This is the first time Sky sleeps well. Something in that Doctor's voice calms his wounded heart. It feels so familiar yet strange. It must be because he is a doctor and used a soothing deep voice when talking to him.
He sleeps until seven in the morning, only waking up when a small amount of sunlight shines straight into his eyes. Opening his eyes, a brightly smiling Kai appeared in front of him. Lying sideways, supporting his head with his right hand.
"Why don't you sleep more?" Kai asks.
Sky smiled drowsily and let out a small groan, "Someone is coming baby. Can you prepare some food?"
This kind of talk had been made between them in the very same bed before. When he informed Kai of his mother’s visiting them.
"Who's coming baby, is it Mama?" curiosity is written all over his face.
"No, baby. It's Dr. Kole." Sky answered in a languid voice.
"Baby, ca-" Kai did not finish his line when his illusion vanished in the air.
Knock! Knock!
Hearing the knock, Sky gets up from the bed, slightly fixes his hair, and strides to get out of the room. He anxiously opens the door; a bright light from the sun blinded him for a second. It has been so long since he last opens this door by himself, smell the fresh air, and saw the sun blazingly shining.
Clearing his vision, his eyes land on the black shoes of the person in front of him, gradually he lifts his eyes and is startled by what he sees.
The man is wearing a white long sleeve polo partnered with black trousers. He has a nice pointy nose, rosy lips, and charming eyes something that is familiar to..."Kai! Are you playing games with me?!" Sky said in frustration.
He got so pissed with Kai, he was waiting for the doctor but this playful husband of his is tricking him again. He grabs the door and is ready to slam it but the man outside briskly stops it.
"Sir, I'm Dr. Kole, are you Sky Haren?" not a hint of annoyance or irritation is seen on his face just a pure bright smile. So safe and so friendly.
Dr. Kole? Sky blinks his eyes twice, thrice, again and again, but he is seeing the same person. Dr. Kole is the exact replica of Kai.
What is this again? Is heaven so angry with him that they twist his fate and made the person he first asks for help looks the same as his husband? Is his suffering not enough? Are five years not enough for gods to pity him? to at least let him have just a little glimmer of hope?
"Dr. Kole - " Sky choked.
He surely does not know how to react. He wants Dr. Kole to leave now. He is living in his illusion of Kai and he is aware of it this is why he wanted some help but how will this Doctor help him?
Sky took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said, "Doctor, can you leave, please? I'm sorry for wasting your time."
Dr. Kole whose standing outside for a while now is observing Sky intently. How long has he been in this field of work? It's been five years, so he knew exactly how to handle such patients.
"Sky, are you not going to offer me some water?" Dr. Kole didn't mind what Sky said earlier.
Startled by the question, Sky feels the embarrassment of requesting the doctor to come only to make him leave as soon as he arrived, "yes, please come in. Can you leave after you drink some water, Doctor?" he plainly begs him.
"Sure. Thank you so much." Dr. Kole replied with a smile.
Entering the house, Dr. Kole feels the gloomy aura, the strong stench made his nose itchy. The house lacks sunlight and fresh air. It lacks happiness and life. It's obvious that the owner is in a bad state.
"How long have you lived here?" Dr. Kole started a simple conversation.
Sky panic. He doesn't want to talk to him but he's the one who called him last night, maybe small talk won't hurt.
"Seven years," he whispered as he responds hiding his face from the doctor.
"Oh! This is a very nice structured house. Can I sit here?" He points to the dusty sofa full of scattered clothes, books, and a bit of garbage.
Sky glance at it and sees that there is no space for the doctor to sit so he hurriedly takes an empty stool, wipes it with his shirt, and gives it to Dr. Kole.
"Sit here."
Sky is still heating the water for Dr. Kole and washing one cup. If the cup could speak then he would say thank you Doctor I've been washed by the master after a long time of sitting here in the sink full of cockroaches and molds.
"You can call me Kole, Sky." Kole once again smiled at him.
"I'll call you doctor." Sky flatly responded.
"Ok. Do you have bread? I haven't eaten yet."
Well, bread is the only thing that keeps Sky alive. Sometimes, his mother brings him food or his cousin's. They only brought him food and quickly leave. They can't touch anything in the house or Sky won't allow them in again.
