Rhein

"That kid is again here." Her annoying voice reached my ears, turning at an instant as I looked at her.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She only shrugged as she pulled out a lollipop from her pocket.

I don't have time to deal with her annoying ass right now. I looked at Liam, unconscious and bleeding, laid on the hospital bed. And when I said bleeding, I meant by bleeding a lot. I quickly moved my hands, preventing his bleeding to the point of blood loss. I stitch his cut and bandaging it; taking in a breath of relief.

"How the fuck did he get a huge ass injury to the head?" I murmured under my breath, removing my gloves before throwing them in the blue dustbin. I wiped the sweat formed under my chin.

"Come on, have you grown so old that you can't even figure out what happened to him?" She spoke, the lollipop between her lips.

"I am not that dumb; I am a lot younger than you. Worry about yourself, Skyler." She scoffed, throwing her lollipop in the dustbin. "The kid passed out, hitting his head as he fell to his side. His classmates were too shocked to even help him."

She smirked. Her hands wrapped around my waist, resting her head on my back. "That's my Rhein."

"Move. You stink." I remove her hands, but she only tightened her grip.

"Let me stay like this."

"You drunk?"

"Drunk by your love." She snuggled closer as I sighed in annoyance.

I'll kick her ass later. Until then, let her do her shit.

Liam

My mind . . . It's again here. The paradise. My guilty pleasure. My feet walked through the cold waters, looking at the never-ending scene. No matter how long I try to walk, I never reach a destination. Was this path the right choice? Or am I trapped in an endless cycle? I was here before, during the time I was in coma. For me, time passed away slowly. Maybe if I was aware of the fact that this paradise was a seductive poison, I might have woken up soon.

But even the most resistant people fall on their knees for this paradise. A wine, that can give you the pleasures of the world, but slowly rot you from the inside. It's like a person who gives you all the joys of life, before slicing your throat open.

But it feels nice. The sky runs over me as the sunlight lights the place. The calm waters—they are exactly what I need.

But I do not belong here. There is something waiting for me. Something which is better than this paradise. Something which is worth thousand needles. Thousand pains, thousand tears.

My life—it's all worth it.

At least that's what I know. For now.

"Liam? Can you hear me?" I heard the familiar voice as I slowly nodded my head. I slowly opened my eyes as Dr. Rhein's face came into my view.

"Your back." He moved away as I sat up on my bed. I was already in hospital clothes—one of the worst pieces of clothing in my life.

"For how long was I passed out?" I held my head, a thick bandage wrapped around it.

"More like you were sleeping." Dr. Rhein checked my file, glancing at me before keeping it down. "You were knocked nine hours."

I groaned as I slowly touched my bandage. "How did I get this?"

"Falling on the ground and not expecting an injury? We are not in a movie."

Everything comes back to me. The introduction. The boy.

Yup—I remember everything.

"You passed out during your club activities." Dr. Rhein said as he drank his coffee.

Dr. Rhein, one of the most talented and famous doctors of Peony Mir. He isn't a native, but is loved by many—including women. The ideal height, the style of fashion and the aura he carries around; he is the perfect boyfriend material.

"Dr. Rhein, I have a problem. Can you help me?"

"Oh, of course. How can I say no to such a beauty?"

But there is just one problem.

"Dr. Rhein, how are babies made?"

"Ask your dad why he has a dick in the first place."

His sharp tongue and bluntness.

It turns off many women and men—the reason why he is single. I have heard nurses complain during my time here how many patients were very close to punching him in the face, but didn't because of his handsome looks.

Honestly, if I was a girl—I might have had a crush on him. Only at first sight. But if I looked at him again, his true colours would suddenly be visible to me. That's why his secret nickname in the hospital is Mr. Twice. Because men and women totally get their hopes about Dr. Rhein crushed when they look at him again.

Ask any nurse in the hospital to describe Dr. Rhein in one line, they all would say the same thing.

'An ideal boyfriend material, if he didn't have a sharp tongue.'

"You'll have to stay here for the night as you still have to recover enough to attend school."

"Not again." I whine. Dr. Rhein glances at me, shutting me up.

He is going to die single.

"Dr. Rhein?" I quietly ask as he takes a seat. He works on some files as he looks at me.

"What is it?"

"Did you have any girlfriends in the past?" I look at him, cautiously. He looks down at the files, turning the pages.

"Why are you interested in my personal life?" His eyes were still on the files.

"Just answer me."

"I had a couple of one night stands though."

I regret asking the question.

"Want more information?"

"No thank you."

Dr. Rhein takes another file out, going through it as I observe it. My eyes fell on the name of one of the files near him.

Gardenia—

"I'll leave then." He stood up, taking the files with him as I wasn't able to read the full name. "I have a lot of work to do, unlike you."

"How can I work? I got injured."

"Because you are stupid."

I shut up. Because he wasn't wrong.

"I told you specifically, don't press too much on your memories. If you remember half, live with it. Forcing won't bring everything back."

Right.

Forcing doesn't end up with anything good.

This is my harsh truth. I might not recover everything. Birthdays, events, trips—I might not even remember some people. All the precious memories, vanished in thin air. And I have to live with it, but it's not easy.

