{Chapter 1}

{Tiara}

"Hello, what can I do for you today, ma'am?"

"Oh, I'm here for Oliver Gardener. Doctor James said to wait in here."

I inform the nurse at the front desk, a little nervous.

I've never been to such a huge hospital.

18 floors, wow.

God, I feel like a kid at Disneyland for the first time.

Except this is less fun.

Hospitals are full of sadness and panic and death.

The kid just had to go and almost die on me the first time my brother finally gave up and let me watch him.

I've been begging him for months.

"Just take any seat."

The nurse says with a helpful smile as I awkwardly just stand there.

Ugh, I hate myself sometimes.

I've always been more of an introvert.

I had a speech impediment all throughout elementary and middle school and never really got into the habit of speaking to people willingly.

I send her a grateful smile, looking around the packed waiting room.

Just goes to show how many injuries and emergencies there are every day.

I grip my purse strap tightly, seeing a empty seat between a guy with a monkey on his shoulder and a lady fiddling with her baby's stroller.

Geez, why does that have to be the only empty seat?

Where am I again?

I thought the circus was out of town around this time of year.

I mutter to myself as I walk up and sit down quickly before anyone else can think of stealing the seat.

"Hi."

I say shyly as the lady looks at me over her shoulder.

"Hello, dear."

She says politely, turning away almost immediately as the baby starts screaming.

"Nice kid."

I mutter sarcastically under my breath.

I hear a snicker from the other side of me so I turn.

The monkey stares right back.

I take in its beedy little eyes and shutter, feeling a little frightened.

An animal!

Animals aren't allowed in here.

My eyes wander to the slightly muscly man that the monkey is attached to.

Hm.

He needs a haircut.

I jump as the guy speaks suddenly.

"See something you like?"

I blush furiously.

Because I got caught staring and also because his voice is all raspy.

My favorite.

Ugh, that's so weird. Why do I think these things?

Of course I try to play it off, being myself and all.

In other words, I deny it.

"Huh? Hey, are you talking to me?"

I ask politely, my stupid cheeks showing my embarrassment.

"Yes. I felt your eyes on the side of my face."

I furrow my eyebrows.

Geez can he at least look at me so that I can get a good look at his face?

Hey, I'm lonely okay?

I love drooling over cute boys, it makes me happy.

And lonely.

"Uh. I think you have me confused with this lady."

I say awkwardly pointing to the busy mom beside me.

His head doesn't move at all.

He scoffs.

"Naw, you were looking at me. I know it was you. Lying is bad and dangerous especially when it is to strangers, got it?"

Was that a threat!?

Who does think dude think he is, threatening me?

I discreetly scoot as far away as I can in my seat.

What if he's crazy or something?

He has a monkey on his shoulder. A wild animal for crying out loud!

"Don't worry about Puck. He doesn't bite, I trained him myself."

The man is saying as I stare at the amazingly calm animal again.

What a cute little monkey.

I've never been so close to one before.

It's fur looks fake.

"How did you even get that thing in here? It says no animals on a sign when you first walk in."

For some odd reason, this mystery man who looks completely fine interests me.

Hell, every guy who talks to me interests me.

Even the taken ones.

Hey, I can still look.

He finally turns his head.

And I get a good look at his eyes.

Nothing.

His eyes look weird.

Well, not exactly, they're grey which is my favorite color.

They are blank.

"He's technology my aid according to my doctor but he's more like a faithful companion."

He informs me, staring at the side of my head.

I gulp, still stuck on the fact that I'm sitting next to such an attractive person.

With a raspy voice.

Maybe I'm dreaming.

Hey, it's totally normal for me to meet handsome guys in hospitals in my dreams.

"So, what are you here for? Other than to stare at people?"

I snap out of my daze, blushing again.

Because I was just openly admiring his face.

His eyes stay blank.

"My nephew had an asthma attack."

I find myself saying.

His eyebrows raise.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

It takes me a while to realize that he even said that because I start gaping again.

Seriously, what is up with me today?

"Oh no, he's totally fine now. I'm just waiting to see when I can take him home."

I inform him, a little touched that this random stranger is concerned.

Nice guys are hard to find these days.

The thought makes me want to cry.

God, I hate being lonely.

"What about you?"

I ask conversationally, trying and failing to get comfortable in my seat with a real life monkey sitting on a guy's shoulder no less than a centimeter away from me.

"Oh, I'm here for my monthly check up."

He says casually, his eyes returning to the ground.

I frown.

"Um, what? You have monthly checkups at the hospital? Are you sick or something?"

I ask curiously, my eyes wandering towards the monkey again.

It just focuses intently on cracking a sunflower seed.

Aww.

A real life monkey!

Its so tiny.

