Haden Merrick

Chapter Six

Chapter Six - The Perks of Losing My Contacts

          ''God damn it!'' I exclaim with anger before storming out the bathroom and straight towards my room, bumping into Joanne in the process. As I look for an appropriate outfit to wear in order for me to start my day, I end up feeling frustrated instead of fulfilled. ''This day can't get any worse, can it?'' With a loud groan, I fall onto my bed and slowly closing my eyes.

          Joanne appears on the doorway with her arms crossed, ''What's up, kitten?''

          ''It's either I have a bad luck or today is just not my day,'' I sit up straight to find her looking at me with a toothbrush hanging in her mouth as she starts to make her way towards me. ''I dropped my contacts in the toilet bowl and now I'm literally blind.''

          ''How many fingers am I holding up?'' She makes a peace sign, holding up two fingers which causes me to roll my eyes before slapping her hand away. ''See, you're not that blind—you're just not comfortable of not being able to see things clearly.'' Then, she begins to lay beside me as I look down at her, finding it odd how Joanne is always calm and collected while I panic and stumble with every step I take in life; sometimes, I wonder if her life is just perfect or mine is horrible.

          ''I have to go to work in ten,'' I frown.

          ''Where are your glasses?'' She raises an eyebrow, her eyes meeting mine.

          ''You broke it, remember?'' My mind wanders back to when Joanne sat on my glasses when we were having a movie night a few days ago. Then, to only realise she broke my glasses into half but we shrugged and laughed it off but now desperate times call for desperate measures, if only she didn't break my glasses.

          She cringes, ''Yikes . . . here, let me give you my money and you can go buy a new one. Besides, I was the reason it broke.''

          ''It'd take hours to finish or even days. I need a solution ASAP,'' Running my fingers through my hair, I feel the desperation sinking in and for a small amount of time, it's eating me alive.

          Joanne and I have been busy cleaning up the third room because Seth is moving in tomorrow and we want to prepare the best. Knowing Seth, he might be bringing a whole lot of things. One of the reasons he didn't move in earlier is because he was desperately clinging onto his roommate who is good in calculus, he thought he'd get the perks of being his roommate because then, he'd get the chance to study with him every single night. Apparently, things got awkward when his roommate started having his girlfriend over—it was a lot for Seth, he hated every moment of it which explains why he's eager to move in.

          ''Oh! What about your coloured contacts?'' Joanne sits up, looking at me directly. ''You know, the one you got for halloween? You were dressed up as Harley Quinn and you got blue contacts because you wanted to make it seem realistic? Hello? Does it not ring any bells?'' She raises an eyebrow, waving her hand before I sink into realisation—exactly four months ago, we were all dressed up as different characters because we thought it'd be fun to play that part and we got crazy about it.

          Joanne went all the way as Daenerys Targaryen while I went as Harley Quinn. To say the least, I enjoyed every moment of being a crazy girl and all over Joker or more commonly known as Seth. ''Right, right, right. I remember,'' I mutter.

          Apparently, the contacts I bought can last up to six months which means I can still wear them. So, after putting them on and applying a little bit of makeup on my pale skin, I manage to look impressively different as if I'm not my own self. Plus, being sick from the constant coughing has made me more uncomfortable as usual which I have to force myself to wear a disposable mask so others won't get infected. It takes me awhile to get use to the feeling of staring at my own reflection but to find a different eye colour looking back at me instead of my natural hazel ones.

          I turn to face Joanne, ''How do I look?''

          ''You look different—good different and with the mask on, you don't look familiar but you're good to go.'' She replies, a smile creeping up her face as she continues to stare at me; her eyes wandering up and down my face before nodding to herself.

          ''Okay, ciao. See you tonight,'' I walk out of the apartment and wait for my Uber driver to arrive.

          It doesn't take me long until he arrives and before I know it, I'm already on my way. Just as I'm tapping my fingers on my thigh as I listen to the music on the radio, my phone begins to vibrate in my bag which causes me to pick it up as soon as I realise it's a call from the hospital. ''Hi, Carmen speaking. Is this Mirabel?'' The other person known as Carmen, speaks from the other line.

          ''Hi, yeah this is she. Is everything okay?'' I respond.

