Doctor's Touch

Chapter 4

We arrive early at the place and sit at a table waiting for the show to begin. Evelyn decides to go to the bar for some unknown reason and takes our orders with her.

I look around me and study the effort the owners have made to decorate the place. Red roses are scattered everywhere. There are also flamenco fans for women and sombrero hats for men on every table. Alice and I take our fans and start doing weird gestures using them.

After we finish our playful session, we realize that Evelyn has been gone for several minutes and we grow worried because she hasn't returned yet. We start looking for her by going to the bar. And here she is, ladies and gentlemen, flirting with a guy. I understand now her eagerness to take away our orders.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Evelyn is the player in our group. She is blond from root to tip, born to be the sunshine of the planet and of everyone who sees her. Her blue eyes speak the story of how she can melt the ice of anyone and transform it into pure water. In conclusion, she is the synonym of perfection and she knows how to flirt too. However, just like me, she doesn't believe in love.

Upon seeing us, she smiles and looks away, caught in the middle of the crime. We approach her and give her the silent treatment. "Sophie, Alice. This is Jake. I was so engaged in our conversation that I haven't felt the time passing by."
I roll my eyes at the same lame excuse and continue staring at her, trying as much as I can to retain my chuckle.

Jake chooses this second to ruin our staring contest. "I was telling your friend that you are welcome to sit with us. So what do you say?"
Jake is also a blond guy and I can't deny that he is beautiful. Beautiful from his honey eyes to his strong and defined face.

We look at Evelyn and she gives us those puppy eyes we can't say no to. We nod smilingly and follow this man to his table, taking with us the drinks that have been already ordered.

The table Jake and his friends are sitting at is pretty big and plenty of food is present on it. It is very obvious that these people are very rich; not only from the special treatment they are receiving but also from the expensive clothes they are wearing. I settle down quickly and start drinking my lemonade.

Evelyn continues to flirt with her lover boy while Alice starts to converse with a girl sitting next to her. Apparently, they are showing each other photos of their cats.

A few seconds later, oriental music begins to play and a woman emerges from backstage. Her dance is characterized by hand clapping as well as percussive footwork. In other words, it's a mix of complicated hand, arm, and body movements. In the background, there is a man wearing a sombrero and playing the guitar in order to guide the dancer through every beat.

"Hey, you!", I hear from right beside me. I turn around to make sure that this person isn't talking to me. To my surprise, I find him looking my way.

"Yes?" I reply chastely, not even bothering to study his face.

"You're the girl who helped me save the old man."

Upon hearing these words, I turn crimson red and close my eyes trying to make him disappear. He chuckles at my behavior and I am taken aback by how deep his voice is. I manage to speak a soft hi before I hear him chuckling one more time. "I'm Troy."

Well, it looks like our Troy doesn't understand that I don't want to talk to him.

"Sophie", I reply back with a smile barely reaching my eyes.

"Why didn't you perform CPR on the patient when you clearly knew how?"

I try to ignore him but he keeps asking the same question and doesn't stop till I look at him. And man, what a sight. It is the first time that I really look at his features and study him. Just the way his blue eyes stare at me makes a tornado of butterflies run in circles in my stomach. It feels strange, I have never felt this emotion before.

He got that "brown skin Julio Iglesias" look on and a slim muscular body Hercules would envy. His black hair is tousled and thick, so thick that you can run your hands in it over and over without getting tired. His poisonous lips are full and red and they couldn't help but make me blush.

"I don't know." I decide to tell him hoping that this will keep him at bay.

"Yes you do", he says with that arrogant vibe surrounding him. "It's pretty obvious that you were handling the situation very well. But what you need is some courage. You lack it on so many levels."

"Excuse me?" I manage to grit out. Screw his beauty, he's an arrogant ass who meddles in stuff that doesn't concern him. "Thank you for the advice but could you please let me watch the show peacefully? You're kind of ruining it for me."

At this, he shuts his mouth and looks away. It's better for him to think of me as a mean bitch. Because I can't tell him. I can't tell him that he couldn't be more right. I lack courage. And medicine needs courage. He doesn't know how deep he cut me.

"You stupid bitch, don't you try to speak up! How dare you do shit on your own? You're a failure. A fucking failure." The flashback makes its way to my brain and I shake my head to oblige the voice to fade away. Just like every time I am doing something challenging. Just like I did this afternoon when I was trying to save the man. But Troy doesn't need to know this.

The show goes on for another hour before it finishes. Troy doesn't say a single thing the whole evening. But each time I remember his eyes, I feel a strange sentiment in my gut and regret being harsh on him. It's not his fault I'm dealing with some destroying demons. Usually, I am not a pretty relaxed and easy-going person: I'm an introvert. However, the thoughts and memories of my father shake me to the core and make me more standoffish.