"No, I'm blind."

And just like that, my love for animals is the last thing on my mind.

What!?

"Blind?"

I whisper, my heart cracking.

"Blind."

He confirms quietly, reaching his hand up to pet Puck.

I don't say anything for a while, too shocked for words.

This handsome guy is blind?

I lean forward a little to look at his eyes again.

Hm.

No wonder why he won't look at me.

He can't.

I guess the saying is true.

Everyone has flaws.

I suddenly feel horrible.

Yet when I open my mouth to say I'm sorry, nothing comes out.

I reach my hand out to wave in front of his face to see if he's lying but he starts speaking as soon as my hand lifts from my lap.

"Don't. That's disrespectful."

He disapproves, a frown appearing on his face.

I jump.

How did he know what I was going to do?

Questions brew in my head.

"How did you know-"

"Thats the first thing that everyone does when I tell them that I cant see. I get very offended."

He cuts me off, turning to look at me again.

I happily stare back, now not afraid of looking like a perv, checking him out.

It's not weird to stare at a man's crotch at all.

Dick prints aren't everything but they're close enough.

Especially to people like me who haven't had sex in years.

"I'm not usually in the mood to talk about it but Im in a fairly good mood right now. I can tell that you have questions. You can ask me anything."

He offers, the side of his mouth turning upwards a little.

I swoon inwardly.

A smile!

Why is it so touching to see a blind person smile?

"I'm sorry, I just never met a blind person before."

I say, feeling the need to apologize for being  interested.

"Its fine, I don't mind."

He says gruffly, shifting a little.

Puck screeches quietly, his little hands clutching the side of the guy's head.

I can't help but smile.

"I'm Tiara by the way."

I introduce myself, turning so that I can face him.

"Quincy."

"Its nice to meet you, Quincy."

I say thoughtfully, letting his name roll off of my tongue.

Hm.

He looks like a Quincy.

"Likewise. I suppose."

He says, his blank eyes narrowing.

I raise my eyebrow.

"You 'suppose'?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling that you're about to annoy the heck out of me with a million questions."

He answers, turning a small stone around in his hand.

I think for a minute.

"I don't have to ask if you don't want me to. I don't want to ruin a stranger's good mood. That's mean. I'll just ask one, okay?"

I ask quietly.

He doesn't say anything.

"So. What exactly do you see?"

I hesitate to continue, automatically regretting it.

Thats stupid, the dude is blind.

He can't see anything.

"Nothing."

He answers plainly.

"So black? Like when people close their eyes?"

It comes out before I can even think it through.

He doesn't seem to mind though.

"No. Well, yes. Technically I see black, I guess. When my eyes are open, I don't see anything, no color. Everything is clear. But when I close my eyes, everything is black just like everyone else see when they go to sleep. How does that sound?"

He explains matter of factly, like he has that little speech memorized.

"It sounds horrible. I'm really sorry."

I say, sighing sadly.

He sighs too.

"Stop apologizing, Tiara. Its definitely not your fault."

He says timidly.

I just stare.

"Hey, wha-"

"Mrs. Jones?"

I look up as a nurse beconds me over from the doorway.

"You have to go."

Quincy says, tilting his head a little.

I stand up, grabbing my purse.

"Yeah, I guess so. It was really nice meeting you, Quincy."

I say, feeling a little sad that I didn't get to finish talking to him.

What a nice man.

"Bye Tiara. You go take care of your nefrew, 'kay?"

He says, waving a little.

"Right."

I mutter, hurrying to follow the impatient nurse.

Fresh images of James stressing out replace Quincy's handsome face in my head as I follow the nurse down the hall.

Dammit, he's so worried.

He couldn't come because he was right in the middle of a meeting and I yelled at him and told him that I would take care of everything when he tried to leave.

I don't want him losing his job.

Oliver is a good kid but very exspensive.

His medicare isn't going to come free from now on and his insurance can't cover everything.

.

.

.

"Tee, can we go get doughnuts after this?"

"Auntie, Im hungry."

"Nurse May gave me a toy car earlier, you want to see?"

Oliver chatters on and on as I fill out the paperwork, stating that I'm related to him and can take him home.

"Its nice, Ollie."

I say distractedly, signing my name.

"Papa says I can get whatever car I want when I grow up if I make all A's all throughout school. Maybe I should get one just like this."

The 8 year old mutters, grabbing my hand as I hand the clipboard back to the nurse.

"You guys have a good night. Go home and get some rest okay, Oliver? And dont forget. No taking your medicine until tomorrow."

She reminds him.

"Yes ma'am."

He replies obediently.

"Thank you so much."

I say politely as we pass by.

She smiles.

"Just doing my job, Miss. Jones."