Chapter 3
“So Lee, I am sorry to break it to you, but, yeah… I think you fucked up.” Alfred leaned closer and smirked.
You can see his swept bangs hang as he leans in Eileen’s view.
“Ugh, don’t remind me, Al! I really shouldn’t have almost attacked the lady. I was already getting fed up with the job. Mr. Johnson is great, but the customers were the ones that were making it very unbearable.” Eileen shoved Alfred a little. Alfred let out a small laugh.
“At least we quit instead of being fired; we may still have a chance to find another job, or we can have the chance to go back.” Alfred placed his arm around Eileen’s shoulder. He tried to cheer her up.
“Hey, why did you quit with me? You could have stayed.”
“The place was boring from the get-go. It started being more of a drag to go every day. Besides, I needed to quit at some point. I was there for you. You just made it a lot sooner to get out.”
“For what reason? Were you going to leave me there all alone?” Eileen looked at Alfred while he laughed at her.
“I was going to let you know, Lee. Don’t worry about that pretty little head of yours. The job was starting to interfere with my class schedule. They didn’t want to work with my schedule, so I need to find a job that can work with me.” Alfred gave Eileen a reassuring smile.
“You’re the top engineer of our university! I know that you can get a job in no time.” Eileen was having an idea that popped into her head. “Hey! I can recommend you to my brother. He is the top scientist in CROPEL, and I think he will let you in on his team.”
“You would do that for me?”
“It's the least I can do. Don't forget we have to look out for each other,” Eileen hugged Alfred. He let out a low sigh.
“Now I’m creamed with soda.” Alfred laughed as Eileen got off of him.
“I’m sorry! I forgot I was still dirty with soda.”
“Don’t worry; you can repay me with dinner.” Alfred mischievously smiled at her.
“Takeout at our place?”
“Sounds good to me.” Alfred placed his arm around her, and Eileen did the same.
The evening began to cool as the sun settled for the night gradually.
Alfred and Eileen only sometimes stroll around these hours. They needed a few more blocks to make it to the Water Lily.
As the street lights lit up the path, Alfred noticed the cold breath from Eileen. She struggled to hold in her coughs as she rubbed for warmth. Alfred felt a pain in his chest that he should’ve brought his black hoodie today. He usually does, but he didn’t expect today not to be splashed by soda. The cool air started to affect her.
“Are you ok?” Alfred asked.
“Yeah, this cold shirt is not helping with my asthma.”
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”
“I should be the one saying that,” Eileen laughed.
“I’m in the yellow, see, so I still have time.”
Eileen displayed the high-tech health watch. Her brother invented this new gadget since her health sucks and her brother is always a helicopter.
“Isn’t it neat? It’s called HIRU, Health Intensive Reader Unit. This little guy measures all my vitals, indicating when I will have a subsequent attack, if I need to take my meds, or if I am overexerting myself like my heart. To simplify the readings, there are four colors ranging from good to bad: green, yellow, orange, and red. The HIRU also calls for anyone from my emergency contacts and services if I am in danger. I don’t like my brother constantly hovering, but this is pretty sweet of him to make for me.” Eileen had a bleak look on her face.
“Well, I guess it’s his way of showing that he cares.”
They arrived at the Water Lily. Luckily, the order took little time. Alfred ordered it beforehand. After the long stroll back and climbing the stairs to Eileen’s apartment, she started showing signs. Her strides became more staggering, and her breathing was irregular. Eileen knew that she needed to take her meds. It was just on the other side of the door. Eileen suddenly got vertigo as she took her keys out of her pocket. She almost lost her balance. Alfred was right there to catch her. He got her keys from her hand as he opened the door.
“Just lean on me,” Alfred stated. He helped her onto the sofa. Alfred checked her watch, and it read that her vitals were unstable, getting to orange.
“You need to warm up that cold heart,” Alfred boops Eileen’s nose. He ran away.
“Hey, don’t do that!” Eileen was about to punch him.
Alfred came back with a glass of water with her meds.
“Why don’t you hop in the shower while I prep dinner?”
Eileen sighed as she dragged her way to the shower.
“If you knew you would be like this, why didn’t you wait for me at the apartment while I get the food?”
“Can’t I not walk with you?” Eileen yelled from the shower.
“Not if you were going to be like this,” stated Alfred. He was about done prepping the table.
Eileen looked at the mirror and saw how slightly pale she looked. Leaning on the sink, Eileen let out a long sigh. She hated the long scar she had on her chest. She doesn’t want to think about it and places an oversized hoodie on top of it. Eileen wanted to forget what it was like not to be sick.
Alfred came to her and offered his arm. They locked arms as they arrived at the dining room.
When she left her room, Alfred prepared the dinner table with the food and the TV with the latest horror movie.
“Are you ready to not sleep for the rest of your life?”
“Hell yeah, I was born ready!” Eileen was thrilled.
As Eileen was about to dig in, Alfred gestured that she needed to take her meds first. She complied.
The night flew by swimmingly. Eileen and Alfred went over by the sofa to watch the rest of the movie. Eileen curled up into a ball next to Alfred with the blanket while he wrapped his arm around her. With every jump scare, Eileen would cover herself, and Alfred couldn't help but hold in his laugh. She was too adorable to not look at, and her reactions are priceless. Alfred thought he shouldn’t leave Eileen alone until he feels reassured that she is ok. They spent the rest of the night watching a horror movie marathon until they passed out from exhaustion; laughter could be heard outside Eileen’s apartment.