          ''Absolutely. I'm just here calling to tell you about your new patient,'' There's a slight noise coming from the other line as I frown, trying to focus onto her voice as she speaks. ''You're assigned to a new patient—it's not Peter anymore. I'm guessing you're already on your way there?'' She asks, making me nod even though it's quite clear and obvious she won't be able to see me. My eyes wander up to the rear-view mirror to find the Uber driver glancing up at my direction, probably wanting to eavesdrop.

          ''As a matter of fact, I am on my way there. Why—why am I not assigned to Peter anymore? By the way, Denise is the one who always handle my schedule. Where is she?'' I lean back on the seat, eyes looking out the window.

          ''There are other nurses coming in today and we thought it'd be best for you to finally get assigned to a different patient. Lucky for you, he lives in the same neighbourhood as Peter but just a few houses further.'' She replies, ''Denise is off for today and I'm taking in for her. I'll text you the address right away and you'll receive an email from me in a few regarding the patient's biography. If there's anything at all, feel free to call me back at this number and I'll assist you.''

          ''Actually—'' I am cut off with the sound of beeping at the end, realising she has already hung up. ''Great.''

          I look up at the driver, ''Excuse me, sir. Can you please take me to this address? It's only a few houses down the road,''

          ''Sure, I'll take you there.''

          The two of us continue to sit in silence as we enjoy the music being played but I guess I spoke too soon. ''Are you not feeling well? Is that why you're wearing that mask?'' He asks, his eyes looking up to the rear-view mirror in order to meet my gaze in which I respond with a nod and a smile, even though he won't be able to see the sight of my lips curved up. ''Ah, why are you heading to this address, anyway? Meeting your boyfriend?''

          ''No. It's actually my patient's house,'' I respond, shaking my head.

          ''You're a doctor? A nurse?''

          ''A part-time nurse. I'm a student,''

          ''The economy these days is not doing very well. I'm a lawyer and I have to drive an Uber on my spare time in order to make a living but if I'm being honest with you, I'm also doing it for fun. It's a great way to reduce stress, driving down the roads and just jamming to the musics being played on the radio.'' He continues to speak off, shaking his head before making a quick left turn—avoiding traffic.

          I smile, ''Well . . . America is not that great of a country.''

          ''You got that right! I'm all in for g*n control because this country is getting out of hand and we're losing lives because of it.'' He laughs, ''It's even stupid how muslims are labelled as terrorists and black people are labelled as thugs when they do something wrong but when white people are on it, they're known as 'mentally disturbed' or unwell. This isn't fair. The world isn't fair or good anymore,'' The way he responds, it shows how he's content on wanting to make this world a better place and how the things going on at the moment is insanely crazy.

          ''You have no idea how much truth you spoke,'' I nod, thinking back of the recent news.

          ''Exactly. It's fair enough if they just call everyone bad as terrorists instead of labelling them according to their religion or race,'' He stops the car before turning to look at me and it takes me awhile to realise we've already arrived at our destination. ''You're young but you're quite wise. I hope you have a bright future ahead of you—don't believe everything that the media says, they're just covering up their own tracks and making others look bad.''

          ''Got it. Thanks,'' I reply, giving him the exact amount of money to pay for my fare before stepping out of the car.

          My eyes wander up at the house, seeing its modern design makes me feel drawn towards it but I waste no more time by pressing onto the doorbell and only to get the gates open a few seconds after. I walk inside and straight towards the front door, seeing an elegant young woman opening the door for me with a smile plastered on her face—the sight of her is breathtaking, the way she holds herself up and how she stands completely poised by the doorway, she appears as someone professional and important.

          Her light brown eyes meet mine in an instant and I take my time to eye her other features. For instance, how her dark brown hair is nicely curled down to her abdomen and how her makeup is somewhat airbrushed on her skin; making me smile back, ''You must be Mirabel Collins? I'm Halley,'' She offers me a hand, gesturing me to take it in which I do without hesitation.

          ''Hi, you can just call me Belle.''

          ''Alright then, Belle. It's nice to meet you,'' She steps aside, gesturing for me to come inside. ''I got a call from the hospital saying you're going to be assigned to my brother and I was grateful they were able to find me someone to take care of him. It's just that with all the work going on, I can't always be there for him—even though he's stubborn and always saying how he can handle things on his own but just for a small amount of time until we get a dedicated doctor.''

