Saturday evening, after work, I left the office and, as usual, headed to the park to sit and relax. Just as I was finally starting to enjoy some peace and quiet, my phone rang. I pulled it out, looked at the screen, and—of course—it was Alex.
I stared at the name like it was a prank call. "Seriously, Alex? You still remember this?"
With a sigh, I answered. Before I could even say hello, he jumped right in, reminding me to come to the hospital the next day. I tried—again—to convince him that I was perfectly fine.
"Alex, I'm not sick," I said, as patiently as possible.
But Alex, being Alex, wasn't having it. "No excuses. You're coming," he said, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation. Then he hung up before I could protest further. Moments later, a message popped up with the hospital address.
I stared at it like it was a summons to court. Why is this happening to me?
I groaned dramatically, muttering to myself, "This is all Lehan's fault. Why did he have to tell Alex I fainted?
Resigned to my fate, I sighed deeply. My one day off—ruined.
I didn't have a choice, so I dragged myself to the hospital the next day. Alex was already waiting for me in the reception area, looking way too enthusiastic for someone forcing me to spend my precious day off in a hospital. I waved at him weakly, trying not to look too annoyed.
We walked to the doctor's room, but I had to wait outside while Alex went in first. I stood there, fidgeting, my mind racing with a million complaints. Why am I even here? I'm perfectly fine! Why can't Alex just understand that? I started blabbering to myself in my head, as usual.
Then, out of nowhere, a thought hit me: Why is Alex so nice to me?
He was the only person in the office who treated me kindly. Everyone else acted like they were allergic to basic decency. I started calculating in my mind: He's kind… he's average-looking… he's single… oh no, he's totally my type.
Before I could stop myself, I smiled.
Alex noticed and raised an eyebrow. "What? Why are you smiling at me like that?"
I panicked and turned around. "Oh, nothing! Just… uh, thinking about… stuff."
Thankfully, before I could embarrass myself further, the nurse called us into the doctor's room. I let out a sigh of relief and followed Alex inside.
Alex introduced me to the doctor, who, as it turned out, was his friend. "She faints often," Alex said, like I was some Victorian lady who couldn't handle life.
The doctor gave me a full check-up and ordered some tests. As I waited for the results, my mind wandered to my wallet. This hospital is going to rob me blind. Why am I wasting my money when I know I'm perfectly fine?
After what felt like forever, the results came in. The doctor called us back and said, "She's fine, but she's very anemic. I'm prescribing her iron tablets for a week. Come back next week for a follow-up."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Anemic? Iron tablets? What is happening? But all I could manage to say was, "Okay, doctor."
Alex and I headed to the reception, and I went to the pharmacy to buy the prescribed medicine. As I returned, Alex was on the phone, talking animatedly to someone.
"Did you get everything? Shall we go now?" he asked as I approached.
"Yes, Alex," I replied, still grumbling internally about my ruined day.
He nodded, then said into the phone, "Me and Nyla just left the hospital."
I blinked, confused. "Who's on the phone?"
He casually replied, "Our boss."
As we left the hospital, my mind started its usual rant: Lehan. Of course, it was all Lehan's fault. He's like a walking magnet for chaos, dragging me into one mess after another.
While I was busy plotting ways to strangle him (mentally, of course), Alex suddenly asked, "Can we grab something to eat before I drop you at your dorm?"
I blinked in surprise. Did someone just invite me out for food? For the first time ever? My inner foodie did a happy dance, and I immediately said, "Yes!" so quickly that I probably scared him a little.
We went to a nice little restaurant, and I ate like I hadn't seen food in days. Alex didn't seem to mind; in fact, he looked amused. After we finished, he dropped me back at my dorm.
Before I got out of the car, he reminded me with the seriousness of a drill sergeant, "Don't forget to take your medicine properly, okay?"
I nodded, feeling a little guilty about how much I'd grumbled earlier. Even though I wasted money at the hospital and got labeled anemic, it wasn't a bad Sunday after all. Eating out with Alex had turned things around.
As I flopped onto my bed, full and happy, I thought, You know what? I should thank Lehan. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had such a nice day.
And with that, I fell asleep, dreaming of food and revenge plans for Lehan.