warming up the air in the apartment. Joelene had retired to her small cozy bedroom when her brother started to feel woozy after downing and an extra beer and lazily dozed off in the couch.

Samuel slowly opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath he yawned and gradually recollected where he was. The apartment was quiet except for the blaring of car horns in the distance.

Samuel's first instinct was to check on Maxime. He had served the young man dinner in bed. He'd been too weak after shedding so much tears yesterday. Maxime had managed to eat just a little before he slept off.

Rousing his body from the sofa Samuel strode to the guest room. He opened the door silently and stepped in. Seeing Maxime sleep so peacefully he couldn't stop reminiscing about their kiss yesterday. In fact, his lips still throbbed from the effect.

He was acutely aware of Maxime's closeness. He was also aware of what a handsome young man he is, because God help him, he has fallen head over heels for this guy.

If he hadn't witnessed Maxime's true story, he wouldn't have understood everything he'd passed through. Maxime was a survivor, a strong one.

Amidst the overcrowded room, with old pieces of equipment that reeked of dust, Maxime still managed to rest in the old bed.

Two times in the past three days he had felt a tug in his heart, his head swirled with thoughts he had never bothered with in the course of his career. Apparently, apart from exposing Emile Lacroix hideous atrocities, Maxime occupied more than half of those wild thoughts.

Samuel was a simple man, not one to hide his feelings and good at expressing himself. He couldn't tell whether to make a confession at this point, but he was significantly open to all possibilities.

Of course Samuel knew there was a tingling closeness between them aside from his medical aesthetics but he kept thinking,

I am his nurse. He is no longer a sick patient, I could think about Maxime Lacroix any way that I want.

Samuel fought the urge to go hold the young man's hand and caress it a little to feel his bodily warmth again.

He looked away and moved to the wardrobe. He picked a clean spare shirt and a pair of jeans.

He needed to get to the hospital early. It was going to be a busy day for him.

~~~~

"I was assaulted," Juliette started after reassuring the officer that she was perfectly fine and in good condition to answer his questions.

"In what way ma'am?" The husky voice of the male officer resounded in the hospital room. He stood six feet, fully uniformed with a notebook and pen in his hands.

"I was hit with a weapon," Juliette sounded resigned since she wasn't too sure what exactly happened. Her face was pale and without emotions. Emile must have played a smart one her but she was certain who will go down first.

"By who?"

"By Emile Lacroix."

The officer looked up from his notebook. "Can you repeat that again?"