Alana's spirits lowered as she looked at Janessa and Eric speaking to one another as if they were
long-lost friends.
She couldn't help but look at Eric's wounded figure again.
On his forehead was a piece of gauze as wide as three fingers and soaked in his blood.
Below that, he had beautiful bushy eyebrows that framed his strong face.
His eyes shone with newfound hope, and he had delicate lips, which made him look equally handsome
and intelligent.
Even underneath the harsh fluorescent lights, Eric's face still looked golden and healthy.
Alana's heart was beating wildly as she admired him.
At that moment, she knew that she would remember this forever.
Years later, when she recalled this exact moment, she could still remember how fast her heart was
beating.
"Alana, I want to take Eric in as my younger brother.Would you like to join me?"
Janessa asked with a smile on her face.
She noticed that Alana hadn't said much since they arrived at the hospital.
"No, I don't want to do that!"
Alana shoved Janessa'‘s hand away and ran out in tears.
Only Janessa and Eric were left there.
They looked at each other in confusion before looking back to see Alana's receding figure.
Eric tugged on Janessa's clothes and asked, "What's wrong? Why is she crying?"
Eric was still a naive young man.
The only thing on his mind was paying off the substantial debt he owed.
This young man didn't know the first thing about love.
Seeing Alana in tears alarmed him, and he didn't know how to help her.
"Don't worry about her; she'll be fine.I'm sure the nurse will take you to your ward and you should get
some rest now.I'll check up on you later."
Janessa gave Eric a reassuring pat on the shoulder before she left.
Janessa could read Alana like a book.
Every time she was upset, she would rush to the nearest rooftop.
Within a few moments, Janessa found Alana curled up in the corner of the rooftop.
Janessa slowly approached and took a seat beside her without saying a word.
It was quiet up there this late into the night.
The only sound they could hear was the wind and Alana's soft sobs.
Janessa knew that Alana would need a few moments to collect herself.After a while, Alana finally
exhausted herself.She wiped her tears and looked up at Janessa with swollen eyes.
"If you need to tell me something, you can say it."
Janessa held Alana's delicate hand tightly.
Alana was free to say whatever she wanted, and Janessa would never judge her for it.
Alana sobbed, "I don't know...I'm not sure what's going on with me.When I saw you with Eric, I couldn't
help myself.It upset me! Now that I think about it, I'm glad that you wanted to take Eric in as your new
younger brother.But...when you asked me if I could take him as my younger brother, I didn't want to.I
have no interest in being his sister.I want to do everything with him in a different way! Traveling,
cooking, and even just playing together..."
From the way Alana spoke of Eric, Janessa could tell that she held deep feelings for the young man.
Alana was notorious for chasing after men, but this time, it seemed different.
She seemed to really fall in love with Eric this time.
Would this one last though? Love had the power to wound people.
Janessa didn't want to tell Alana this because she wouldn't want her to miss out on her potential soul
mate.
Eric might be her true love.
"I want to be with him.What can I do?"
Alana cried bitterly as she tucked her face into Janessa's chest.
Tears began to stream down her eyes again.
Janessa could feel her clothes growing damp from her tears.
"Alana, do you love Eric?"
Janessa asked tentatively as she carefully observed Alana.
Alana immediately stopped wiping her tears and looked up at Janessa in surprise.
‘Do I love him? Is what I feel for him genuine?’ Alana couldn't help but wonder.
She had crushes in the past, but it seemed different with Eric.
The men that came before him, she only wanted to play with them.
Even if they were with other girls, she wasn't put off by it.
Whenever she saw them flirting with other girls, she never seemed bothered by it.
If those men decided they wanted a serious relationship with other women, it was easy for her to leave.
However, she couldn't even bear to see Eric speaking with Janessa.
By the look on her face, Janessa could tell what was on Alana's mind.
After a long pause, Janessa said, "I know you might be feeling confused right now.
It would be best to give yourself and Eric some time.
If you're destined to be together, then I think you should tell him that you like him.However, you have to
think deeply about this.
Do you genuinely have feelings for Eric, or do you only like Eric for his singing and handsome face?"
"I..."
Alana opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the right words to say.
"You don't have to give me an answer right now.All I want is for you to think about this.This is a journey
you need to take alone.I can't help you with this.You have to figure this out on your own.Eric is like my
younger brother now, and you're my best friend.If you both found your way to one another, I would be
genuinely happy for you both.However, if you don't, then I hope we could all still be friends."
Things would turn out differently if Alana never told Eric what she truly felt for him.
When Janessa found Eric back in the ward, he instantly sat up from the bed.
The wound on his arm made him grimace in pain.
"Janessa, where is Alana?" he asked in a worried tone.
Janessa could see that Eric was really a handsome man.It wasn't a surprise to see Alana so infatuated
with him.
"She went home,"Janessa replied.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, don't worry about her. You should focus on recovering."
Eric lowered his head and didn’t say another word.
He placed his hands around his sheets and twisted them in frustration.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Eric merely shook his head in reply.
As he looked up at Janessa's face, he recalled the moment she ran towards him and saved him.
It wasn't the first time the debt collectors cornered him.
The only person who ever came to help him was Janessa.
Even if she was terrified for her safety, she still refused to leave his side.
As he looked at her, he swore to himself that he would protect her no matter what.
He would do it without hesitation, even if he knew that no one would come to save him.
Eric looked away from Janessa and shook his head.
"What's the matter? Are you still worried about Alana?"
Eric didn't want Janessa to know what was on his mind.He was afraid that it would put pressure on her.
After all, he wasn't in a place where he could protect her.
Eric nodded and said, "I noticed that she was in a foul mood before, so I was worried about her."
He wanted to hide his growing affections for Janessa.
However, Janessa assumed that he was concerned for Alana because he was fond of her.
She heaved a sigh of relief. Things might work out between the two of them.
"She'll be alright.She and I will both come and visit you tomorrow."
Before Janessa left, she told the nurse to call her if anything happened to Eric.
After that, she left.
Janessa initially wanted to inform Alana of Eric's concern for her, but after thinking for a while, she
decided against it.She would tell Alana the next time they met.
At two o'clock in the morning, Janessa was finally home.
She didn't dare sleep until she reviewed the proposal she wrote one last time.
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