Timelessly (ENGLISH Version- Ongoing)

CHAPTER 7

SEVEN: "Heart."

Quint quickly went to his late father's locker and opened it.

The last letter he'd received tumbled to the ground when it opened. While reading, Quint was reminded of a favor his late father had requested from him. This son, according to him, would see his first love and let her know how much his father, Theodore Sr., loved her. After a while, Quint came to understand that everything was happening for a reason, and that's why he decided to travel back in time to complete his father's last wish.

Yes, that's it! A deeper and more compelling reason had emerged for why he felt the need to travel back in time. He would still carry out the mission that he had not previously completed for his father, making sure to accomplish it.

He turned the old gold clock’s hands to 12:00 like he had done it the first time and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, his spirit immediately noticed the unique silence of the courtyard of the old library. When he looked out the window he saw that it was made of wood. When he looked up he saw the familiar ambiance of the old and gray times. He was finally back in 1990!

He walked over to the rows of tables and saw the students seriously and quietly reading and studying. 1990 and dresses and polo shirts were still the only clothes. There was no wearing a modern uniform like the one he is wearing today.

He continued to walk, and his heart almost jumped, then spontaneously drew a smile on his lips when he saw Flor at the far end of the table and sitting there alone while reading a book.

He approached her gently.

"Flor…" he called the girl's name softly and affectionately.

Seeing the familiar soothing voice calling Flor by her name, Flor was just as surprised to see the person she had never thought of seeing again in their time. Following his leave, she'd started having memories of him. Tall and attractive, Quint is in his uniform. With a fair complexion and a friendly expression, he had an average physique, and a medium body build. His eyes appeared to be beaming with joy. Flor was stunned by what she saw!

"You?" Her eyes were still fixed on him even as she stood up and gradually cut their distance. She couldn't believe he had appeared in front of her once more!

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, Flor. It’s me, your friend from 2018―Quint.”

She couldn’t contain her happiness. “You're back, Quint…”

He confirmed it with a nod, and then she immediately hugged him. Although he was stunned by that at first, it overwhelmed his heart, and he hugged her back.

“You're really here again, Quint! I never thought I would still be able to see you after you went to your current era! You are really back! ” she remarked, still clutching him, nearly emotional but full of delight.

He giggled like a child and nodded. “Yes, I’m back, Flor. It’s true.”

The emptiness he was experiencing in 2018 suddenly felt like it had been fulfilled in this year of old and gray 1990 when he was reunited with her for the second time. In his elation at seeing the girl he'd been fantasizing about for so long, he felt like he was floating in the clouds.

"How did you get back, and why did you come back?" she asked when they sat at the table.

“I used the old gold clock. I returned because I remembered that I still had a mission to do for my late father. That was his last wish.”

Curiosity was drawn to her beautiful face. "Mission?"

He nodded. "He was asking me to help find his first love, the woman he cherished before meeting my mother and falling in love with her. His final letter urged me to find and tell that woman how much he loved her though he couldn't save and protect her.”

Flor’s eyes were saddened. "Your late father’s first love must have been so heartbreaking, I guess…"

He sighed and agreed. "At long last, I see why I was here in this place in 1990. Flor, I'm staying because I'm here for a reason. Also, I will do everything I can to locate that woman and tell her what my father wanted her to know."

“What's the woman’s name, by the way, Quint? Maybe there’s something I can do to help you find her.”

Quint shook his head. "My dad didn't mention her name in his letter…"

"Then it will be difficult for you, and it may take you a long time to find her."

"Yes, but I won’t give up easily, Flor. Besides, you will always be there for me to help me, right?” he said cheerfully, with a positive mind and outlook.

She smiled the same way as a response.

"Flor, I found the answer to our Math assignment―”

They both turned to Lili, who had just entered the library and was approaching their table. The latter was even more surprised when she saw Quint.

“Quint? Did you come back here? Since when?" Lili asked.

The young man smiled in friendliness and then nodded. "Yes, just a while ago.”

Lili nodded and then sat down next to her friend Flor.

"He remembered that he still had a mission to do here in our era, Lili, so he came back."

Lili looked at them both with a question mark on her head. “Mission? What kind of mission?”

Quint told the latter about his late father’s letter.

"Oh, I see,” she opinionated while nodding after understanding everything. “So, how’s that now? How are you going to locate her? You have no idea who she is, not even her name. When looking for her, how and where would you begin your search?”

