Me After Meeting You

Amber didn’t want to face Ian right now, so she started to slowly clean up the dining table. Once she felt like her emotions had settled back to normal, she went out again.

Ian was curled up in his quilt and sitting there like an old monk deep in meditation. When he saw Amber enter the room, he opened his eyes and asked, “What’s your house number?”

Amber had originally decided to ignore all his words, but when she heard this question, she could only stifle her indignation and answer.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Ian picked up his phone to make another call. Not long after, the doorbell rang again. Amber opened the door, and, as expected, someone was here with Ian’s clothes. It was Mr. Charlie, who had driven them to Elly’s hometown.

He was carrying a large pile of miscellaneous things, including quite a number of bags. Seeing Amber, he smiled, removed a bag, and then gave the rest to her. “These are presents that old Mr. and Mrs. Axton have prepared for you, to make up for Mr. Ian’s inconvenience.”

Amber didn’t know what to say.

She twisted her head around to look at Ian, who was sitting upright and still. He maintained an impassive expression, ignoring Amber’s questioning glance.

With Ian refusing to intervene, Amber could only say to Mr. Charlie, “Please take these things back. Old Mr. and Mrs. Axton are too polite. I can’t accept these gifts.”

Mr. Charlie had already walked in and given the bag of clothes to Ian, and he smiled upon hearing her words. “I don’t have any choice either. Old Mr. Axton told me that even if you refuse to take them, I’m not allowed to bring them back. Dr. Camille, please don’t make things difficult for me.”

After saying this, he immediately left. Without any other choice, Amber could only say to Ian, “These gifts ….”

But before she could finish speaking, she quickly turned around again. Ian, the shameless prick, had just tossed his quilt aside and shamelessly started changing his clothes without any misgivings whatsoever.

Amber flew into a rage. “Can’t you cover yourself up a little?”

“Oh,” he responded simply before meandering in a circle in front of her and then finally entering the bathroom.

“….”

Amber didn’t know what to say anymore. Once he entered, she went through the gifts that she had been given. They weren’t too expensive, and, perhaps it was because they knew Amberi’s parents worked in a diner, but the gifts mainly consisted of seafood that could be used to make stock-Amber had even seen some of them in her parents’ diner before.

No one in Ian’s family was simple to deal with; even their gifts were carefully selected so that people couldn’t find a reason to refuse them.

Once Ian had changed clothes, Amber asked him, “Why don’t you bring these back with you?”

He stood in front of her without looking at the gifts. After quietly staring at her for a long time, he finally said, “Are you worried that if you take these things, you’ll be entangled with us?”

“No. I only feel that I shouldn’t receive these for having done nothing.”

Ian lowered his head, rolled up his sleeves, and coolly replied, “Then think of it as the fee for letting me stay over last night.”

After saying that, he prepared to leave.

However, as he did so, Amber called him back. “You still have clothes-”

As she said this, he kept walking, but before she could finish speaking, the door was slammed shut in her face.

Some time later, Amber realized that Ian had been angry, but she couldn’t fathom why.

Amber wasn’t sure what had caused it, and she didn’t want to think about it either. She didn’t have to go to the hospital in the afternoon, but she still had classes at that time. If she didn’t leave now, she would be late.

She rode the bus to campus, which shook over and over on the bumpy road. In the meantime, she tried to call Calvin, but he didn’t pick up and instead replied with a terse text message. “Something came up. I’ll call you later.”

Amber looked at his message, sighed silently, and then called Nancy. She had originally wanted to discuss Ian’s case with her, but it turned out that Nancy was also on a trip, and she would only return after two days.

Thus, Amber could only discard her thoughts about him and focus on teaching and working. When she had time, she would ponder Elly’s illness. She currently had two very troublesome patients: Ian Axton, she’d already decided to get rid of, but she very much wished to cure Elly. Not only because she’d promised Calvin that she would do so, but also because this was the only way that she could prove to herself that she hadn’t completely failed as a doctor.

***

That day, after Amber had got out of a meeting, the head nurse told her, “There’s a pretty lady looking for you. I told her to wait in your office.”

Amber thanked her and went back to her office. The first thing she saw as she entered was a well behaved back sitting upright and facing away from the door. When that person heard the door open, she turned around, her face showing a slight smile.

“Dr. Camille.” She stood up, greeting her.

It was that colleague of Calvin’s, Melody.

Amber was a bit surprised, not because she had come to find her, but rather because her condition seemed to have improved considerably. Even though it had only been a few days since Amber had seen her, she no longer looked as gloomy, and even her eyes had brightened up considerably.

Amber nodded back, and then asked Melody how she was doing, as if she were an old friend. “Why didn’t you call me before coming over?” Then, she put her documents down, she asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

“Do you have coffee?”

Amber smiled. “I recommend water instead. It’s better for you.”

“Doctor, it’s not that you don’t have any coffee, is it?” Melody was even making jokes now. Her tone was a bit pampered, but at least, she hadn’t gotten mad from her demands not being met.

“Haha, you’re right. So do you want a glass of water?”

“Alright.”

Amber poured her a glass, and then one for herself as well. She looked at Melody as she commented, “Your complexion looks much better.”

“It’s because ….” Melody rubbed the glass in her hands and smiled lightly as she drew out the words in her answer. “I also found a very beautiful boy.”