"I have."
He took a pack of bread inside an air-tight box and give it to Kole.
"Thank you, Sky. Oh! Onion bread? this is my favorite. I'm so lucky to visit you, I get to eat this bread again." he grins while opening the pack of bread.
"It's all yours," Sky said.
"No. no... this is too much for me. Here, have some too."
He breaks the bread and gave the other half to Sky.
"No. It's yours." he bluntly rejected.
"It wouldn't be good for me to eat while the owner of the house is just looking." Kole beguiles him.
"Ok. Just one bite. Doctor, please leave after eating." he reminded him again.
Sky has been repeating for him to leave but never did he force the Doctor. Unexpectedly, he keeps on listening to whatever Kole is saying and answering whatever Kole is asking but he never looks Kole in the face.
"Sky, is there something wrong with my face? Is there dirt or something?"
He's been noticing Sky's actions since he entered the house. Sky is anxious and keeps on avoiding his gaze. Well, he's used to it but it's different with Sky, oh! he remembers that Sky called him Kai.
"I don't know." Sky again answered in a flat tone.
"Let me check myself in the mirror." Kole gets up and walks towards the mirror.
The mirror is blurry, he can't clearly see his face. Beside the mirror is a table with a wedding photo. His gaze fixed on it and realization dawns on him. The man in the photo with Sky looks exactly like him.
No wonder Sky is not looking at him.
"Sky, how did he die?"
~~~
Mini Theater:
The best part of your body?
Sky: Definitely my lips.
Kai & Dr. Kole: * look at each other
Sky: What?!
Kai & Dr. Kole: *grins from ear to ear
Kai: it's actually your...
Dr. Kole: Your tear mole is sexy *blushes
Sky: Every part of my body is sexy. *rolls his eyes
As a Psychologist, Kole is well-versed in the actions and reactions of his patients. He is well accustomed to the ways of dealing with an emotionally broken-hearted person.Psychologists and psychiatrists are two different things. The psychiatrist provides medication but the psychologist provides psychotherapy or talk therapy. A sounding board for the people who experience the lowest point in their life.With Sky, the first thing that comes to mind is that this person badly needs someone to pester him and listen to him. At least someone who is sincerely willing to listen and not someone who will thwack him of how pathetic he is. The first step for Sky is to slowly open his heart and accept proper consultation.Seeing the wedding photo, the gloomy and soiled house, and the thin and dejected appearance of Sky, it's enough for him to conclude that Sky's husband left the mortal world.Testing the water, he uttered the forbidden question, "Sky, how did he die?"Sky, who is pouring the hot
Kole went directly to his office, upon arriving he was greeted by his lady assistant estimated to be in her late twenties. There was only three staff in his office, he likes to keep his circle small especially since all of the patient's cases were confidential. "Hey! you're twenty minutes late today. That's rare." his lady assistant commented. Kole never did once come late to the office. It was his golden rule A TRUE AND COMPASSIONATE PERSON WAKES UP EARLY WITH THE WILL TO ALLEVIATE PEOPLE'S SUFFERING. He smiled at his assistant and responded jokingly, "Spare this old man a time to date." "Date? who is the lucky one?" Yara asks with bulging eyes, she looked at Kole with so many questions in her head. Since when did Dr. Kole have an interest to date? The doctor who was devoting his life to healing people, who do not have any interest in blind dates and night out's, friends that can be counted on fingers was saying that he's been on a date? What sorcery was this? She must know the
Upon living the office, he went straight to his favorite restaurant to order easily digestible food. Sky had been eating bread for so long and giving him hard-to-digest food will only upset his stomach. It took him thirty minutes to get his takeout. Kole was a regular so calling in advance for his order was just one of his many perks. After receiving his order, he went back to his car which was parked outside the restaurant. Starting the engine, he merrily and quickly drives to get to Sky's house. It was a twenty-minute ride from the restaurant. There were few cars on the road at nighttime, they were in a rural area so houses and establishments were usually near each other. With both hands full of food bags, he marches towards Sky's door. Knock! Knock! Two knocks, no answer. "Sky?" Still no answer. "Sky? Are you awake?" worry starts to creep into his heart. "Sky!" Was he not at home? Impossible. He was afraid to leave the house surely, he was inside. Did he faint? No! He wasn
