The first class boarding was announced, where all the doctors from Kindred were collectively traveling to Seoul and then catching a connecting flight to Ho Chi Minh at the transfers. Amidst them, there was an undercover rockstar who was currently limping due to the transpiration of certain events at the check-in counter. Everyone in the flight started to murmur and let out gasps as they saw Olivia and Vincent entering together in the cabins. If I were their escort or tag along, I would scream at the top of my voice, "THESE TWO?! AND TOGETHER! YEAH! THAT'S FUNNY BECAUSE THIS AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!"
A few minutes after they settled down on their seats, Olivia passed out, letting out cute little snores like she always does. Vincent grabbed a pillow from his seat, gently lifted her head, placed it underneath, and positioned in such a way so that her slumber could be more comfortable.
He then let out a sigh, placed his hand on his chin, and stared at her with her eyes shut. When Olivia told me whatever happened on the flight that day, I was surprised that she was awake the entire time Vincent was looking at her. She felt it. Normally, she would slap his face and order him to not even make eye contact with her, but for some reason, she decided to stay silent about it, keep her eyes closed, and watch for how long he would look at her. He stroked her arm and whispered to himself, "Even though, you are mean and you boss me around, I do love you, you know. And there is absolutely no way that I would ever want to hurt you..." At that moment, Olivia didn't comprehend the meaning behind his words, but when she analyzed her situation in the future, she got infuriated over how she could not see it coming.
"Hey you guys! What's up bro?" A voice called out as the person set his bags into the overhead bin and took his place on his seat next to Olivia's. It was none other than her colleague, Dr. Liu. For some reason, his voice was incredible high pitches which was peculiar for a man like him. His palms become sweaty, and he fidgeted with his hands as he was solely dealing with an internal struggle to ask him something that he knew wasn't appropriate.
Vincent comprehended the look on his face and asked, "You want a photo with me, don't you?"
Dr. Liu snapped out of his thoughts and stuttered, "Oh! Umm... yeah... yes... yes... that's... umm... exactly what I was going to ask you anyway." By the sound of it, he was deeply engrossed in his thoughts. They were pulling him away from reality. When Olivia heard the entire conversation, she found it remarkably peculiar as that particular tone and resonance reminded her of a certain someone.
They took their selfie and the flight was all set to take off from the tarmac.
When the seat belt sign was switched off my the captain and the initial announcements were made, the beverage cart rolled by, offering drinks and snacks before the warm appetizers. Vincent walked over to Dr. Liu's seat and suggested, "Hey dude, I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a drink at the lounge on the upper level. Also, I wanted to have a little chat with you." Dr. Liu nodded his head in approval and got up from his seat to take the staircase at the end of the cabin.
Upon their departure, Olivia woke up with a jolt and decided to follow them to see what these two could possibly talk about. She took off her shoes and tiptoed her way up there without producing a single sound. She hid behind the glass door that marked the entrance of the lounge. Since there were only three people on the entire second floor, it was peaceful, so she could hear everything from a fair distance.
As they two men clinked their glasses of wine, Vincent said in a deep voice with stern eyes, "I can't believe it took me this long to figure out who you are. Moreover, I know that you know me, and yet you wouldn't acknowledge it."
Dr. Liu responded, "Of course I know you. Who wouldn't know a rockstar like you?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow and countered, "Come on! You might wanna improve on your acting skills. You went to Colonel Gray till grade 11, didn't you?"
Dr. Liu replied with an expressionless face, "I'm surprised you even remember that. You're right. I did recognize you since I saw you in the line. Why would you remember a lonely kid who sat alone in the cafeteria?"
Vincent answered with a crooked smile, "I remembered you because you were in the IB program and you were smart. Also you followed Aiden like a tail back in the day."
Dr. Liu spit out all the wine in his mouth and yelled while coughing, "I. Did. Not. Follow. Aiden! What kind of a creep do you think I am?!"
Vincent said boisterously, "Cut the crap Liu! We both know who you were following!"
Dr. Liu took a long deep breath and affirmed, "Look Sanchez, that was all in the past. I've moved on. In fact, I was a happily married man until five years ago, when my wife died because someone raped her. I was frustrated. I thought life was over for me. Then I realized that I have my career, and I have my friends who I know love me and won't forget me. I'm glad to have all that. What else do I need?"
Vincent responded in a remorseful and soft tone, "I'm sorry for your loss. But don't you think that whatever has happened is all a sign? It's never too late for you to try again."
Dr. Liu replied as he set his empty glass on the counter, "Come on Sanchez. We both know that the chapter is closed."
Vincent placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly while saying, "I promise you, Liu. The chapter has just begun."