Side Story 6

After two years

"Sisley, can you get the box of flu vaccines in the barracks?" the head nurse said.

Sisley nodded and hurried inside the barracks. The area was vast, and going to and fro from the barracks into the main hall of Everland National School would take at least ten minutes or so.

Sisley didn't have time to caught her breath nor looked at her chaotic surrounding. Her eyes were forward and never straying on her path. And out of nowhere, a figure appeared.. She recoiled at the impact and immediately regained her balance.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asked as she looked upward.

"Sisley?"

Stunned, Sisley stared at Daniel. There was a rumor that an important person in Everland would come to visit one of these days. But she sure didn't expect that it would be Prince Daniel himself.

"How are you? How have you been?" Daniel asked, all smiles. "I never expect to see you here."

Sisley didn't expect to see Daniel too. Not one bit. She was caught off guard at their sudden meeting and how her heart was beating so fast it was impossible to breathe.

Daniel still had that effect on her even after two years. But she had grown since then, and she was no longer this weak little girl who was so easily swayed with her emotion. She found something much more important. More important than a failed relationship.

Sisley returned Daniel's smile. "Daniel, it's been so long. I've been doing great. How about you?"

"I'm good. So what are you doing here? Are you a volunteer?"

Sisley brushed her hair to the side. "Yes. I've been doing this since . . . since we've broken up."

Daniel's smile faltered. "Oh. Well. Have you finish your course at least?"

Sisley looked Daniel in the eyes and laughed a little. He was still the same. He still liked to take responsibility for things he didn't have to.

"It's fine, Daniel. I never was serious about my course. I only took it because that's what you took. And you don't have to be responsible because I drop out of college. It's my choice, and I'm very contented with what I'm doing right now. "

Sisley took in some breath and sighed, eyes roaming around. "It brings me a sense of fulfillment."

". . . Oh. Well . . ." Daniel rubbed his nape. "I'm happy as long as you're happy."

Sisley's gaze steadied at Daniel. "I always wanted you to miss me. Miss me like a part of you is dying. And then I wanted to slap at your face at how I am today. Happy even without you. And if one day you'll come crying back to me, I'll look you in the eyes and reject you as you rejected me . . . That's the kind of woman I wanted to be."

Daniel couldn't react, and Sisley beamed. She nodded before she went her way. A single tear fell onto her cheek, but her smile was genuine as her words.

As she went away, Daniel looked at Sisley's figure. He then shook his head and smiled at himself. "I'll look forward to it."

Inside the barracks, Sisley felt like she ran a marathon. Her heart wouldn't stop racing. She took steady breathes to calm herself, and when she did, she laughed at herself. The final broken glass stabbing her heart was finally gone. Now it could mend with time.

She chuckled and huffed at the same time while remembering why she was at the barracks again.

Right, the vaccines.

And right at this moment, the door opened and came in people carrying boxes in each hand.

"Just put it there, guys. There are more in the truck, so make sure to pile them according to their code," said a voice so familiar with Sisley.

She stepped aside and went towards that voice to find Max directing his people.

"Max!" Sisley was never this excited to see a friend after almost two years.

"Geh," Max inwardly grumbled. Why was Sisley in the barracks of all the time? He composed himself and faced Sisley with a smile which he hoped made him more mature and handsome.

"Yo! Sisley. Fancy meeting you––ohf!"

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Max stepped back. Fortunately, he held his ground. His fingers opened and closed, shaking as he was about to hug her. But before he did, Sisley released him.

"It's so good to see you! What are you doing here?!"

"Ah . . . well . . . I've been ah . . ." looking at Sisley's round innocent eyes, Max faced away, ". . . Volunteering."

"Really? Who would expect that with so many countries on earth, we would meet on this land."

Max scratched his head. "Yeah . . . w-who would have thought? It's such a small world."

"Since when did you start volunteering? How about your job?"

"Ah . . . well . . . you know me. I have . . . always have a big heart. And you know . . . ah . . . being stuck in an office isn't really my style."

Sisley giggled. "I never expected to see you. But I'm very happy I did." Then Sisley looked at the time. "It's been nice to meet you again, Max. Truly. But I have to go. Our head probably is asking everybody where I am."

As Sisley went to the boxes of medicine, Max called her name. Turning with a box in hand, she looked at Max, who was acting strange and awkward.

"Uhm . . ." Max stuttered, crossing his hand as he leaned on the piles of boxes to look cool. "Do you want to get coffee sometime? Maybe this––"

CRASH!

The weight of the boxes was light, and it moved when Max leaned on them.

As he found himself on the ground, Max scratched his head, looking at the scattered boxes.

"What the?"

Sisley laughed as she put down the box and extended her hand at Max.

"Yes, I would like to have coffee sometime."

----

Side story 7

When Evangeline was still studying in Paris, she returned to Burberry to spend the weekend with Eric.

"Eric, I have a gift for you," Evangeline said, excited as he handed a box to Eric.

"What is it? Eric asked, opening the box.

"It's a surprise!"

When Eric opened the box, there was a piece of cloth inside. He pulled it out and laid it before his eye.

"Do you like it? I stitch it myself," Evangeline boldly proclaimed.

"Wow. I never knew that you were so good with your hands. I like this sweater very much," Eric said, smiling.

He then examined it, thinking how to put it on. It was too small, and there were holes and buttons that he thought were for his hands and head.

Opening the buttons, Eric asked, "So how do I put this?"

Eric looked at Evangeline, but the woman's face was darker than the bottom of his pots.

"It's a hat, Eric."

On another weekend

"Eric, I have a gift for you."

Eric grimaced. Here we go again. "Y-Yeah? What is it?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"It's a surprise!"

Eric took in some air and exhaled it through his mouth as quietly as possible. He then opened the box and sighed in relief that this time, the gift was easy to guess.

He laid it before his eyes and examined it. It was too big to be anything else. It didn't have buttons. It was plain, and it didn't have holes. It was definitely . . .

"A hank––"

"A sweater."

"Sweater!" Eric corrected himself. "It's a sweater! It looks like a sweater. The fabric is just right for a sweater. It's definitely a sweater!"

Eric then peeked at Evangeline with guilt in his eyes.

Evangeline's face was foreboding. Then her chin crunched, and she turned away.

"Oh! Who am I kidding! I couldn't sew even when my life depended on it!"

Eric sighed and comforted her. "Eve, you're already a good stylist. You don't have to stitch yourself. You can have others do it for you."

Evangeline snapped at him. "All my classmates knew how to sew. Even you know how to do it!"

Eric raised both hands. "I just know how to do it. But I'm not an expert. And besides . . . you're already ahead of your peers in designing." If you even know how to stitch, what would that leave other people? Please leave us something that we could do better than you.

"What was that?"

"I said that you'd learn it eventually. It just takes some practice."

Evangeline sniffled. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

She then blossomed into a smile. "Thank you, Eric. For always by my side."

Eric's smile faltered a little. "Anytime."