Five Months And Sixteen Days

*knock* *knock*

The constant knocking sounds stirred his fleeting attention towards the wooden door of the room.

Figuring out the silhouette dawdling behind the door separating the two would be, he retorted with all possible haste.

“You can come in.” The once used to be effortless child's play greeting words meant was now one that was laborious even to be mouthed verbal.

* cough * * cough * * cough *

The hoarseness and soreness reside by his neck omitted an uncomfortable bitter aftertaste behind, yielding the impression of him choking on his saliva.

Unreasonably excruciating, repressing the stabbing puncture the cough welcomed without being given a yes or no option.

“Luca, how are you doing? I noticed that the coughing is becoming frequent lately...”

Alexander spoke of his minds with hands weighing the weight of his working suitcase along with emergency apparatuses as accustomed to inviting himself into the flat like some sort of unspoken rule.

“Couldn't be better. Seeing how you came today, is anything so urgent?”

Luca returned to his disturbed meal time, sat in front of the dining table garnished with a plate of mild chicken salad, few sliced apple bunnies and mixed vegetable smoothies.

*cough* *cough*

He quickly gulped down a handful of medication along with the water poured by Alexander who acted spontaneously. Tasteless... no hint of the supposed gag-inducing bitterness.

It's utterly tasteless in his opinion.

Occasionally, he deliberated upon the true taste of the white doses of tablets and pills he consumed customarily. Was it bitter, was it tasteless?

Needless to say, salty, sweet, sour and bitter no longer corresponded to his blind palates.

“You know that I'm transferring to X city central hospital soon right?”

He who did the conversing was a dear friend of his, Alexander Holand, acknowledged publicly for his gifted talent groomed in the white coat within the emergency room as a professional surgeon.

He also acted as the private doctor of Luca's family line.

“Enn...you told me before. What are you suddenly asking this for?”

The senses of the peculiarity apprehended him by the heart, discerning the oddness of their talks that evening when the sun sets painted the world in gorgeous sombre hues of tempers.

Alec's talking in a roundabout way alternatively off his usual ingenuousness. Unfavourable news... that would solely be the explanation.

“Noah.”

The name panned out of Alec's mouth shuddered his body greatly, jerking his every nerve cells root as his heart dropped its beat, malfunctioned that of a defective.

* clang *

His weak grips on his fork dived rock bottom in a trice, producing a metal rattling noise as the fork pecked the surface of the rug draped floor.

“He... what about him?”

Hand clenched tightly, carving his nails to his palm. Impeded rational shattering into erratic cold sweats, topping other layers of anxiety atop of others.

Capricious agile eyes movements, thwarting his gazes incessantly away from his haunting distress.

Each time he cried for silence and serenity, his hands would tremble of oppressive shallow sentiments that outlasted anonymously.

“...Noah Octavius...I found him, Luca. In the X City Central Hospital, my reckoned soon-to-be workplace.”

Alexander glanced over to Luca that stopped stuffing his mouth with the salads that he previously describes as the 'grass thingy'.

He understood Luca as he likewise was nabbed off the huge eventuality nevertheless, what tune would it chime, a prosperous or ominous fluke?

Despite the voiceless screaming dire, he reached for one of the red apple sliced into bunny shape and shoved it in Luca's empty mouth.

Luca's startled by the abrupt feeding yet he lightly smiled realising how he had sunk into the trope of his feelings a little too much.

“I see...is that so?” That smile was harder than a fool code, unable to be deciphered the purpose laid behind his tight defence.

If one were to be put into his shoe, the chance was that they would likely call it a day and drops one's bundle in the afore-mentioned situation.

“Yeah...So, what would your next move be, Luca? Are you coming with me to the X city or not?” He made his point crystal clear yet neither route will provide proper emotions pillow comforts.

It was as if given a key to either unlocked the door to your uncertain apprehension or the grieving remorses.

“Alec... what do you reckon I do? Frankly... I'm puzzled with no right answers, so what am I ought to do?”

Luca tossed his gazes out, pondering himself what was he even doing irrationally of this exploit of a gamble-based?

“If there are no correct ways to do so, then believe in your instinct, trust your guts feelings. Not all problems have a right answer to them because it depends on the person itself. What I'm trying to say is that to gamble pursuing your missing heart.”

Alexander placed the stethoscope that dangled on his neck onto the left side of Luca's chest where the beating heart, the greatest asset of his self dwelled.

“Pfft! The geeky yet meaningful-like resolutions is so you, Alec. There's no harm in trying even if it went down the drain, at the very least I made an attempt and I'm content with those thoughts.”

