She left.

The moment I woke up, nearing noon, I decided to checked on the patient and tend to her wounds. As I went down to the clinic, stepped inside the office, the woman dressed in a snazzy black suit was gone. There were no traces of blood nor the discarded bloodied bandages around the area. There was no sleeping woman on the examination table and the whole place looked clean.

If not for the knife on the office table, I would've thought that everything was a dream.

"I need coffee..." I whispered, massaging my temples, trying to process everything that happened last night. Taking the knife from the table, I decided on heading back on the second floor to check on my journal and update it by including my late-night visitor.

Thinking that it would be a 'one time' thing, I didn't consider telling Ross about the visitor.

###

Stella Cafe.

Cafes have been my favorite establishments whenever I visit a new place. It was a good place to unwind from a rather busy or stressful day. As for me, a café is like a living library. A place where I listen to the stories of the other café patrons.

I spent half of my day talking to strangers who shared my table. Learning more about their own travels, or their stay in this quaint little provincial town. Right now, as I savored the ambience of the place, I focused on the small item on my table—the knife while doodling an image of it on my journal.

"Amore mio, you've been staring at that knife for a while now and I doubt you even noticed I'm here."

Tearing my sights away from the blade, I showed my companion a sweet smile. "Ah, sinta, apologies for my lack of attention to you," I said suavely, closing my journal and taking the knife and placed it inside my small messenger bag. I took her hands and placed kisses on her knuckles. "You now have my full and undivided attention.

She flipped her hair that's as silky as the Chinese qipao—a one piece, body-hugging Chinese dress—and smiled at me. Her dimples showing from such sweet smile and eyes, a pair of bright ambers, lit up as she giggled. The woman who kept me company since I stayed in this small town, my dancer, Maxine.

"Amore mio, you're a charmer as always." Minx caressed my cheek and kissed my lips softly. "Now, on with my suggestion, sì? About this travel blog, I could help you with it as I'm well-versed in web development."

A smile graced my lips as I listened to her and kissed her palm. "I don't know, sinta. I appreciate the offer, but for now, I want to savor the joys of travels."

Minx traced my cheek down to my neck. "But you gain profit, sì? No need to do menial tasks such as cleaning plates for the barista or even brew caffè or even cook those delizioso Adobo. Or even sell those lovely pictures you take."

A laugh escaped my lips. It was true that for me to gain some travel money, I do these odd jobs or be a photographer for several magazines. "Well, we all have to make a living to do the things we love, tesoro mio," I said, mimicking her Italian accent.

Minx chuckled and nodded, pulling me close to a fiery kiss. "And I want to 'do' a certain someone that captured my heart," she whispered hotly, biting my lip that sent shivers to my spine.

Nobody batted an eye at how my fiery dancer flirted with me and me flirting back. One thing I liked about this Italian town, is that they don't care about same-sex couples or public display of affection. Unlike my motherland, Philippines. They tolerate, but yeah, toleration is different from acceptance.

But because of my fair motherland, I learned how to go with the flow. Adapt to anything to everything. And smile that my darling dancer loved.

###

Having such an enjoyable and productive day, I hummed happily as I headed back to the clinic. I need to log everything in my journal. Speaking of journal, Minx's suggestion of making a blog out of my journeys, to share to everyone my travels and thoughts, was something. It was a nice idea and I told her I would consider it.

As I arrived at the clinic, I saw a woman leaning by the clinic's door, wearing a suit and with a sling on her left arm. She has her back by the door of the clinic as if she was waiting for someone.

It was her.

'Well at least I know I wasn't dreaming,' I thought, standing in front of the suit-clad woman. "What are you doing here?" I asked, brow raised at her.

The woman turned to me and showed me a dry smile. "I was waiting for you," she said, pushing herself off the door. "I kind of need some help with my new injury." She pointed at her face that sported a bruise on her left cheek and a small cut on her right upper lip.

"You do know I'm not even a doctor," I pointed out the obvious, rolling my eyes.

She merely grinned and nodded. "But you did a good job on my arm. A bruise and cut should be a piece of cake for you."

Since she was already there, I groaned softly and took out the keys to the clinic. "Follow me then." I walked passed her and unlocked the clinic door.