"What? He asked you? What do you mean?" Spider asked in a rising voice, one thing Spider had never done to Luci at this time.
His voice even sounded like thunder on this bright but sad morning. The lightning struck the hospital building until it hit Luci and made her heart explode because she was so shocked. But there was still something more shocking and terrifying than his loud voice, namely his face itself.
The gentleness of Spider's facial expression that was like a ripe apple falling on the feathers had now disappeared in an instant. That tenderness now transformed into a frosty expression. That cold expression was even colder than Spider's expression when he spoke to the woman at the hospital who greeted him earlier. This made Luci a little scared.
Had Luci done something wrong? Would Spider's anger hurt Hans?
"He…. I – I mean." Luci's body shook violently as if she had a very high fever. She even squeezed her own hands repeatedly, her doll-like face and the princess lowered her head from being too afraid to look directly at her interlocutor. Spiders.
Spider seemed to be aware of this. It wasn't that Spider was being rude and speaking in a high-pitched voice. It's all just a reflex sprinkled with a little emotion because for Spider The Crown it must be kept a secret. Others may know The Crown but by a different name.
Spider hastily changed his tense facial expression, along with his pressing and demanding tone of voice. Spider didn't want Luci to feel uncomfortable with him. Spider didn't want Luci to stay away from him. 'Gosh, I was out of my mind,' Spider thought in frustration. 'I have to hold back my anger if I don't want to keep Bee away from me,' he continued.
Spider drew closer to Luci, to grab her hand which then he would hold. But every time Spider approached Luci would move away as if Spider was a magnetic pole that had the same charge as Luci. Their ends of the poles would move away every time you bring them closer.
"Bee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to you. I'm just surprised. Please don't stay away from me!" Spider said very hoarsely and sadly. His face was already very pitiful with those strong hands that were currently still trying to grab Luci's hand.
But the girl in front of him still dodged every time Spider got close. They were really like two parallel magnetic poles.
"Bee, please don't be like this." Spider looks increasingly heart-wrenching. Even his eyes had started to glaze over with a face as if he was desperate and very weak.
Spider's face had made Luci think of herself. Spider's face at this time was the same as Luci's face when she found out that Daniel had finally died. Then after Daniel died, everyone started to stay away from her. Spider's face representedLuci's memories and experiences. That started to melt her heart a little.
'Has he lost someone he loves? Has he not had friends all this time?' thought Luci with almost teary eyes.
The more she thought about Spider, the deeper Luci was dissolved with her old memories. Daniel's death wasn't the only thing that came as a surprise. One of the other surprising things was Aunt Arum reporting Luci to the police on charges of murder that had killed Daniel.
During the session, no one approached Luci, no one cared and defended Luci. Everyone hated Luci, even the friends she used to be so close to. Those people were also like magnetic poles that har the same charge as Luci, therefore when Luci got close they would move away. They would always cast disdainful looks on Luci even after the judge ruled that Luci was innocent.
For them Daniel was dead and it was all caused by Luci, by the sickle in Luci's hand. They did not want to hear the explanation and facts of the tragedy that befell Luci and Daniel as a whole. They were so focused on Daniel's life that Luci seemed to have no chance to be loved again.
And that was the expression on Luci's face when she saw the mirror, the expression that was currently shown by Spider. It was very heart-wrenching and full of wounds. If Luci ignored Spider, Luci was the same as doing evil, as bad as the people who had ignored her from the past until now. Therefore Luci melted and approached as well.
"Y – you growled. I was surprised," Luci explained, still a little nervous in her heart. Now her soft hand was in Spider's strong hand. It felt warm and like coming home. Maybe Spider was Luci's home because Spider was one of Luci's family who currently still wanted to meet Luci and even wanted to help Luci when she's in trouble.
Spider squeezed Luci's fingers because he was relieved that finally, his little Bee had returned to him after a moment had almost disappeared and moved away from Spider. In his own heart Spider was determined to be more careful when talking to Luci because Luci might have had very sensitive feelings recently.
Spider wanted to pull Luci into his chest, but because there were still many people passing by, Spider didn't want to do it yet. Spider didn't want to show any more intimacy between Spider and Luci.
Let people think that Luci was the same as most women and girls that Spider had had so far, that was, only women dating for pleasure, nothing more.
"Bee, let's find a comfortable place to talk. But you want to see how Hans is first right?" Spider tried to be as calm as possible while trying to persuade Luci to leave the busy hospital corridor. Because Spider sometimes worried that people who had a grudge with him might be here to recognize Luci. That person might even kidnap Luci later.
Luci nodded obediently. Then the girl just obeyed when led by Spider to go to Hans' room which was on the third floor. Luci was currently on the second floor. The second floor is usually the place where Hans is treated first. And the second-floor bathroom is also more familiar to Luci, therefore Luci prefers to bathe on that floor.
Now she entered the elevator with her hand in Spider's grip. His hand would always be warm when guiding her, just like when they were children, and she remembered all of that.
Spider had always taken care of her all this time, from childhood even when she was an adult. Even though Spider couldn't be a healer for Luci's heartache because of the loss of Daniel, at least now Luci was feeling somewhat relieved by Spider's arrival. It seemed that now everything would be easy to live in. Not to mention if Spider was a good person, surely Spider would protect Hans too.
When Luci had entered the elevator and when the elevator doors closed, Spider couldn't hold his urge any longer. He pulled Luci's body and hugged her very tightly.
***