          ''A dedicated doctor?'' I raise an eyebrow, slightly confused.

          She turns to look at me, ''Yes. My brother got into a car accident and they had to cut his right leg off down from his knee. Blood clogged up and it was bad, they couldn't save it. The bacteria spreading inside his bloodstream could've poisoned the rest of his body,'' The way her eyes look away as she speaks, it shows just how much pain she went through because of it; it's like she felt what her brother did. ''Now, we're just waiting for him to fully heal until he gets a prosthesis.''

          ''I'm sorry about what happened to him,''

          ''Thanks, Belle. I appreciate that,'' She smiles.

          The inside of the house is even more nicely decorated than it seems, making me stare at the whole decorations in awe. Whoever it was, the person who designed and decorated this house must have a nice vision of how things turn out. How the colours are blended nicely with the furniture and the wall—even the house smells of peppermint and vanilla. ''You have a nice home.''

          ''Thank you. My husband was the one who designed the whole thing, he's an architect.'' We stop by the kitchen, ''Anyways, you are free to roam around the house if you want to. There are no secret doors or secret floors but there are a few doors that might be locked, we keep guests out of it. Other than that, you're free to enter. You can also use the kitchen whenever you want to—easy to say, make yourself at home. My husband and I are rarely here and there's only Haden around now that he's not well,''

          ''Excuse me, did you say . . . Haden?'' I blink a few times, wanting to reassure myself and for some reason, it felt as if she did say Haden and my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest and fall onto the ground.

          ''Yes, my brother. Haden,''

          ''Your brother . . . Haden?''

          She stares at me confusingly, ''Is there a problem?''

          'Calm down, Belle.' I thought. There has got to be like a million Haden in the world and it can't possibly be Haden—my Haden. ''No, not at all. Just wondering, how old is your brother?'' I ask, my eyebrows furrowing as I silently pray in my head that this Haden has nothing to do with the Haden I know.

          Halley blinks a few times, ''He's around your age.''

          Car accident. Same name. Around my age. This has got to be a damn joke or a b****y coincidence. ''Right, I have a meeting in a hour. Let's go upstairs and I'll introduce you two,'' She smiles before turning around, gesturing for me to follow her up the stairs while I continuously muttering curses under my breath when she's not looking, wanting to jump out of the window and just disappear.

          'This house sure does have a lot of windows.' the thought came flowing in my mind as we continue to walk down the hallway and as soon as she stops at one of the doors, I begin to panic. Halley knocks a couple of times before pushing the door open, letting me look down at my own two feet; not wanting to glance up at the mysterious figure in front of me but she moves to the side, revealing my figure perfectly clear to the person in front of me—sitting on a chair near the window.

          My eyes slowly wander up to the person's face and they widen immediately at the sight, ''Oh, Jeez!''

          There he sat, the man I have always wanted to be with, as he looks back at me with confusion written on his face while I clamp my mouth shut. The two siblings must think I'm being rude but I quickly recover myself, realising that he doesn't seem to recognise me which makes a lot of sense since I'm wearing coloured contacts and a mask to cover half of my face. Our eyes meet one again and this time, he's the first to look away or more precisely, glare away.

          ''Haden, this is Belle. She'll be taking care of you from now on,'' She speaks, her lips curving up into a smile and it doesn't take me long to see the slight resemblances they both have—for some reason, Haden doesn't seem bothered by it as he continues to look out the window with his jaw clenched; he's nothing like the Haden I saw on campus, always smiling and laughing. The Haden I'm looking at now is somewhat lost in his own world.

          I begin to look down at his leg and bite the inside of my cheeks, holding back the tears from forming as I smile. ''Hi there,''

          The reason why they kept his accident a secret is because of this. The state he is in. According to the flowers being placed in jars near the other side of the room with cards on them shows that he must have had visitors, probably his friends.

          Halley clears her throat beside me before leaning closer towards me, ''I'm sorry. Just give him some time to warm up, yeah? I promise, he was not always like this.''

           I smile, nodding my head as I glance back at Haden; seeing him only looking out the window and I don't know if love has blinded me or has managed to fool me but the sight of him being this vulnerable, weakens my heart. The face that would always light me up at campus is somehow dull and lack of life. The beautiful brown eyes that were always glistening with joy is now dark and filled with sorrow. Even the sight of his body is heartbreaking, knowing he has lost his weight and it hurts. It hurts being in the same room with him, acknowledging the pain he's in.

