25 NOT RETREATING BUT NOT ADVANCING EITHER

Hana thought that, like last time, the bleeding would stop after few minutes. To her fear, half an hour had passed and the bleeding still continued. Adam's handkerchief was already soaked from her sticky blood and her hand was already stained with her own blood.

"Bro, I'll go to the comfort room for a while." Hana stood up and picked up her sling bag. She went out of the cinema half an hour after the movie started and went to the lavatory with the lower half of her face covered with handkerchief. She washed the handkerchief until the water dripping turned clear again before wiping her face with hit.

On the sink, her blood was dropping like a water in a loose faucet. "Miss, are you alright?" one of the shoppers who saw her asked out of concern.

"Yes, I am fine. I bumped into someone earlier and got a nosebleed." Hana made the most plausible lie before wiping her face again. "Don't worry about me."

The woman nodded her in hesitation after seeing the amount of blood dripping on the sink. She walked out of the lavatory but turned around to ask her again. "Are you really fine? Should I call for help?"

Hana chuckled and thanked her mentally for showing concern but she still waved her hand with a smile. "I am really okay. Thank you for your concern."

The woman finally left her alone. Hana didn't know how much time had passed and she was starting to get dizzy. Her head was aching so much that she wanted to slam her head on the sink to end it all. She wiped her face again and found that the pain was subsiding and the bleeding was slowing down.

It wasn't until Adam called that Hana felt relief flooding her heart and mind. The bleeding had stopped and she wasn't feeling any pain as well. 'The medicine couldn't subside the pain this time. I am really getting worse every single day.' She noted mentally while looking at her pale complexion on the mirror in front of her. "Well, let's just enjoy every single day that remains." She only picked up her brother's call after he called her five times in a row.

"Why didn't you pick up my call earlier?! I was really worried that something happened to you already." Adam scolded her over the phone.

"What could happen to me? Well, I could have fainter, sent to the hospital and the hospital will call you." She retorted before throwing the handkerchief inside the trash bin. She lost count of the numbers of handkerchief that she threw already. The reason for that was, she didn't want her brother to use something that she dirtied already. Even though Adam stopped her from time to time, she still did it her way.

In her opinion, Adam's handkerchiefs at home are triple the number of his shirts. It seemed like, handkerchief was his priority to buy because she always throws it after using it once.

"Don't even think it's fun. Come here soon. We are waiting for you."

"Ah? The movie ended already?"

"How long do you think did you stay inside the comfort room?"

"Oh…it seems like I stayed far longer than expected. I'm on my way." Hana listened to Adam's direction to find their location.

After making sure that she was alright, they went to shop for groceries with Dr. Zurich and his family. Hana was getting whatever she liked while her brother pushed the cart for her. Adam bought the things that needed at home while Hana bought things for herself. He didn't really care about it. He wanted her to enjoy whatever she was doing even if she was just acting.

· "Bro, can we get these chocolates? It's a little expensive though." Hana raised a bar of Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate.

· "Sure. It's not a problem. Just get whatever you want." Adam turned a blind eye to whatever she was picking. Money was never his problem no matter which lifetime they fell in to.

Hana took several bars so that she can share it with her colleagues. She bought a box of Ferrero Rocher for Lily, too. "Hey bro, let's go out with Mama and Papa tonight? Let's have dinner together somewhere."

"What's gotten into you?" Adam asked since it was very surprising for her to suggest such thing.

"Nothing much, I just realized that I haven't been spending time with you guys."

"You finally realized that?!"

"Hey! Don't make me sound so bad. I know I was so focused with my boss that I tend to forget all of you."

Adam raised his eyebrow at her. He can't believe that he was hearing that directly from her. "Are you giving him up, Your Highness?"

Hana furrowed her brows when she heard his endearment but she dismissed it since she was used to her brother, calling her all sorts of name that she didn't understand.

Adam was shocked when he made a slip of the tongue but when he found that she didn't really get it, he was relieved. He didn't want her to think that he was being weird.

Hana looked at the things on the cart before turning herself around to face her back on him. "I am not going to retreat but I won't advance either. I will maintain the relationship we have between a boss and employee."

Adam didn't say anything to respond. He actually thought that she would, one day, give up on him. 'That is just my wishful thinking. There's no way she would give up on him. Not in this life and not in the next either.'

"Bro, you are spacing out again."

"Sorry." He wasn't sorry for spacing out but he was sorry for liking someone like her. A person that he wouldn't be able to reach no matter how hard he try.