Chapter 54: I care about you both.

"Excuse me, Mr. Salvador. Your wife is Amie Trevor, not me."

Instead of the annoyance she hoped to see on Rauf’s face, his lips curled up into a smile. It was one of those rare smiles he had given her when he was genuinely happy.

"I’m glad I am no longer a stranger. Now, you remember I am Mr. Salvador. As time goes by, you’ll remember you’re my wife and not Amie Trevor," he said gently, as if talking to a little child.

All June did was glare at him.

That wasn’t the response she had expected from him. And what did he mean by "as time goes by"? He wasn’t planning on staying there longer, was he?

Then, "Come on, Bingo. Let’s go on a break." He called the dog.

Bingo moved excitedly towards him.

June watched him lift the dog and exit the clinic.

The moment they were gone, she let out a breath she had no idea she was holding.

Finally, he was gone.

She wished she could just lock the door behind him, but Andy should be arriving anytime soon. She didn’t want the situation where she had locked him outside to repeat itself.

At least with Rauf gone, she was able to focus on her work and also rest a bit.

Her stomach churned, reminding her of the fact that she was hungry, and she made a mental note to go check on Ellie whenever Andy came to relieve her of the work.

It was well past thirty minutes since Rauf had left, and he hadn’t returned. June was finally starting to feel at ease again.

She checked the stock, the feeds, and did everything she was supposed to do just to keep the thought of Rauf in the clinic out of her mind.

It was exactly then that Rauf decided to come back into the clinic.

The door chimed to announce his arrival, and Bingo trailed behind him obediently.

He lifted two bags, and even before Rauf brought them out, the smell of chicken wafted towards her nose.

Her stomach growled louder.

Rauf dropped one of the bags of food in front of her. "I believe you might be hungry right now."

She shook her head, pushing the food away from her. "I’m not hungry. And why are you back? Your dog is okay, and you’ve got nothing else to do here. I’ll appreciate it if you truly leave."

Rauf shot up his brow until it looked as if it was about to disappear into his hair. "Okay. I’ll leave."

June’s eyes widened.

Just like that?

"But before I leave, you’ve got to do something for me."

"What’s the catch?" she asked, eager to make him leave the clinic.

He pushed the food in front of her. "You need to eat this first."

June stared at him in disbelief.

"I’ve been watching you, Mami, and you haven’t eaten anything today. You’ve only been working. That’s not good for your health."

Anger boiled within June. Even though she wanted to keep her temper, she couldn’t.

"What do you care about my health? Or whether I have been eating or not? You said it yourself that I was some stranger. So, let’s keep it that way."

But Rauf only sighed, pinching his nose lightly.

"I know I made a mistake, and I am sorry, Mami. I never meant to hurt you. I was deceived."

June didn’t care if he had been deceived or not. He was supposed to hear her first.

And even though her stomach churned, she pushed the food away from her.

"I don’t want anything to do with you. I’m fine. If I am hungry, I know where to get food."

Rauf stared at her.

She glared back.

None of them said a word as they glared at each other, as if it were a contest to see who would look away first.

The door chimed, announcing that someone else had just come in.

It was Rauf who looked away to see who it was.

"Andy!" June said excitedly.

She was glad to see anyone who wasn’t Rauf.

She moved away from Rauf’s presence to welcome Andy as she usually did.

Puzzled, Andy looked from June to Rauf. He could tell there was tension in the room.

Immediately, he stood beside June.

She was Chris Vassari’s crush or girlfriend or whatever she was to him. He had no idea, but what he knew was that he was willing to protect her for him, even if it meant facing this man again.

"How can we be of service to you, sir?"

Rauf stared at the bald man. The way he stood protectively beside her, with his hand clenched into a fist, caught his attention.

He should be the one protecting her.

Not some stranger.

But giving the man the same excuse he had given June was boring. Instead, he picked up Bingo and pushed the food towards June for the last time.

"Try to eat something before you continue working."

His eyes flicked to June, then, for a brief second, stopped at her stomach before returning to her face.

"I want you to know you’re both important to me."

With that, he scooped Bingo up and left the clinic.

June felt a rush of air, and her knees almost buckled.

What did he mean, both?

He couldn’t have known, right?

Andy stared at her.

"Are you okay? Do you need a break or something?"

She shook her head.

"I’m fine." She held onto the table to steady herself. "I think I will be fine."

Though she could still see the doubts in his face, he decided to let go of the subject.

His gaze moved to the bag on the table.

"What’s this?"

Before he could search it, June snatched it off the table, her hand wrapping around it possessively.

This was the first gift she was receiving from Rauf in a while, and she wasn’t ready to share it with anyone.

Still holding the bag, she pointed towards the door.

"I’ll be at the office."

Without waiting for Andy’s response, she took the bag and dashed into the office.

Ever since Rauf had brought the bag in, the aroma of the food in it had been her undoing. But she couldn’t let him know she was willing to accept anything from him.

She closed the door to the office and opened the bag.

The smell of mac and cheese with fried chicken hit her nostrils, and her stomach gave a fresh grumble.

She picked up the chicken and tore into it while wondering how he knew she favoured chicken above anything else.

Rauf’s attitude was strange. She never knew he was the type to come up with flimsy excuses just to see her.

Yet, recalling the excuses he had come up with brought a smile to her face.

The door opened suddenly, and Andy peeped in.

"What are you doing hiding in here?"

His eyes fell on her food.

"Is that chicken?"

Before she could say a word, Andy was already in the office, picking up another piece of chicken and asking questions.

"Did that guy bring this?" he asked, though it sounded muffled because of the chicken in his mouth.

June glared at him, ignoring his question.

She had plans to enjoy every piece of the food all alone. Plans that Andy had just rendered null.

As if he wasn’t concerned with her look, he continued.

"The guy seemed to care so much about you. He was here the other day asking about you."

She stopped glaring at him.

"He was here before? When?"

Andy dished more food into his mouth, swallowing it before he decided to answer her.

"I think it was when you went for that break. He wanted me to give him your home address, but I could tell he was bad news, so I refused."

So, Rauf already found out about her workplace before her home.

June felt her stomach twisting. The food she had eaten threatened to be forced out again.

What else could he know that she had no idea about?

"Are you no longer eating?" Andy asked, pulling the food closer. "This is really delicious. I wonder where he ordered it from."

But June wasn’t with him anymore.

His voice echoed in her head.

*I care about you both.*

Both.

He couldn’t.

Could he?

She hadn’t told anyone, not even Chris, who was getting closer to her daily.

And she was certain Ellie wouldn’t tell anyone either.

One, Ellie didn’t really keep friends apart from her. And two, Ellie hated Rauf’s guys. She wouldn’t let something as sensitive as that slip.

It took a while to convince herself that he couldn’t know and to push Andy away from the rest of her meal before he could finish it all.

Once they were done, she went back to the main clinic with him.

"Did you think about the medical school I spoke about?" Andy asked all of a sudden.

Amidst everything, June had thrown the thought of school aside.

Again, before she could answer, the door chimed, and Chris walked in.

Before Andy excused himself, she heard him murmur,

"Here comes another of your admirers."