Mike glanced at his reflection in the window to make sure he didn't look as bad as before. After that, he turned back to face Leonard's figure towering in front of him.
Mike gave me a defiant look as he asked, "What? Did you come here just to make fun of me? Even if you saved Ms. Mellisa, I won't be silent if I get insulted."
Leonard didn't answer immediately, but he automatically frowned. His calm demeanor was completely unfazed by Mike's provocation. He slipped a hand in his pocket as he watched Andrew's brother closely.
After a few seconds, Leonard finally said calmly, "Come in. She is waiting for you."
After he finished speaking, Leonard walked right past Mike and headed for the nurse's desk. That's why he didn't get to see Mike's surprised expression.
But Leonard was serious about what he said. Mike was Mellisa's childhood friend, so he was in no position to prevent them from meeting, let alone laugh at the man's outburst. For Leonard, no man should feel ashamed for being vulnerable when thinking about a woman.
Meanwhile, Mike stood stunned as he continued to stare at Leonard who was walking away. It was hard for him to believe that his bad words were met with serious and mature words.
Instead of being happy, Mike felt as if he had lost. The defiant attitude he had been showing all this time suddenly felt ridiculous. Leonard's temperament made him feel that he was not in a fight at the time. Was this what they called a grown man?
*****
After settling down for a few minutes, Mike finally returned to Mellisa's ward. That man's gaze was different from before as he now looked bright and gentle. The few strands that fell over his forehead swayed gently with each step, adding a youthful impression to Mike's figure.
When Mike stepped into the ward, only Lilia and Claire were accompanying Mellisa. They noticed Mike's arrival and immediately stepped aside. But they gave Mike warm glances, as if cheering him on.
"Mike!" Mellisa, who had eaten and recovered a little of her strength, called out to him in a cheerful voice.
Mike's breath seemed to have caught in his throat. But he covered it with a gentle smile as he put one hand in his pocket.
"If I don't hear you calling my name, I think you have amnesia! Where have you been? If you're okay, why don't you come back home? The house feels lonely without you, you know!" Mike replied casually.
In the end, Mike chose to keep his feelings hidden from Mellisa. That's why he's trying to be casual in front of that woman. Mike deliberately buried his feelings deep in his heart. He would definitely convey it to Mellisa someday, but not now. That woman had many other things to worry about.
Mellisa breathed a sigh of relief and laughed at Mike's reply. "Then, you can treat me as if I have amnesia!" she joked.
"No way!" Mike immediately protested. "Are you trying to hide what happened during these five years from me?"
"Hmm... you can say that," Mellisa grinned widely.
Mike crossed his arms. "How about this? When your condition is fully recovered, we'll go sparring at the judo gym. If you lose, you have to tell me everything,"
"Hmm, what makes you so sure that you can beat me?" Mellisa replied, her eyes were sparkling with excitement. "If you lose, you have to follow all my orders for a day… no, for a week!"
"Hey, isn't a week too long?!" Mike snapped.
"You asked me to share my experiences for five years, so be grateful if I didn't order you to be my servant for a year!" Mellisa answered that she didn't want to lose.
The two's ongoing arguments made everyone there laugh. Mike had been hiding all of his feelings of love and talked to Mellisa the same as five years ago. At that time, the two of them often quarreled and laughed together carefree.
After a while, Mellisa gradually became drowsy due to the influence of the drug. When Lilia and the others realized that, they lowered their voices while speaking and didn't bother Mellisa anymore.
When Mellisa finally fell asleep, Lilia stepped forward to cover her. Then she pointed to the door and made a gesture for them to leave Mellisa alone.
In the corridor, Claire leaned her head wearily on Andrew's shoulder. Even though they hadn't completely made up after yesterday's bickering, that didn't prevent Claire from using Andrew as her pillow.
Lilia and Jean stood side by side. The model turned towards Claire and saw the fatigue on her face. She said, "Sister Claire, how about you go home with Brother Andrew first? It seems that you are tired after feeling restless all night. You need lots of rest, don't get sick too,"
Claire glanced at Andrew, then she nodded in agreement. "Okay, then we'll go home first. If we have time this afternoon, we'll come back here,"
After all, hospital beds were not nearly as good as their own soft and comfortable beds. Even though Claire only slept on the ward for a few hours, her whole body already felt achy and uncomfortable.
Andrew looked at Claire's tired face and hugged her a little tighter. He actually told his wife to sleep at home last night, but Claire insisted on staying here to accompany Lilia. Then Andrew turned to look at Mike, who had been lowering his head.
"Mike, you too come home with me first," Andrew said, watching his brother's reaction closely.
His younger brother had shown so much emotion when he first found out that Mellisa was still alive. But now, after he confronted Mellisa, Mike returned to being a cheerful and unruly child.
Sometimes, Andrew wondered if Mike really hid his temper. Or was it just Andrew who couldn't tell the difference?
Mike and Leila had been set for marriage since they were little, but his brother fell in love with Mellisa. Andrew could not understand when that happened up until now.
His little brother didn't even dare say what he liked, so how did Mike intend to compete with Leonard? Andrew was pessimistic about his younger brother's chance.
With Mellisa's current condition, she definitely wouldn't recover in a day or two. Instead of letting Mike sit here lamenting his fate, Andrew felt it would be better if he brought his brother back. That way, he could invite Mike to talk nicely, and try to understand Mike's true feelings.
But when Mike heard this, he automatically frowned. His face showed that he didn't really want to go. Just as he was about to protest, it happened that Mike saw Leonard coming back from the nurse's table. Finally, he nodded reluctantly and headed for the elevator.
When Mike passed Leonard, he only gave him a quick glance. But he didn't say anything. Mike just nodded briefly and meshed past him.
Andrew looked at Mike's back and sighed helplessly. He turned his head towards Lilia and Jean.
"How about you guys come back with us too?" Andrew suggested. "Leonard will definitely stay here to accompany Mellisa. You can come back here after you rest. There are still a lot of matters that need to be resolved with the Irwan Family, so don't you get too tired,"
Lilia nodded in response. "Brother Andrew don't need to worry. We will follow you soon," she said.
"Then, we'll go first!"
After Andrew greeted Leonard still pacing on his track, he took Claire away from the hospital.
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