He sighed and shook his head. "I honestly don't know yet, but I hope in the next few days I can at least find answers to my questions."

"Do not worry, Quint. Lili and I will help you as much as we can,” Flor assured him.

And Lili nodded to that, totally agreeing. He thanked the girls.

“Anyway, Flor, I've got the answer to our math assignment.” Lili changed the topic and mentioned to her friend about their studies.

He watched the two as they talked about the lesson. Flor's loveliness enthralled him.

They were doing their assignments when Quint saw that Flor suddenly touched the side of her chest and wrinkled her face as if she was in pain.

“Flor, what’s wrong? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Even Lili, who was busy writing, stopped to look at Flor. “Flor, what's wrong with you? Are you having attacks this time?”

Flor couldn't answer because she was complaining, and her whole face furrowed.

“Flor, are you okay? Does your heart hurt?” Lili started to panic.

Though it was painful, Flor managed to nod to confirm Lili’s question.

"What's wrong with her, Lili?" Quint was inevitably confused. "Does she have heart disease?"

“I'll explain everything later, Quint. For now, please help me. Let's take her to the clinic.

He nodded and, without hesitation, carried Flor in his arms like his bride, and, with Lili's help, they immediately ran her to the clinic.

Flor was already crying in pain and shouting while lying on the clinic’s bed. The in-charge nurse moved immediately and injected the girl in the arm. And that somehow calmed Flor after about fifteen minutes of pain, and soon, she fell asleep soundly and peacefully.

“What was that, Lili? Is Flor sick?”

Lili sighed and nodded sadly while looking at her friend sleeping on the bed. "Heart disease, Quint. When we were in our final year of high school, she was diagnosed with a terrible condition. All of this was made more difficult by her parents' repeated attempts to take her to prominent specialists who, upon inspection of her body, invariably found it normal and fine. There are moments when Flor's sickness causes her to scream and cry out in anguish, and I believe it's a curse, because no one knows when it may suddenly strike her to cause her so much pain. That's why, while she's at school, I try to stay as close to her as possible so that if she is hurt, I can get her to the clinic right away."

Quint speculated that one of the many reasons it's so difficult for doctors to name Flor's heart problem is that there isn't as much advanced equipment and technology available to them as there is in the modern world.

Her parents don't allow her to go out as often as possible. She should always be picked up by her family driver when she is out so that when her illness attacks, someone will come to help her and take her to the hospital and be immediately given injections of sedatives and sleeping medicine to calm her.

"Is she on any medication?"

Lili nodded. "Her illness isn't something she gets daily. Her disease, as previously stated, is a complete traitor since it will strike at any time and without notice. A high-dose sedative is put into her as soon as she is attacked, and she will only sleep for one and a half hours before waking back up as if nothing had ever occurred. As if she never suffered.”

Quint was amazed by Flor's bravery. While her inexplicable condition may strike at any time, she appears to be undisturbed by it and is able to attend school as if nothing's happening. She could instead opt for homeschooling in order to better monitor her health, but she did not.

He couldn't have imagined how much she suffered. To maintain her condition or even identify or name how she could be treated, there is no therapeutic option. Quint's chest heaved as he thought about what he had just discovered. When Flor cries, it's as though he feels her pain, too.

“Flor, what happened? Did you have an attack again?”

The young man who had just arrived at the clinic suddenly shattered the tranquility of the place because of his anxiousness over Flor's current condition. Even closer to the girl's bed, he reached out and held the girl's hand as she fell asleep.

"He is Flor's childhood friend. Their parents have agreed to marry them by the time they both finish school. His name is Claudio Aurelio, who is currently taking a Business course.”

Quint didn't know why his chest suddenly seemed filled with heaviness when he heard that another young man was already reserved for Flor’s love.

Flor soon opened her eyes. She was even slightly shocked by the first person she saw. Claudio tried to hold her hand, but she didn’t allow it.

When she saw Lili and Quint, she smiled authentically.

"Lili, Quint, there you are!"

Lili approached and tapped her shoulder. “Oh, Flor, my friend, you scared me!”

Both men watched the girls. Soon Claudio turned around to leave, but before he could get out, he stopped in front of Quint. The former looked at the latter sharply as if he would challenge Quint for a fight at any moment. Quint didn't back down, and he also fought eye to eye. There was tension between the two.

Quint would fight anything, especially if it was for Flor…