Walls of Fire

23: The Enigma behind his Magic Box

I glared at James, throwing the whole blame at him for not revealing a single part of this transfer plan. Did this what the term best friends signified according to his sense? The guilty guy hesitated to direct his gaze at me.

"When will he be transferred? And for how long?"

His boss replied in a heart breaking tone, "I guess all the procedure will make the date of his transfer shift to 1st January, 2020. The duration is something I can't say. Most probably, the transfer will be permanent. The officials were very happy with his work."

Lizzy cheered, "That's good for Aunt and Uncle. They will not have to take the pain of visiting their son from Italy."

"As much as this is true, our team will miss such a brilliant doctor. James, I know this is your dream job, but we don't know how our hospital will function without you." It was clear that his boss was not emotionally primed to bid goodbye to his favorite employee. He continued to struggle in holding his emotions while speaking. "You have witnessed our hospital grow inch by inch. You know the struggles and hardships we have endure. Your immense hard work towards strengthening our hospital is appreciated."

"Sir, I am very emotional. Please don't..." James, who was refusing to meet my gaze, concealed his face. He sobbed in his hands, not trying to retain the outpour of emotions. He sniveled, "I promise to come back whenever my help will be needed. I will never leave the side of this institution, which is the base of my learning."

The grey suited man headed forward, and took James in his embrace. He mumbled, "I know my boy." They stayed in each other grip, thus using one another for support, for a few more minutes before drifting apart. "Now I'll leave you guys alone. My patients will be waiting for me."

"William and I are outside. Use this time judiciously."

The three people present in our room left one by one. Lizzy whispered some secret in her brother's ears before taking her departure.

I attempted to sit upright on my bed. James strolled in my direction, and took his seat closer to my bed. His eyes were covered with water, but he wiped them off immediately thinking those signs of tears were left unnoticed from my sharp eyes.

With his cracked voice, he adjured, "How are you?"

"Good."

After a long time, I was responding to his questions. I never thought I could miss a stranger, whom I have known for only two and a half month so much.

A long silence was preceded by my query. "Did Lizzy bring me here?"

"Yes, she has brought you here. Luckily during that time, my working hours were not over. According to your medical reports, you have not been maintaining a balanced diet."

I blinked at him unbelievably. His concern for my report was prior than discussing the details of his transfer. I roared, "Why didn't you tell me about your transfer?"

"I did provide you with some hints the day we were returning back from Eric's house. I needed to work on all the required documents to ensure my transfer successfully. The main challenge was to convince my work to agree with this. He doesn't want me to go."

"I was a silly one to think the possibility of you proposing Lizzy," I chuckled nervously.

Hearing my response, I was sure his jaw was ready to hit the floor. But if he contained the correct analysis of his roommate, he would know how wild my imagination was.

He spouted, "Hell no! Why on earth would I propose my cousin sister?"

"The fault isn't mine. You would blabber about her achievements all the time rather than introducing her properly to me. Besides, I misunderstood her to be Eric's sister."

"You need to intake ample amount of Sodium Chloride in your diet to make your brain function properly."

"Are you planning to argue now by calling me brainless?" I croaked up my brow.

"You can say so. I have missed them."

"I missed you, James."

Holding my hand in his firmly, he advanced, "You don't know Amy how tough these twenty days were for me. Preparing food, handling all chores, dealing with immense stress with no entertainment in between. My life is all together a mess. The colors you carried to my life began to fade after you left."

"I don't think I can watch you walk away from my life," I groaned.

"The same goes for me. If twenty days of separation meant bearing so much of pain, I have no idea what will happen when I shift to Italy permanently."

My ears were unable to bear the sad talks. Watching him walk away from my life was nothing less than having two heavily loaded trucks run over my feet. As a mode to change the conversation, I demanded to know the details of Mr Jeffers. "Where is Ethan?"

"In the waiting room." James ran his fingers through his hair before resuming to speak. "He waited for you to gain consciousness for the entire length of night. He seems like a pretty decent guy to me, but he is not better than me."

"So glad that you understood. My choices aren't that bad after all." I added a smile as Mr Black accepted his mistake.

"So he is your choice?"

"Yeah, good choice to fill the position of an editor, and a good friend. Ethan is literally very kind. He is a man of words."

James growled, evidently not interested to hear the characteristic features of the good mannered guy. "Adam has signed on the divorce papers. Eric said that he had submitted the papers to the court for processing."

"That's a surprising news," I ogled.

"Congratulations Miss Johnson."

"Thank for you for everything James."

"Thank for you for lightening up my light. I can't wait to throw you a party once you are declared as the champ of Talent Hunt." He spoke while stroking my hair. My sweet James was bac.

"You are more confident than I am." I tittered. "Christmas celebration would be forever the last time we smile raising our glasses together to toast our friendship. I would not mind an additional party because-"

Interjecting me, he requested with his puppy eyes, "Come to Italy to live with me Amy."

"What?"

I was taken aback. Did he really invite me to stay with me in Italy. I gulped.

Please let it be correct!

"You heard me correct. We both need each other for support. You are a strong independent woman and you might not understand my need, but I highly need a woman like you in my life."

"But what will be my identification?"

"Is Dr. Black's girlfriend a bad title?"

Actions speak better than words. I leaned forward, and brushed my lips against his forehead planting a kiss on its surface.

The next thing I knew, he had slammed his lips to mine and nearly knocked all wind from my lungs. I hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of my lips and, at my grant of access, delved inside my mouth. It was a very sloppy kiss with the strong scent of old wine being exchanged in the intermingling of our billowing breaths. My arms reached up and tangled around his thick, strong neck. In an instant I had pulled away and arched up into his broad chest, moaning in the contact of body heat against my own, before I drew back into his lips.

Happiness is in the moment, the more focused the more intense, like a beam of light to the soul. And just as with well focused light, it is then we find better resolution.

TO BE CONTINUED...