6

CHAPTER 6

ARIA’S POV

After what happened the other day, I discovered that Nora’s uncle was no other person than the same man who had rejected me three different times, the same doctor I’d been dying for, my mind has not been at peace.

Who exactly are you, Dr. Nolan? I don’t even know if you like me or if you secretly despise me, but something about you keeps pulling me closer. That day I finally decided I would take his number, and I’m so happy that I did.

Even though he tried to play hard to get again, he couldn’t outsmart me this time. I’d told him we needed a parent’s number to add Nora to the school list, and that simple trick made him give it to me.

I don’t even know why I’m loving someone I barely know. It feels strange more like falling in love with a stranger—but deep inside, it’s as if I’ve known him all my life. There’s a familiarity in his eyes, and a quiet echo in his voice that makes me feel like we’ve crossed paths before.

Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to him so strongly. But no matter how much I try, I can’t remember when or where I might have met him. That mystery keeps me restless, like a tiny spark in my chest that won’t go out.

The next morning I woke up earlier than usual. My heart was beating fast, thudding against my ribs like a secret knocking to be heard. I dressed up carefully as my mind running wild with thoughts of him. All through the night, I had dreamed of us last night of becoming friends, then somehow lovers, and in the end getting married.

Please don’t think I’m crazy; I know how it sounds. But the images felt so real, like little flashes of a life that could actually happen.

I dressed up so beautifully not because of any special occasion but simply because I wanted to see him. Nothing more. I wanted him to notice me, to remember me, and at least smile at me the way I imagined in my dreams.

I even applied a bit of makeup on my shoulder, making it look like an allergic reaction, a clever excuse to enter his office without suspicion. If I show up with a believable reason, the nurse would allow me inside and I could see him again.

When I arrived at the hospital, I was given a card to go into the dermatologist’s office.

My hear beat faster as I walked down the hallway, the faint scent of antiseptic mixing with the nervous butterflies fluttering inside me making me nauseous. I pushed the door open and rushed inside.

I saw him sitting behind his desk, his head slightly bent as he manipulated his phone. His brow was furrowed in concentration like he was overly interested in whoever he is chatting with.

For a moment I just stood there, caught in the quiet beauty of the scene. Then, as if sensing my presence, he lifted his eyes.

Just then, I could see a smile on his face like someone he has been expecting to see…he smiled slightly…my heart nearly stopped. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile at me, a soft, and slight curve of his lips.

For a breathless second I thought my heart might burst from pure joy. But before I could even fully register everything, the smile faded.

His expression hardened immediately and the smile was instantly replaced with the same careful, and distant look he always wore, that same look that both frustrated and fascinated me.

Even with his nonchalant facial expression and the face mask, I could sense the curiosity in those pretty eyes of his….I sat down in front of his table facing him.

He moved to his seat with a calm precision and said, his voice was steady and professional, “Hello. Name, please.”

His tone was so flat, and cold, but I smiled anyway, refusing to let the chill in his voice get to me. I tilted my head slightly in a playful grin.

“I caught you…just now smiling” I said, letting a small laugh escape. “Come on, Doctor, can you please stop acting like you don’t know me? You’ve seen me before. This is the fourth time you’ve seen me—and the fourth time you’ve rejected me. Why do you keep acting as if I’m invisible?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took out a pen and calmly wrote something on the folder in front of him.

His shoulders remained straight, but there was a brief pause in his movement, as if my words had touched something inside him.

Finally, without looking up, he said in that same even voice,

“Miss Aria, you should understand that I do not hate you. But you should also know this is professional. You are my patient and I am a doctor. I am a dermatologist, and I need to attend to you, not… flirt with you.”

I knew that he said those stern words to push me back into a boundary I never wanted to respect. But I didn’t flinch.

Instead, I leaned forward, resting my hand lightly on his desk, and let out a slow and mischievous smile across my lips.

“Doctor Nolan,” I said softly, almost like a secret, “stop fighting it, okay? And by the way ... .we meet again! Such a coincidence.”

I tilted my head slightly, brushing my hair away from my shoulder to reveal the carefully applied fake allergy. “I came for that check-up you said I should come for. The allergic reaction on my shoulder. I don’t know if you’d want to… see?” My voice was teasing, low and almost musical.

He finally lifted his eyes from his laptop and looked at me. The moment his gaze touched my bare shoulder I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

I could feel his eyes scanning on my shoulder trailing on the faint allergy I had created with makeup. His breath caught slightly and i knew that he was moved by my smooth skin instantly…before he spoke.

“Well,” he said, his tone controlled but softer than before, “it looks good. Not too red and irritated. Just… stay away from egg-white cocktails, Miss Aria.”

Then, as if to reclaim the distance, he shifted his attention back to his laptop, the blue glow of the screen reflecting in his eyes.

I knew my session with him was technically over, but I wasn’t ready to leave. I wanted to stay, to keep the spark alive,and to force him to acknowledge the strange sensation between us.

I sat there blankly and searching for something…just anything good enough to hold his attention, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Doctor Nolan,” I said quickly, “I saw your post on F******k. About a conference. Can I go?”

His eyes widened slightly, surprise breaking through his composed mask. For the first time, I saw his expression turning to panic across his face.

His brows lifted, his lips parted, and for a heartbeat he looked almost… human now than always looking cold before like a vampire.

“You….” he began, his voice tighter now, “you saw that post?”

I nodded, trying to look casual though my heart raced with triumph. “Yes. Just last night. You posted about a conference. I thought maybe… I could attend.”

“You’re interested?” he asked, leaning forward slightly, his voice carrying an unfamiliar urgency. “Like, you actually want to go?”

“Yes, of course,” I said brightly, fighting to hide my excitement. “Everyone wants to know about medical stuff, right? It could come in handy.”

I flashed him a quick smile and a wink, pretending my motives were pure curiosity when in truth I simply wanted to be anywhere he was.

His face softened slightly, his dark eyes studying me as though trying to read the truth behind my words. “You mean you find it interesting and useful?” he asked again, his voice low and cautious, as if the answer mattered more than he wanted to admit.

“Of course,” I replied with a small shrug. “Who wouldn’t? I mean… it’s a medical conference, right?”

Inside, my mind was racing. Maybe he would be pleased that I cared about something connected to his world.

Maybe this was my chance to step closer, to make him see me not just as a patient but as someone who could belong in his life.

But then, just as quickly as hope bloomed, he leaned back in his chair and said with a faint, unreadable smile, “Why don’t you check again on the post… and tell me what you see?”

His voice held a strange edge more sounding like a half challenge, and a half amusement. My stomach fluttered as I grabbed my phone in a rush of excitement.

Maybe he had sent a hidden message, or a secret invitation meant for only me to see. Maybe this was it, the sign I’d been waiting for.

With trembling fingers, I unlocked my phone and opened the app. My breath caught as I scrolled to his page, my heart was thumping like a drum.

But when the post finally loaded, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

The bold title on the conference flyer blazed across the screen: “How to Satisfy a Woman and How Old Age Affects the Male Reproductive Organ from Being Sexually Active in Their Marriage.”

Oh. My. Goodness!

I froze, staring at the words, I could feel the heat rushing down my cheeks. My mind raced in disbelief. I didn’t know this was what the conference was about. I didn’t know…

Gosh!