He wanted to follow Kai's wishes, he wanted to try living by getting help but how? Every time he sees Kole, he reminded him of Kai, that perfect visage."Doctor, tell me... can you cure me?" Sky's tears streamed down his face blurring the image of the man in front of him.He clasped Kole's hand with both his cold and bone-skin hands. He held on to it tightly and gradually brought it to his now drenched cheeks, caressing his face as if the person in front of him was his lover."Tell me that you can cure me, I'm in too much pain. I lived in an illusion of my husband, I can see and talk to him as if he is here. As if my husband... as if my husband is beside me." He continued telling everything to Kole. Everything that he closely kept in his heart for the past long years.Kole watched him with so much care, this man, who had a beautiful heart and soul was grieving over a deceased beloved. How many people can love this much? How many Sky was there in the world? How many were those who stop
Like a magnet pulling him back with much force, Kole quickly turned back to look at Sky. His eyes contain anticipation, and his heart was expecting something from those words but... what he saw was a sleeping man.It was only a dream. A dream he badly wanted to know. For now, he could only hope that one day Sky will get better and continue to live his life so he could live his life too.Kole closed the door of the house double checking if it was safely locked before leaving. He was thinking of what to cook for breakfast that will suit Sky's taste and will not trigger his memory of Kai."Kole?" Just when he got out a voice in her fifties called out.Kole froze in place. That voice was too familiar, his heart pounded so fast and his throat moved up and down sending tense feelings to his stomach. This was one of the voices he did not want to remember nor wanted to see."Is that you?" asked the woman.Kole did not dare to look back nor dare to make any sound. He wanted to move but his fee
“Did… did we lose them?” Sky asks the person heavily panting beside him. They have been running for so long.“I don’t know… let’s find somewhere to hide first,” answered the person. His face was blurry and his whole body was drenched with sweat. Both of them ran towards the thick bush to hide their slim figures. It was around six in the evening and they were cornered in a forest away from the city.The two boys were nervous and helpless. They had been running for nearly two hours now. They barely escaped from the black van that took them in front of their school if not for the tactics used by the boys.“Sky, even if you are feverish, we have to leave here alive, okay?” the boy said in a commanding tone with no room to debate. He was determined to save Sky and himself. He still wanted to go home and eat his favorite hot pot and stir-fry bullfrog. They needed to survive and surviving means taking risks. If the worst scenario happened, at least Sky should leave here alive.They were out
It was around eight in the morning when Kole arrived at Sky's house. Sleeping was not his best friend; he was always forcibly woken up by his mind. "Sky, I brought you breakfast." He had his unabashed smile hanging on his face while waving the wrapped food in his hand. "Doctor, I... I already had my breakfast." Scratching his head lightly, Sky answered him honestly. "Oh?" For the past few days, he noticed that Sky was not fond of eating breakfast, "then, I have an idea. This food should not go to waste." Kole said in high spirits. He can take advantage of this situation to slowly open Sky's closed heart and the food should not go to waste, last night was enough. "Can I come in?" asked Kole cheerily. Kole has been standing outside the whole time. The first time he visited, he let himself in. This time he wanted Sky to invite him in or to allow him to come in. This will help him assimilate if Sky was ready to accept people in his safe zone. Kole caught the uneasiness lurking in Sky'
Sky's physique can be described as skin and bone, his cheeks and eyes sunken, and his lips have few cracks even his wrist can be encircled by one's thumb and index finger. It was the result of years of eating unhealthy food. Despite this, the beauty he had can't be denied. This past few days, Sky's mood improved, and his eyes had little light in them. Unaware of his action, Kole slowly approached where Sky was. His eyes fixed on that sweaty-innocent face. Bit by bit he lifted his hand planning to remove the hair sticking near Sky's eyes. Kole stared at Sky full of yearning, his eyes nostalgic and his head muddled. The air around them feels humid, adding spice to the scene. "Doctor?" Sky called out. He didn't know exactly what happened to the doctor. Sky was befuddled by the situation. Does the doctor need anything? Was he going to take the box from him? But he can carry it on his own. Sky felt a little awkward seeing the doctor get closer and closer to him. Kole continues to sta