The Blind and the Beautiful

Chapter 2

The day after Harry met Taylor, he purposely spilled his juice just so he could call and ask for someone to clean it up. He’s thankful that Liz, the nurse who brought his food yesterday, isn’t the one assigned to him anymore. She’s replaced by a more serious and stern guy.

Harry passes the time watching television, playing games on his iPhone or texting with the other boys who are too busy promoting their latest single. He hasn’t told any of the boys about his interest with the hospital’s cleaning lady, and Harry thinks that they’ll know sooner anyway.

When the door opens, Harry shuts his phone and looks up with a smile. His smile falters after seeing a woman on her late fifties who is also definitely not blind. The woman cleans the spilled juice and takes the time to smile at Harry.

Harry, not knowing if he should ask the lady about Taylor or not, runs his hand over his hair. He grumbles in annoyance at his self and decided to ask head-on, “How many cleaning ladies are here?”

She looks up at him, already done cleaning, “Five, young lad. Why?” Harry grunts inwardly. “The janitress who cleaned up the spilled soup yesterday was blind. Taylor Doille is her name.” The woman’s eyes lit-up, “Ah, you mean her? Today is Taylor’s day-off, so she’s at her room. Probably listening to music.”

Harry sighed in disappointment. Before the cleaning lady left, she turns around to say, “If you want, I can relay a message to her for you.” Harry’s green eyes lit up in excitement.

“Really?” She nods, “Okay, uh, tell her that,” Harry ponders for what to say, “That I said hi. Tell her Harry says hi.” He finishes off lamely. He scratches his head and the cleaning lady smiles, “I’ll tell her then.”

When the door shuts, Harry grunts and his back falls on the bed with a thump. He knows that he’s acting so awkward because Taylor can’t see him. It would’ve been so much easier if she knew he was Harry Styles.

He feels confident when people know about him; the rich teen with the famous curly hair, irresistible charisma and the one in the group called One Direction. Harry guesses that maybe this could be the persona he uses against most people.

Because he knows that deep inside, he wants to impress everyone. Being Harry Styles, it’s very easy for him. He can either charm them with his voice or his looks. He’s not an idiot; he knows he’s good-looking. How can he not know when all the articles about him talk about how gorgeous he is?

The thing is, Taylor can’t see him and he doesn’t want her to know that he’s one of the guys in One Direction. To him, she’s this breath of fresh air who talked to him not because he’s Harry Styles but because he’s a regular guy in the hospital whose soup got spilled.

To clear things up though, Harry’s not in-love with her. Not even a crush. But yesterday, when they talked even for just a bit, though not an hour passed when they talked, he loved it. And that is what Harry’s interested on: if she’ll stay as the girl he talked to or something more. Because let’s be honest, there’s always something more that’ll happen.

Taylor sits on a plastic chair while reading The Tempest in Braille at a plastic table. On her left is a radio playing old songs, and on her right is a bottle of water. She flips another page of the book and began feeling the dots again.

Reading had always been a hobby of hers, even when she still can see. Though she was still a kid by then, Taylor loved the fairytale books her parents would buy her.

A knock on the door distracts her, and Taylor grabs a plain bookmark she always kept at the desk and places at the page she is at before closing her. The door opens to reveal Lena, one of the cleaning ladies.