"I think that guy has been coming here just to see you." Andrei whispered next to Charmaine's ear.
Charmaine turned to the man beside her before following his line of sight. A man in a navy blue hoodie was sitting alone at the table next to the window and as soon as he saw her glancing at him, he immediately looked away. That guy... she was a bit familiar but it was the first time she caught him looking at her. "You must be overthinking." he leaned closer and whispered back to him.
Andrei was about to say something but a customer approached the counter to order a drink and Andrei had to entertain her while Charmaine went back to her job behind the cash register. Andrei was a fellow University student who was friends with her for a year now. They weren't that close at first but after she found out his biggest secret, they became best of friends. He was just such a darling and she had never had a friend as sweet as him before.
"Let's get off work together later." Andrew murmured. "I'm a bit worried about you. That guy in the corner could be a stalker. My heart won't be able to take it if something bad happen to you."
Charmaine chuckled. "You're exaggerating. He might be looking at you, for all you know!" she teased, raising her brows and flashing a smile.
Andrei narrowed her eyes. He wasn't amused by her innocence one bit. "You're too naive you know? You're an easy prey. If I want to, I could eat you up and you won't even know what happened."
Again, Charmaine ignored him and just smiled. It really annoys him. She's just too vulnerable to attacks.
When the clock strikes seven, Andrei quickly pulled Charmaine to change clothes. He put an arm around her neck and dragged her away. Andrei was taller than her by more than a foot and so it made her look smaller than she really was.
From the corner of the coffee shop, the man wearing a hoodie jacket watched as Andrei dragged Charmaine away. He raised his phone and took a picture before the two of them entered the changing room together. He then sent the picture to someone on his contacts.
***
"Babe, your phone is ringing." Andrei told her after coming out of the bathroom. Charmaine glanced at her phone which was still ringing inside her locker. She picked it up along with her bag and then hurriedly closed the closet.
A moment after taking the call, Charmaine's hands trembled. It was a call from home. Sarah, the nanny told her that she just called 911 after Jienna suddenly fainted. She was already taken to the hospital but she didn't know what to do next. She sounded nervous and said Luke was frightened at the moment.
Charmaine just froze. She too was shocked. "What exactly happened?" she asked.
"I don't know. She was throwing up a lot... and then suddenly she just collapsed!" Sarah told her.
"Alright. I'll go to the hospital right now to check up on my sister but... can you please take care of Luke for a couple more hours?" she pleaded. She had no idea what was happening but she's hoping for Jienna to be alright.
***
Leo was in his room, sitting on the bed with a laptop placed over his legs when he all of a sudden received an e-mail. When he opened it, he found several photos of Charmaine and a stranger leaning close to each other. They looked very intimate and Charmaine smiled at him as if she felt very comfortable around him. Was this the guy his grandfather was talking about? By the looks of it, since they wore the similar uniform, it's very likely that this person is indeed her rumored boyfriend. Leo wasn't impressed though. He looked frivolous and duplicitous to him. He must be up to no good!
Leo stared at the last picture, with that strangers arm wrapped around Charmaine's shoulder while his lips were almost touching her ear. Charmaine was laughing as if he was telling her something good. That scene made his heart ache. Has she fallen in love with someone else now? He has been obsessing over her for the past few years. Didn't it mean he already fell in love with her too? Or was it just his possessive nature kicking in?
***
"Jienna... Jienna, what happened?" Charmaine blurted when she saw her sister unconsciously lying on the hospital bed. She turned to the male doctor in the room and immediately asked what was wrong with her sister.
"You didn't know?" the doctor said.. "I guess she didn't want you to worry. But.... her findings showed that she has SCLC and it's already in the extensive stage."
"What does that mean?" she asked bewildered. Extensive stage? Jienna?
"It's Small cell lung cancer, and it's in stage 2. The cancer already spread to the vertebral column and there are signs it's already spreading to her brain." the doctor explained.
Charmaine shook her head. She must be dreaming. There's no way Jienna will suddenly have cancer! "It's only stage 2... It's still curable right? What are the treatment options? Please help her!" Charmaine begged. Her body was shaking in fright. Her voice was trembling. She held her tears but the doctor's reply destroyed her hope.
"There is only two stages in this type of cancer. The most we can do is to diminish her pain but... there's no guarantee we can still stop the cancer from spreading further. At this point, her chance of recovery is only fifteen percent."
Charmaine speechlessly turned to her sister. She kneeled down beside her bed and held her hand. How did this happened? Wasn't her sister very healthy? "No. It can't be! My sister didn't smoke. Why would she suffer from lung cancer?" she cried. There are so many people out there who smoke profusely but they still die of old age! Why does it have to be Jienna? She's still very young! Luke is still too little!
"SCLC doesn't only occur on smokers. It could be genetic too. The last time she came to me, I told her if she doesn't get help, then she will be left with only one more year to live. We needed to stop the cancer from spreading, but she didn't return for treatment."
Charmaine turned to the doctor. "When was she diagnosed with cancer?" she asked.
The doctor checked Jienna's medical record before replying. "A few months ago. The date was June 18."
Charmaine closed her eyes as she felt a sudden pang of pain in her chest. June 18... Why didn't she pay attention to the date? That was the time Jienna died in her dream.