          ''Haden?'' Halley calls out for him, taking a few steps closer.

          I stay still at my spot as he turns to look at his sister before glancing at my direction once more, ''What? Never seen an amputee before?'' He asks, the anger visible in his eyes which surprises me and causes me to look down immediately—clenching my fists in order to hold myself back from tearing down. It's not the tone of his voice but the way he spoke those words.

          ''Haden!'' Her eyes widen, ''I'm trying to help you. You have to let me help you,''

          Haden looks up at her sister, ''Just get out, Halley. Get out and bring her with you. Can't you see that I'm doing fine on my own? Why do you have to ruin that for me? Can't you see that everything else is already ruined? Why can't you see that?!'' He replies, his voice raising as his eyes begin to water but he holds himself back by running his fingers through his hair before turning away. ''Just get the hell out of here. Leave,''

          ''I think I should go,'' I speak up.

          ''No, Belle. That won't be necessary,'' She sighs, shaking her head.

          To my surprise, Haden begins to grab onto his crutches before standing up and making his way towards me. As soon as we're close enough, he stares down into my eyes but due to the intensity in them, I look away. Just like that, he walks out of the room with his arm bumping onto my shoulder in the process, ''I'm sorry, Belle. I really am,'' Halley breathes, hands on her waist.

         ''No, it's fine. Don't worry,'' I take a few seconds to breathe before continuing to speak, ''You're going to be late for your meeting. I'll be fine and we'll warm up soon—don't worry about it.''

          Halley's eyes meet mine and I smile, wanting to hide away the uneasiness in my heart. She seems to be hesitating on whether she should leave or stay, ''We have a housekeeper, her name's Greta but she's not in today. I can call her in if you want—''

          ''Please, don't trouble yourself. Haden and I, we'll work it out.'' I reply.

         ''Call me if there's anything. Here's my number,'' She hands me out her business card and I take it, nodding my head. It's obvious that she's worried about Haden especially by how he reacted earlier but she seems to be caught in between. ''I'll be back around five. I'll see you then?''

          ''Absolutely.''

          ''Thank you, Belle.'' She places her hand on my shoulder before giving it a squeeze, walking out of the room.

           My eyes wander around Haden's room to find it exactly like how I imagined. Everything is decorated nicely and sophisticatedly, not like any other typical boy room but I step out of the room and immediately walk down the hallway to find Halley getting into her car while I look around. This house is fairly huge enough but the light seems to be seeping in through the windows which makes everything visible and it doesn't take me long to find Haden standing alone at the balcony.

          The first time I saw Haden, I wasn't just mesmerised by the way he looked but more fascinated by his smile. The sight of his lips curved up into a smile as he revealed his perfectly straight teeth, it was a sight to behold and even from afar, I was attracted. He never did lay his eyes on me, maybe because he never really did saw me—I was always running away whenever he was close and I blame myself entirely for that. I've never been confident enough to face him and it was my fault.

          Yet this time, I'm the one to approach.

          I stand near the doorway to watch him, ''You're still here.''

          Our eyes meet once more as he turns around to face me; the same beautiful brown eyes that managed to draw me in closer towards him is now somehow not as soft as they were. His gaze is a little harder than before but then again, I never knew him that well. ''Sorry to disappoint but I'm not going anywhere,''

          ''Your loss.'' He replies, eyes piercing into my own.

          We spend the next few seconds to just stare at each other and deep down, it worries me if he recognises who I am; the girl he met at the party who called herself Jasmine and himself, Aladdin. The girl who leaned in to kiss him but he decided on a better way, he wanted to find me. He wanted to find out about me but fate was against us, probably still is. Such a funny way to let two people meet—were we Romeo and Juliet in our past lives? Were our love always a risk?

          ''You're wasting your time here,''

          ''You can't say that.'' I respond.

          ''What?''

          ''You can't decide that for me. Whether I'm wasting my time or not, you don't get to say that.''

          ''Like I said . . . '' He takes a few steps closer towards me before gazing down into my eyes, our faces are inches apart yet not too close. Not as close as we were when I wanted to kiss him. ''your loss.''

          Then, he walks past me.