Luca eventually soothed down his tangible feelings that earlier was made into a disorder.

“Exactly, there's no particular guarantee. You aren't going to resign halfway through after an obstacle, are you, Luca?” Alexander questioned but he rather much grasps the responses he would come up with.

“Hmm...a second chance is practically impossible and resigning halfway is never an option anyway. Earnestly said, am I someone who retires in the process?”

Yup, the ideal statement that Luca would exactly say would be a gentle refusal aka the considerate oppositions.

He tends to apply that type of word speeches often since they were small. A natural-born smooth talker was the word, correct? Regardless, he's more casual when hanging out commonly.

“I wouldn't have befriended you if you are. It's just that this is a huge decision so I'm only getting the latter confirmation from your indefatigable enthusiasm.”

“I know.”

“You must be strong, Luca... I'll help you through so don't give up, please,” Alexander muttered with desperation explicitly delineated in those statements.

“...I know, I know, I won't so don't dwell on it now, alright, Alec...”

The glances they exchanged spoke their concerns better than the mouth works did.

How effortless would it be if their future was to fall directly into their palms, instantly was able to be freed of the undesirable fears they planted in their heart.

.

.

.

"Atropos, come, come to Papa..." His hands reached out to pet the obedient furry friend of his that promptly responded to the call of his name.

'Atropos' a name they come down in favour of when stumbling upon the beautiful triplets which apparently lost their homes, including 'Lachesis' and 'Clotho'.

Despite it being so long ago, it's rewinding freshly unspoilt in his remembrances, like yesterday occurrences.

On their way back home that was within walking distances, chatting freely still dressed in their uniforms.

Four of them, him, Noah, Alec and Luca's older sister, Helena Lea Florence was jollily walking hand in hands while refreshing themselves each, slurping on a small bottle of lemonades.

A sudden cry of something unknown busted their hearing from nearby bushes, agog them all on the edge of their seat, disregarding the fact that they were stood still.

They said curiosity kills the cat... perhaps the sayings were inapplicable for them that day, since the three most adorable and fluffiest one appeared before their eyes, reminding them of the purest form ever.

They're so lovable it simply was hard to take their eyes off those white furs.

Nevertheless, the way the three kittens survived intrigued them of their mother and had them scanning the near grounds just in case the master's nearby.

Helena even questioned the closest street hawker that was setting up his stall for the night market.

The seller shook his head in disagreement while stating that they're abandoned kittens who deserted by their mother just a few nights ago as she never comes by since.

They gasped in sympathies, feeling sorry for the kittens but regardless of pities, to bring the kittens to the local shelter simply shout death sentences to those little fluffballs.

Imagined the numbers of the other abandoned homeless pets being under the care of the shelter,  would these little ones even survive amongst the fierce competition for sake of surviving over there?

Courageously taking a step front, Helena commanded the three others confidently with words that he could hear still to this day;

"Luca, Noah and Alec, carry those small kittens. We're raising them together!" Those began their adventure taming the three newborns that they each take care of together up till naming them too.

The three who used to obsess over the sisters of destiny, Moirai, decided to name the three kittens after them.

Atropos --- Luca's Turkish Angora cat breed. Her eyes differed greatly from her other siblings, she's heterochromia with half gold and half sapphire eyes, an enchanting pair of eyes with snow-white furs. Her name was based on the Greek goddess of fates, Atropos, the inflexible who cut the thread of life.

Clotho --- Noah's Turkish Angora cat breed. A healthy kitten draped in fluffy white fur completed with copper eyes. His name was based on the Greek goddess of fates, Clotho, the spinner who decide and thread the length of one's life.

Lachesis --- Alec's Turkish Angora cat breed. Silky white furs and amber eyes with hints of yellows. Her name was based on the Greek goddess of fates, Lachesis, the allotter who dispensed the fates of humans.

Ahh... those old days were golden.

Luca giggled as he gently patted the attention-seeking furry friend of his. Sometimes he wondered how Clotho was doing since its been really long since the three siblings reunited.

Hah... was he truly prepared to meet Noah?

No matter how excited he was for them to have an encounter, his anxieties were killing him.

Would he be glad to meet Luca, he thinks not. Rather, he would perhaps rush him home.

After all of these years, normally one would question why did he suddenly decide to have the trip.

And he, in response, would only smile while saying, “My yearnings are getting unbearable, you see... I at least would want to see his face once.”

It was the truth, a truth he enveloped in wraps of precaution.

•To be continued...

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