Day Fifty-Nine…
~~*****~~
Aiden isolated himself from the group. Aiden stayed in his cabin the whole morning because he couldn't face Cherry. He was still sulking around after the rejection he experienced. He was too embarrassed to show his face in front of Cherry. Aside from that, he was not feeling well because of his hangover.
Meanwhile, Cherry noticed that Aiden never showed up today. Was he hiding from her? Was he avoiding her? Cherry didn't know if she should feel glad or not.
"Are you looking for someone?" Jane asked Cherry when she saw her looking around as if she was searching for someone. "Is it Aiden?" She added, smiling at her teasingly.
Cherry immediately shook her head to deny it. "Of course not, Sis. You are overthinking."
Jane didn't completely believe her. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Don't worry. He will be fine after a few days."
"Sis. Believe me. I'm not worried about him. Okay?" Cherry tugged her hand, pouting her lips.
Jane just let out a soft giggle. "Alright. I won't tease you."
"Ladies, what is your plan today?" Stephen approached them, his eyes fixed on Jane's face.
Cherry darted her gaze back and forth between Stephen and Jane. She could sense that Stephen had feelings for Jane. He was so caring and he always thought of Jane's well-being.
"We are going to hike. Join us, Doc! Are you free?" Cherry was the one who answered him. She has one motive– letting Stephen be with Jane for today.
'OMG, I'm shipping them. Doc Stephen is a good man. He is someone who can take good care of my sis. A woman needs Stephen in her life. I think they will be a good match.' Cherry thought to herself.
"Okay. My friends isolate themselves today. So is it okay if I will tag along with you?" Stephen consulted them, Jane in particular.
Jane was saddened as she was reminded of Nathan. It looked like he was avoiding her. Just like Aiden, Nathan was hiding from Jane.
"Sure, Steph. Join us." Jane gave her consent.
"Let's go now so that we can watch the sunset later!" Ethan butted in. He was already carrying his small backpack.
Jane and Cherry nodded their heads. They were ready to go. Soon, the group of four left traversing through the mountain. Stephen and Ethan were walking in front while Cherry and Jane were following them behind.
Cherry anchored her hands around Jane's arm and asked her, "Sis, what do you think of Stephen?"
"What do you mean?" Jane asked her back, clueless about what Cherry was trying to insinuate.
"Hmm. What do you think about his looks and his qualities as a man?" Cherry rephrased her previous question while eyeing her meaningfully.
Jane glanced at Stephen, observing him from the back. "He is undeniably handsome. He is thoughtful and caring. He is someone whom you can trust and rely on."
"Why? Do you like him? Do you have a crush on him?" Jane asked Cherry expectantly.
Cherry immediately waved her hands and said, "No! No! Not my type. I don't have any plans to be involved with another guy. In fact, I'm seeing him as someone who can be an ideal boyfriend for you."
"Ouch!" Cherry whimpered when Jane pinched her waist.
"Stop that, Black Rose. Stephen and I can only be friends," Jane said firmly. She could only see him as her friend.
"But why? You two look compatible with each other." Cherry insisted on it.
"Just simple. I already like someone else," Jane confessed.
Cherry snapped her eyes open as soon as she heard that. "What?! Who is he? Is it Tatsumi?"
Jane shook her head. "No. It's not him."
"Sis, who is he?" Cherry asked her, her eyes filled with curiosity and interest.
Jane looked straight into her eyes and answered her, "SizzlingAugust."
Cherry: "..."
Cherry was taken aback for a moment. She didn't expect that Jane would still care about that guy. He just disappeared without saying goodbye.
"Have you found him, Sis? Were you able to trace him?"
Jane just bobbed her head. "Yes. I already found him. I will start pursuing him now."
Cherry blinked her eyes in disbelief. "You are going to pursue him. Why, Sis?"
"Because I love him," Jane promptly responded.
Cherry couldn't believe that the infamous assassin, Phantomflake, was talking about love and pursuing a guy. Was this the effect of her life-and-death experience? She just wanted to enjoy life and do what she wanted.
"Okay, Sis. I'll support you on that." Cherry smiled faintly. She was happy because her sister began to open her heart to someone.
"Good. So stop thinking about shipping me with Stephen. He is just my friend."
Cherry nodded her head frantically. "I'll stop teasing you and matching you up with Stephen."
It did not take long before the four of them reached the view deck. They settled down on the benches under the tree. Cherry was reminded again of Aiden. Yesterday, he confessed to her in this place only to be rejected by her.
Meanwhile, Jane approached Stephen because she had something to request from him.
"Steph, since we are here, can we talk for a moment?" Jane motioned him to follow her. They just distanced themselves from Cherry and Ethan to talk privately. The two were taking a rest and preparing their snacks.
"Is there something bothering you?" Stephen asked her worriedly.
Jane looked at him intently and said, "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure. What is it? Just tell me." Stephen was willing to do anything for her.
"Can you help me recover my lost memory? I want to remember everything that happened to me in the past. Please I need your help," Jane pleaded. She was desperate. Since her days were already numbered, she wanted to recall the important memories related to her past which Stephen erased.
On the other hand, Stephen was having second thought about this. He wasn't sure if she could handle her past. What if she would be broken again? He couldn't bear to see her in that state.
"Steph… please. Trust me. If you are afraid that I can't handle the painful and traumatic memories, I assure you, I'm ready to face it. It's my time to face the demons of my past." Jane tried to convince him.
Stephen could only sigh deeply. He watched Jane and he could see the determination in her eyes. "Okay. I will do my best to restore your lost memory. We have to do a series of sessions. We will try to dig the memories that were buried deep in your subconscious through hypnotism. I'm not sure if I can restore everything. And it will be a painful process for you. The worst case, those painful memories would appear in your dreams as nightmares." Stephen was so worried about her.
But Jane could only give him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I can handle this. The important thing is to find the truth." Jane was seeking some answers. She needed to face her tragic past and move on.
"When do you want to start our session?" Stephen consulted her.
Since she was running out of time, Jane decided to start right away. "Can you do it starting tomorrow?"
"Okay. We can start our session tomorrow."
"Thank you, Steph."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l