Hello.

"Oh, I see all are assembled, huh?" Armand asked with a contented smile on his face as he entered Corey's ward.

"Isn't this a fiery man who has come to us?" Daniel quipped and glanced at his friend.

"And what would that mean?" He asked, not quite understanding his joke.

"When I passed the reception desk, the nurses were discussing that the man you pulled out of the fire seemed to have taken leave of senses because of stress. He claims that a fire man saved him. Poor guy, now your image will haunt him in nightmares for the rest of his life," Daniel sighed and shook his head, despite the sympathy in his words, from the outside, it sounded more like a joke.

"Oh, right. Well, that's nothing. I remember once in the seventies I was in Japan and a high-rise building collapsed on me during an earthquake. I hadn't slept for three days before that happened and I was too lazy to get out of the rubble, so I decided to take a nap. Rescuers were taken aback when, on the fourth day after the rescue works, they found me under a giant concrete slab, and the first thing I asked was how much time it was," Armand noticed the puzzled faces of his friends, "What? I was hungry, and sushi bars closed at seven."

"Hey, man, have you ever been told that you have a slightly creepy sense of humor?" Daniel twisted his face when he presented this picture live.

"Nah, that isn't creepy. It was creepy when I-"

"Stop! Enough!" Elena covered Ashley's ears with her hands, which caused a lot of disappointment in the girl, she was looking at Armand as if he was her favorite idol, such stories were obviously in her taste. "I think we'll have to leave now. Corey, I'll take Ashley to our place, and you and Daniel will arrive after a final screening."

"Okay, thanks El." Corey kissed her daughter, and waved goodbye to her when she left the ward, then looked at Daniel, who was sitting next to her bed, his head was lying on the bed and he was looking at the woman without taking his eyes off.

"What is this?" Corey asked and took his palm, which was wrapped in bandages. "You... just do not tell me that you got into the fire?" Daniel did not answer, but only squeezed her thin fingers in his hands and began to give a kiss to each of them. "God, Daniel, what were you thinking?! And what if something happened to you?"

"And what if something happened to you?" He asked in the opposite, but did not wait for the woman's answer, "I would have done it even a thousand times if the situation demanded so."

"Daniel! It is good that everything worked out fine, and what if it hadn't? Have you thought about your family? Whatever the reasons were, you must not risk your life so recklessly!"

"Corey!" The woman immediately fell silent; she saw a light rebuke and offense in the man's gaze. Daniel was running his fingers over hers, then moved to her wrist and gently massaged it, Corey felt a wave of heat coming from her palm up her arm, causing a pleasant tension in her lower abdomen.

"I love you. I think this reason is enough for you. Or not?" he asked quietly, his gaze as if looking into the very depths of her soul.

Corey's cheeks flared, and she turned her gaze away, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Y-yes, I understood," the girl replied, mumbling a little.

And why next to him did she sometimes feel like a teenager who had never dated anyone? Not that she had no experience with men, hmm, well, the serious experience was only with one man, but still... Why did she blush like a tomato from almost any of his words or looks? And what will she do when their relationship will start involving more than kisses? From these thoughts, the girl's face became even redder, and she did not dare to look a man in the eye.

"Do you have a fever? Do you feel good? You're kind of red," Daniel asked Corey, not noticing her rapid breathing. Well, perhaps he pretended not to notice that.

"Ah, n-no, it's all good. I just... I'm a little hungry. Yes, right! Bring me something to eat, please," the girl smiled sweetly, to what the man couldn't say no.

"Of course, I will get back soon. Wait for me here," Daniel leaned over her face, leaving a light kiss on her lips and disappeared behind the doors of the ward.

"Fhew," Corey exhaled with relief, her indecent thoughts took her to far-off fantasy depths. She shook her head and thought, maybe it's time to trust Daniel and let him own not only her soul but her body as well? In the end, almost six years have passed, when she was last close with a man.

Rick. He was her first and only man, and the memory of him was long imprinted not only in her soul but also in her body. But this could not go on all her life, she had to move on, and if anyone could make her happy as a woman at the moment, it was definitely Daniel.

She liked him, liked him very much, but she was still not sure whether it was love. But she was absolutely sure that his presence gave her great joy, and his touches made her heart tremble like crazy, wanting more and more every day.

Every time he kissed her, and she hugged his shoulders or put her hands on his chest, Corey felt these alluring rippling muscles under his clothes. She never saw him undressed, maximum in a shirt, but she was sure that this sight would make every woman drool over.

"Agggh, you fool, what are you thinking about again?!" Corey covered her face with embarrassment at her own fantasies, "If he finds out about your thoughts, he will surely decide that you are a pervert, Corey Williams!" She slapped her cheeks. "All right, you have to get distracted."

Corey looked around, but nowhere did she find her phone, the woman rolled her eyes in frustration, realizing that her phone was probably in digital heaven already, along with her expensive bag, her makeup case and perfume. Ehh, and after all, there were so many photos and videos with Ashley! And all because of this stupid fire! Well, at least she managed to save most of it to the cloud and can then open it on a laptop.

On the table next to her, she saw Daniel's phone and took it in her hands, "Hmm, he won't mind, right? Not that I'll check his text messages or phonebook," Corey's finger hovered over the messages icon, "Uh, no, Williams, you aren't his wife yet, right?!"

Of course, Daniel was a very attractive and popular man, and she saw more than once how some strange ladies were trying to make a move on him without even being embarrassed by her presence, so it would be normal if he communicated with other women. But not too close, of course.

Corey frowned, her turbulent imagination immediately painted not a very pleasant picture in her head, "Shoo, shoo," the girl waved her hand over her head, throwing unnecessary thoughts away. She clicked on the dial pad and entered her phone number.

A smile appeared on her face when her number was displayed on the phone as [My Beloved Corey], she brought the phone to her ear and was surprised to hear beeps at the other end of the wire.

"Ha, what is this? I thought it burned out in a fire! How can it be available?"

The beeps continued and continued unanswered, until the set time had passed. She looked at the display and pressed the call button again.

Beep, Beep, Beep. Click.

The girl almost jumped up on the spot when the beeps suddenly stopped and there was silence. She removed the phone from her ear and looked at the display, the seconds of the received call were displayed on the screen.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise,

"Hello?"

There was only silence in response.

"Um, hello?" She checked the display again, maybe it only seemed to her, but the seconds were still counting as if someone answered her call. That's right! Someone definitely answered her call!

"Don't be silent, please say something. Hello?"

But there was no answer.

Corey sighed in exasperation, not only that her phone was God knows where, she was very irritated by the fact that somebody was playing the silence game, refusing to talk to her.

"I don't know who you are, but you have my phone. If you do not answer, I will count to three, and then I will hang up and submit a proper request to the police. Hello?"

Silence.

"Hmm, okay. One, two, thr-"

"- Hello."