The next morning, I informed Helen that I was already leaving for the hospital because Liam just called me on the phone and that he was waiting outside the gate. I actually told him not to come into the house because I knew that he was definitely gonna cause trouble with his father.
    Speaking of his father, Mr. Maya... I met him in the living room when I climbed down the stairs.
    
       "How is your father?" Mr. Maya smiled as he spoke to me. It's obviously a very wicked smile.
    I didn't want to speak with him, instead, I looked at him with hatred and disgust.
  "C'mon Eve, Why did I then give you a job if you don't wanna cater for your family by yourself. I still kept my promise after all" He came closer to me and put his hands on my shoulder which I slowly took them off and spoke coldly;
    "Mr. Maya, I'm in no mood for jokes... I'm visiting my father today" I told him. 
  "Oh yeah, you need to do that quickly, get back to your usual self then we can have some time for ourselves tonight" He said grinning his teeth and I felt like smacking him right on the face.
    I just had to control myself; I didn't say anything. I only bow my head a little.
    
    "I'll take my leave" I told him then went out of the house.
 "Hey Eve, I heard about what happened to your father" Andrew said...opening the car door.
  "I won't be taking the car. Which means that you won't be driving me" I said to him as I passed by him and headed to the gate which Robert opened for me. 
    *
    "I brought some fruits and beverages for your father" Liam said.
    "Oh My God, Liam. Thank you so much"
    "It's nothing... It's part of the little I can help. So what did my father say?"
    "Nothing, no sign of remorse" I shook my head.
    
    Liam sighed and said "It's Okay" then he started to drive.  We didn't really say anything throughout the journey to the hospital, although I was sort of watching him through the corner of my eyes.
    
    ***
    
    " Eve dear, you refused to go to work today just because of me. I told you I'm good...can't you see it" My Dad struggled to sit upright when we came in.
    I smiled and quickly helped him up as I gave him a gentle hug. 
    "You are indeed hale and healthy. You just need to fully recover" I said.
  "Eve was so worried that you might need a heart transpiration. We are so glad you are fine now"  Liam added and I shot him a stare, how did he know that was what I was worried about?
 "That's right, you both can go back to your workplace. Eve, happy your husband happy, and don't forget to reach out to me and send me money"  My Dad said, I chucked anyways... "I will" I assured him.
    
    "Here" Liam dropped the basket of fruits on the bedside table.
"Father, Liam bought....I... I mean... Mr. Maya and his son, Liam got you this" I lied because I figured out that Dad is always excited at the mention of Mr. Maya. He really thinks he is the good man he claimed to be when he came asking for my hand in marriage.
    Liam looked at me because of the lie I just told again, so I stylishly blinked my eyes at him, so that he would act along too.
    And he did, he also smiled...
"Uhmm..my father is very busy at the office, so he can't come down here to see you. That's why he sent both of us. I'm very sure that he would be glad to know how well you are doing now" Liam told my Dad, who kept smiling widely.
 Just then, the doctor came in, with some nurses and some medical pieces of stuff... And he told Liam and me to leave the ward while he attend to my father.
    
    So instead of waiting at the reception or taking seats outside the ward, we began to pace slowly from the ward wall to the opposite wall. When I'm at the ward wall, he'll be at the opposite wall and vice versa... not until we bumped into each other. We were supposed to say 'sorry' but we giggled instead. Maybe I'm just too happy and he noticed it.
   We stopped pacing around as we faced each other properly.
    "I'm glad, you are so happy" Liam said.
  "And thanks to you too. I don't ever want to imagine what would have happened to my father assuming you didn't come through for me" I told him.
   
    "Uhm... My father is not human...I mean a human being with no human feelings. You can't be with him forever" He said and I didn't know when I nodded.
"Okay so what will you do?" He syllabized the words.
   "Nothing" I answered.
"No Eve, you are gonna do something. Or are you planning to abscond? "  He got it right.
    "Huh...Errr" I blinked nervously. I shouldn't deny it, didn't he promise to keep all of my secrets?
    "Yes" I responded coldly; not looking at his face but I didn't get any word from him..so I glared at his face.
   
  "Errrm... It's... It is the best thing for you...and your father" He stuttered and I nodded coldly; "  But..but there are people who don't want you to just suddenly disappear especially after they have gotten used to you. I just wanna let you know that there are some people who like you and they do not want you to just leave like that most especially without saying goodbye... Imagine if...if I come to the office every day and I didn't see you around" Liam rushed his words and I noticed that he was trying really hard not to stutter again
 My heart beat faster, I hope he was tryna insinuate something and I hope it was what I want from him; nevertheless, I summoned up the courage to continue staring into his eyes and asked him; "Do you like me?"
    
    "Sure" He replied almost immediately. That response sounds normal and general.
    
I asked further;  "I... I mean not that kind of like; Like... Like Like..." He was looking at me like he didn't understand what I meant and I was also avoiding making use of the word 'Love'. I also didn't want to be the first to open up about my feelings for him. 
   So I just said... " No, don't worry, Just Forget it" I told him nervously.
    
    "Yeah, I like you" He repeated.
    "Yeah I get" I replied coldly. 
    "That like like...Like, the one you are talking about" He said smiling.
    "Uhn?" My eyes almost bulged out of the socket and my heart almost jumped out also...
"What...what..are you saying?" I stammered.
  "I don't know if I'm just realizing it or I have been the one trying not to believe that I do... that I like you regarding the...the kind of...uhm.. plight you found yourself into"He said stammering.
    
    I understood what he was talking about. 
    The stepmother and stepson stuff. 
  The truth is, I was also trying to kill my feelings for him right from the time I started liking him even the day I knew I might like him... It's absurd yet the feeling wasn't ready to die especially when he kissed me...
    
    ******
    ****