Frank lightly slapped Salome’s fingers away. “Don’t touch it. Elizabeth gave this to me.”
Salome pulled away. She cupped her jaw with one hand and looked at Frank playfully. “I’m just not used to it. The Frank I knew was a stern and serious man. Now you’re dressing up.”
“What do you mean by that? Did I look sloppy before?” Frank had a disappointed expression as he tucked the tie that Salome pulled out back in his vest. “The color is beautiful. Your taste in clothes still hadn’t gotten better I guess.”
“Why are you still so mean? You argue with me about everything. Can’t you be nice to me for once?” Salome’s anger was so intense that she was a second away from slapping the table.
On the contrary, Frank continued to casually sip his coffee, a faint smile on his lips. “People like you will be insatiable if you are spoiled. I’ll be the one suffering if I’m nice to you.”
Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation from a distance, but there was no denying how intimate Frank and Salome looked. Anyone who saw them would think they were a perfect match.
Several nurses passed by and even they noticed and gossiped about it.
“The two of them are both adults, but they always bicker like preschool kids. It’s so funny.”
“I think, Dr. Watson should find someone lively just as Dr. Wilson. They are really a perfect match.”
Another nurse smiled and said, “Maybe the two of them are in love. I heard that they have been friends for a long time. They also went to the same med school.”
Disappointment took over Elizabeth as she slowly made her way to Frank.
Not far away, Salome sat down next to Frank. She rolled her eyes and said, “Tell me the truth. What’s going on between you and Elizabeth? Are you going to take her home and introduce her as your girlfriend? Tell me quickly!”
“Don’t make up rumors. Elizabeth and I are just friends,” said Frank, reaching up to ruffle Salome’s hair.
“Hey, you’re ruining my hair. Why are you still treating me like before? Do I look like a child to you?” Salome tidied up her hair, rolling her eyes. When she saw Elizabeth approach, she stood up with a smile. She whispered something only she and Frank could hear. “I have a feeling you’re doomed.”
Frank frowned, turning his head to where Salome was looking. He immediately spotted Elizabeth standing behind them.
Seeing Elizabeth’s cold eyes, Frank scrambled to his feet and said, “Let’s go. I’ll walk you home.”
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. “I still have some business to attend to. I just want to thank the two of you for taking care of me these last few days.” She thought Frank would probably prefer to stay and chat with Salome. After all, for him, she was just an ordinary friend. Now that she had almost recovered, maybe they would not even be friends anymore…
Elizabeth thought it over for a moment before walking away.
Elizabeth’s sudden cold demeanor put an inexplicable feeling in Frank. His mind was in panic while his b*ody was frozen solid on the spot. He didn’t know what to do. With a frown, Salome clicked her tongue and kicked Frank from behind. “Go after her! What are you waiting for? If you just stand there, your girlfriend will get away.”
Frank took the lilacs that Elizabeth had placed on the sofa, intending to chase after her.
But before leaving, he said to Salome, “Mom said that she learned some new recipes that she wanted us to try.” “Ugh! I don’t want to try her new recipes. This is all your and Dad’s fault. You’re always praising her for her cooking,” Salome complained. She seemed really down about trying out her mother’s cooking.
Out of curiosity, the nurse asked, “Wait a second. Mom and Dad? Dr. Wilson, isn’t Dr. Watson your boyfriend? Are you actually married already?”
Salome chuckled and shook her head. “I would never marry an unromantic man like Frank. He’s been picking on me since we were kids. If I marry that guy, we’ll just end up fighting day in and day out!”
She then looked at Frank’s receding back and continued, “My mother married his father. That’s how we ended up being step-siblings. Even though Frank is always picking on me, he’s not a bad person. He takes good care of me and my mother.”
Back when Salome was still a student, her classmates were always alienating her and sometimes even bullying her because she was a new student in her class. Back then, Frank just went to her class and fought off her male classmates who had bullied her.
All these years, she had treated him like a real brother, and she hoped that he could be happy.
Frank got out of the clinic, running at full speed. The petals of the lilacs in his hand were falling down along the way. Pretty soon, he was behind Elizabeth, out of breath.
It was then that Elizabeth heard someone gasping for air behind her. She turned around and asked, “What are you doing out here?”
Sweat was trickling down Frank’s forehead. Elizabeth took out a tissue from her purse and handed it to him. She was about to hail a cab and get back home.
Frank accepted the tissue, but he didn’t bother to wipe his sweat and just focused on explaining himself. “Please understand that Salome is my sister. We’re not in a relationship!”
Elizabeth became embarrassed. The reason she left earlier was because she did feel jealous, because she thought Salome was Frank’s girlfriend. By the time she pulled herself together, she found that she had already walked far away.
She was too embarrassed to go back, so she just stood at the pavement, hoping to hail a cab in dismay.
“I see.” Elizabeth nodded, not bothering to say anything else.
Frank grew even more anxious. He couldn’t understand how she felt about him. He wondered if she hated him or liked him. Or did she just think of him as nothing more than a friend?
Not wanting to keep on guessing, Frank gathered his composure, took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t want to lose you just because of a minor misunderstanding, Elizabeth. You were my patient, and I didn’t want to take advantage of that and confess my love to you. All this time, I’ve been holding in my feelings for you. But now that you’re slowly recovering, I want to tell you that I like you, Elizabeth. Are you willing to be my girlfriend?”
He then handed her the flowers. But because he ran intensely a while ago, there weren’t many petals left.
Frank withdrew the flowers in awkward silence.
Even after waiting for a few moments, Elizabeth still hadn’t said anything.
The excitement Frank felt earlier was gradually dampened. This was the first time that he ever confessed to someone, and he didn’t expect that she’d react this way.
Chuckling bitterly, he said, “I’m sorry if it’s too sudden. I understand if you can’t give me an answer right away. I’ll give you some time to think about it.”
He looked really dispirited. When he was about to walk away, Elizabeth held his hand. Her heart was practically racing by now.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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