Give Up Hope
Fahira was both surprised and happy when her three friends came to visit her at the hospital. Not only Fahira, but her friends were also shocked and excited to see Gavin with her. Mira and Susi immediately competed to introduce themselves to Gavin, and their playful antics made Fahira burst into laughter.
“Oh my goodness, Fahira, if I were you, I would prefer to stay sick just to be waited on by a handsome doctor like him,” Susi, who was usually quiet, suddenly chattered, leaving the others stunned with their mouths wide open.
“Are you okay, Susi? It’s unusual for you to have a sane moment and appreciate a good-looking guy. Usually, you can only be a secret admirer of the boss,” Ray quipped, masking a smile on Fahira’s lips.
Mira quickly pinched Ray’s arm when she saw Fahira’s expression darken. The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
“Are you all colleagues of Fahira? Let me introduce myself; my name is Gavin, and I’m one of the doctors at this hospital. And, coincidentally, Ariel, Fahira’s little brother, is my patient!” Gavin explained to clarify their actual relationship. He didn’t want Fahira’s friends to create personal perceptions that would make Fahira feel pressured or uncomfortable later.
“You don’t need to bother coming here; I’m already better, and I can go home this evening!” Fahira added, moving the clothes on the bed that she was about to pack into her bag.
“Let me do it; you just talk to them,” Gavin whispered gently, taking the clothes from Fahira’s hands and putting them in the bag. As Fahira was about to change position, Gavin deftly adjusted the position of the IV drip so Fahira could move easily. The three friends exchanged glances, observing the unusual interaction between the two.
They were still fixed on the scene, lost in their thoughts. They connected the recent changes in Darian and Fahira’s behavior, and now they were surprised by Fahira’s closeness to Gavin. Fix, like a choir echoing in their hearts. Fahira and Darian, their big boss, had broken up. While Fahira never gave any clarification about their relationship, Darian openly treated Fahira so special. She was the only employee who received such special attention from their usually cold boss.
Ariel and Arif, still in their grayish-white school uniforms, entered carrying a bag of snacks. It turned out that Ariel’s instinct was right to bring more food because when he entered, the three friends they knew for a long time were already visiting his sister.
In the midst of their lively conversation, Gavin’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name on the screen, he quickly slid the green icon and moved away slightly from the group.
“Sorry, everyone, I have to go. There’s an emergency operation call,” Gavin explained to the others before turning to Fahira with a gentle look. “Fahira, I’ll wait for you to go home after I finish the surgery. I’ve already taken care of all the administrative matters. I’ll instruct the nurse to prepare the medication and anything else you need to take home,” Gavin continued, then grabbed the white sweater from the chair he was sitting on and hurried off to respond to the call of duty.
This is one of the reasons why Gavin has been single all this time. Every woman who gets close to him backs off when they feel they don’t receive attention from the heart specialist. Instead of being able to spend time together on regular days, even on weekends and national holidays, if there’s an emergency call, Gavin has to leave to fulfill his duties.
His official working hours might be only 8 hours per day, but the reality in the field goes on 24 hours. Not to mention the emergency calls during holidays. Nevertheless, Gavin never feels burdened; on the contrary, he is always grateful to Allah because through his expertise, he can help many people.
***
Two days later, Fahira was back to her usual activities. Waking up before dawn, cooking, and heading to the office. As soon as she arrived at the office, Fahira prepared coffee for her boss, as usual, and then focused on her work diligently, considering that she hadn’t been at work for four days. She had to double-check her boss’s schedule and tasks during David’s takeover. Fahira was so focused on her computer that she didn’t notice her four colleagues observing her. David was just worried about Fahira’s condition after her illness, but the other three had different thoughts. They were unsure whether to tell her about the company’s birthday invitation, which coincided with Darian and Alea’s engagement event.
During the lunch break at the company canteen, Fahira sat with Susi and Mira, eating their meals. While savoring their food, they talked about various things. Susi, who had been interested in Gavin from the start, tried to gather more information from Fahira. It was only an interest, not love, mind you. That’s just how Susi is; among the three of them, she’s the quietest, but when it comes to talking about handsome guys that meet her criteria, she becomes the most enthusiastic. She’s hopelessly infatuated with Darian to the point that she never noticed Ray’s feelings, who had long been in love with her. Besides the company rules that prohibit employees from having special relationships, Ray and Fahira also didn’t want their relationship to go beyond being coworkers.
Suddenly, conversations from other divisions seeped into their ears.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Hey, we’re all invited to the company’s birthday party in two days!” Said a chubby but self-proclaimed sexy co-worker to the other two.
“I’m curious about the CEO’s fiancée, who’s rumored to be a supermodel,” said the skinny employee, clearly enjoying his meal.
“It’s going to be so much fun! We definitely have to attend; it’s once a year, and we get to enjoy free, delicious food. Who knows, we might meet our soulmates there,” added the snarky employee, laughing.
Mira and Susi immediately stopped chewing their food and quickly sipped their iced tea on the table.
“Fahira, let’s go back now! Our break time is almost over, and we haven’t prayed yet, right?” Mira invited Fahira, who was still leisurely enjoying her meal.
“Just a moment, I haven’t finished eating!” Fahira looked at her two friends with a smile and continued eating promptly.
With little words, Fahira resumed her work after the break time was over. She deliberately immersed herself in her tasks to forget the turmoil in her heart. She wanted to move on from Darian; after all, their relationship had only been brief. There wouldn’t be another chance or reason for them to be together.
Fahira stared at Darian’s schedule book for quite some time. A sense of confusion overwhelmed her; she missed him so much, but it seemed that he didn’t feel the same. He returned to his old self, before they fell in love, emotionless and distant. Even when she was in the hospital, he never visited or asked about her well-being. It was as if he didn’t care, as if nothing had happened between them. The desire to resign from the company resurfaced in her mind.
Fahira couldn’t bear being close to Darian for too long. Her heart hurt every time memories of their beautiful moments together tried to break down her defenses.
She felt defeated when the flashbacks of their time together invaded her mind brutally and continuously. How could she forget Darian when they met and worked together every day? Fahira took a deep breath to fill her lungs with oxygen, which felt depleted, as she opened a blank document on her computer.
Her graceful fingers began dancing beautifully on the keyboard, crafting long sentences as a farewell for her dedication and achievements during the three years. Tears that she had been holding back started to surface. She fought her ego, resisting the urge to let them flow freely. Fahira quickly grabbed a tissue from her desk to wipe the tears that dampened her cheeks, all while finishing her typing in a hurry before any of her colleagues noticed. As the printer buzzed, she quickly retrieved the printed document and folded it, placing it in a brown envelope. Fahira then put the envelope in the drawer, preparing herself to hand it directly to the owner of the company.