Doctor's Touch

Chapter 13

Heaven doesn't only exist in our dreams, it can be found on earth in the form of children. Those magical creatures that only know how to bounce, squeal, and run; can draw a smile on everyone's face. So, for today, my friends and I are becoming children to contaminate others with joy. Laughter fills every room of the boat as we surf through the most appealing activities from wall-climbing to dance classes. And just like that, the quite Wednesday idles away quickly just like a feather lost in the wind. With the music on and nothing but friends for company, my world seems to fall back into its order.

Unfortunately, when the sun settles down letting Thursday take over, I feel like the peaceful atmosphere is threatened to disappear. After the dreadful event on Tuesday, I've realized I need some time on my own to gather my thoughts and challenge myself for the better. And to do so, the perfect choice is spending the day by the pool.

I could swim and be there in the underwater world forever- just to feel sunlight rays wash over my damped eyelashes, my damped soul.

So, at 9:30, I prepare for my getaway secretly by slipping on a sexy strapless bikini under a simple white sundress. Then, I leave the room when my friends are still showering without notifying them. They'll probably think I went earlier to spend some time with Troy. Oh, how wrong they will be.

Once I arrive, I choose the most secluded area to put my belongings in and get ready to dive into the piscine.

The moment my fingertips touch the water, I become hypnotized by the chlorinated humidity rising from below the rocks. It doesn't take long enough for my body to sense the magic as well until I forget who and where I am, from what I am hiding. The water moves around my limbs in swirls, waltzing, and celebrating a sense of freedom. Yes, I've definitely forgotten everything and only remembered how to breathe.

Alas, as if the universe has set a timer for my happiness, the phone rings from my bag and interrupts my swim. Lesson learned, my feet belong to the ground and my mind to reality.

I instantly leave the pool to dry myself out before answering. Nevertheless, I don't have time to do so because the line goes dead seconds after I hold the phone. The number flashed is foreign, but I don't dwell on it that much: if there is something important, it will ring again.

After putting the phone down, voices scattered in the air catch my attention, obliging me to look around. I notice that the pool has started gathering a crowd and decide to lay back on the chair to read a book called nausea.

And so forth, the morning seems to move away quickly as the air becomes hot enough to penetrate my bones. Therefore, I look at my phone to check the time and discover that I have two missed calls from the same foreign number. It seems that I have muted it accidentally when the water had been obscuring my vision.

Panic rises within me. What if something bad had happened to my mother while she was working at the hospital? What if something bad had happened here to my friends while I was away?

All my thoughts are silenced when a shadow falls above me, obscuring my field of vision. That someone clears his throat compelling me to dismiss the idea of calling back just to discern his identity. I look up, taken aback to see Troy standing at the front of the chair.

My mind instantly recalls the session I intentionally skipped while my tongue curses out loud.

"Uhmm hello, Troy. It's a lovely morning, isn't it?" I say shyly, smiling with my red cheeks on display.

Being an introvert gave me the supremacy of unrevealing the emotions behind each individual's mask. Hence, I profit from that power to decipher feelings bottled up in his stare yet to no avail. Troy's the front page of a closed book- you can only grasp the details he chooses to parade. Hell, he's looking at me so motionlessly I would have mistaken him for a robot.