Living with it is not easy for someone like me.

I lower my down. I heard him sigh as he walked to me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Get yourself together, Liam." I slowly nodded.

"Sleep Liam. Night." Dr. Rhein closes the door as I let out a deep sigh.

"Can't he say that at least nicely? Argh." I cover my face as I lay on the bed.

Gardenia . . .

Was Leah sick?

It's not like I care. Nope, not at all.

Just human curiosity.

I turn to my side and covered myself with the soft white blanket. I look at the IV on my hand, following the bags hung. These bags are supposed to help me in getting better, but they feel like chains. It's like being trapped, but also getting healed. Even after staying in the hospital for months, I still ask the same question.

Is being trapped here worth it?

Is it worth getting healed if I am going to get crushed by the chains?

Is getting well worth it?

Choose your will, human. Everyone has to go through the pains of life.

But is the pain enough to make up for my health, my well-being?

I closed my eyes as I tried to fall asleep. The pillow was ideal for me, allowing me to dive into the clouds of sleep. The cold air coming from the window, making me feel refreshed in the approaching warm summers. I found myself sitting on a comfortable chair, free of everything. Nothing to worry about; for now, at least.

I slip the cold orange drink, enjoying the waves of the sea as I say nothing. How can I? Describing something beautiful—no, more than that, people are at loss for words. All I can say is, I feel calm. It's funny saying that even though I haven't even recovered most of my memories. I have yet to read my notes, which are at Grandma Momo's house. But that can wait, since I have yet to—

Ring.

My beautiful dream is broken by the sound of my phone. Half-awake, I slowly try to grab my phone, searching for it on the table before getting it. I unlock my phone to see a missed call from Yuna.

Why is he calling me now?

Before I could call him back, I receive a message from Yuna. I open the message, rubbing my eyes as I finally see the message clearly.

Yuna: Your club members told me to forward this message to you. For this month's activity, you are paired with Leah. Do you best :)

The phone drops from my hand, landing softly on the bed as the message slowly gets to me.

I am partnered with Leah . . .

Oh—

Oh, hell no!

"Morning Mister Abiko."

Upon getting out of bathroom after refreshing, I am met by her cold eyes staring at me. She wore a small sling bag, gripping on it with her small hands. Wearing a long yellow frock with floral pattern, knee-length socks and her hair tied up in a braid, she sat on the chair beside my bed.

"M-Morning." Overwhelmed, I slightly stutter as I made my way to the bed.

I knew that we were grouped together, but I didn't think that she would come and visit me for the work. Especially at a hospital.

I sat comfortably as Leah opened her bag.

"I thought it would be nice if both of us do this work immediately." She took a notebook out, a pen in her small hand as she glances at me. "I suppose you aren't comfortable with me."

"How would you feel if you were in my place?"

"I'll take that as a yes." She evades my question as she opens the book on a blank page. She wrote at the top of the page in bold letters, MONTHY ACTIVITY – 1.

"I suppose you already know the topic." Her eyes were on the page as she wrote both of our names.

"Yeah, I found it out from Oliver."

Her hand abruptly stops. She licked her lips before continuing to write. "Oh, that's good."

"You know Oliver?" She sighs as she looks at me.

"She was the one who found me pushing you off—"

I need to know.

"Why did you do it?" The question. The most important thing that I have been dying to ask her.

Why did she do that to me?

She kept her pen down as she looks up at me. "Is that really important? Right now, we need to—Ouch!" She holds her left cheek, composing herself as she continued. "We need to complete our monthly project."

My eyes fell on her left cheek. A slight bruise was there. At an instant, my hands cupped her cheeks as I brought her face closer. Strands of her hair fell on her face. I moved my fingers, tucking her hair behind her ear. My thumb slowly caresses her cheek. The bruise looks new. Her soft cheeks, it feels like as if they are—

"What are you doing, Mister Abiko?" She quietly whispered, her eyes on me, observing my every move. I continued to caress her bruise, careful not to hurt her.

"How did you get this bruise? It looks new. . ." Leah removes my hand from her cheek and moves away from me. Her hands are cold.

"It's nothing." She took the pen in her hand, writing the topic under our names. She took the book on her lap and began writing something. I just sat in one place, observing her face, my eyes always going back to the bruise.

Her hands stop writing, Leah shifting a bit in her seat before handing me the notebook. "You can add your part and what you feel about the said topic. No need to hand me the book, you can give it directly to the Club Teacher." She stood up from the seat, fixing her bag.

"Leah . . ." I call out to her.

"What is it?" She asks in a tired tone. Her weary eyes look at me as I stood up from my bed.

"I hate you."

The words came out, like a flow of water, as her expression slowly changed. Because of our circumstances, both of us are trapped in this bubble. This fragile, but strong bubble that has separated us from our families.

Our voices, our thoughts, locked within ourselves.

Both of us are here. You and me. But I am pushing you away Leah. The bubble that had jointly trapped us; I have broken free from it. A new bubble forms around me, encasing me. I only stare into your eyes as our bubbles drifting away from each other. Your cold eyes hold emptiness. People can't reach you, while no one reaches out to me.

This is the tale of the Alone and the Lone.