Diary of Fragile Heart (Spin of Loving You Too Long)

“Uncle? Why are you here?” she asked, surprised.

“I thought your habit of feeling sick after smelling perfume was gone. You seemed fine yesterday when you shared a car with Phoebe.” Gladwin said again. Flavia just smiled and walked away from Gladwin towards the kitchen.

“I’m just not feeling well, Uncle. It’s not the perfume’s fault,” she gracefully deflected. She did feel unwell due to lack of sleep, not because of excessive work. It was a result of constantly thinking about her conversation with Abigail earlier, combined with the tension of waiting for her mother’s delivery.

Gladwin stood in front of her and placed the back of his hand on Flavia’s forehead. Flavia widened her eyes, surprised by her uncle’s impulsive gesture. “Uncle?” She looked up at him.

“You’re a bit warm,” he said casually. “What do you feel? Headache? Nausea?” Flavia tried to gently push away her uncle’s hand.

“I’m fine, Uncle. Just caught a bit of a chill. Drinking warm sweet tea and getting some rest will be enough.” Flavia grabbed a glass, intending to make sweet tea.

“I’m worried about you,” he said softly. Then, after a long pause, he added, “I have no connection with…” His statement left Flavia momentarily stunned. Her chest felt tight for no apparent reason. Why did her uncle say that? What did he mean by his words?

“Don’t worry, Uncle. I’m okay,” Flavia finally said. She tried to calm her racing heart and compose her facial expression before turning to face her uncle, who had been behind her all this time. “And whether you have a connection with Dr. Madsen or not, that’s not my concern,” she replied with a smile on her face.

“Of course, it concerns you, Via.” Gladwin looked at her with a touch of sadness. “I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

Flavia stirred her sweet tea, trying to disguise her now trembling hands. “Uncle, I didn’t misunderstand. And there’s nothing for me to misunderstand. You’re just peculiar.” Flavia chuckled softly. She turned around, facing away from Gladwin. She placed the spoon in the sink and set the glass on the table. Her small hands gripped the glass, hoping the warmth of the water would somehow spread through her body, which suddenly felt chilly.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Flavia could sense her uncle approaching. She closed her eyes. Not envisioning anything beyond reason, just wanting to center herself and feel her uncle’s presence.

Her uncle’s warmth enveloped her. Then, unexpectedly, Gladwin stood right behind her. So close, covering Flavia’s petite body with his. His chest felt against her back, his large hands on both sides of Flavia’s hands, cupping the back of her hand that still faithfully held the glass. His chin rested on her right shoulder. Flavia tensed momentarily as Gladwin’s breath brushed against her neck.

“I don’t want you to misunderstand and think I have a relationship with Phoebe,” he whispered in Flavia’s ear. “Because I want you to know that I want to be in a relationship with you,” he continued.

Flavia was startled. She turned to the right just as her uncle turned to the left. Their faces were so close; their noses were barely an inch apart. Flavia could smell the aroma of opor in his breath. This was the closest distance she had ever been with Gladwin in their eleven years of knowing each other. “Wh-what do you mean, Uncle?” she asked, stuttering.

Gladwin released Flavia’s grip on the glass. He joined both of Flavia’s small hands and still cradled them with his large, warm hands. “I don’t want to lie about my feelings anymore. I don’t want to avoid it anymore. I like you. Even more than that, I love you, Flavia Quirino,” he whispered in Flavia’s ear with a tone full of conviction.

Flavia fell silent. Her eyes stared at Gladwin’s hands covering hers. The warmth from her uncle’s body seemed to flow into hers. Her chest throbbed wildly; her breathing became rapid. She felt hot, cold, and trembling all at once. Her eyes welled up, and tears streamed down her slowly reddening cheeks. Was this a dream? Oh God, could her dream be this beautiful? Flavia covered her face with both hands, her body shaking from the sobs she tried to hold back.

Gladwin also crouched behind the girl. He gently turned Flavia around and embraced her in his broad chest. “Don’t cry,” he softly pleaded. Gladwin gently stroked Flavia’s head. “Please, don’t cry,” he whispered softly. His hands didn’t let go, embracing and caressing Flavia’s back.

“Gladwin?” Phoebe’s voice made Gladwin look up. “What are you two doing?” she asked, looking at Gladwin and Flavia, who were still in Gladwin’s embrace, with a puzzled expression.

“Via!” Another voice sounded nearby and seemed panicked. Without hesitation, Abigail crouched down beside Flavia, knowing that the one currently rubbing her back was Abigail. Flavia threw herself onto Abigail. Abigail almost stumbled. Fortunately, her hand managed to hold their combined weight by supporting it on the floor. “What’s wrong, Via?”

“My head hurts,” she whispered between her hands still covering her entire face.

“Let’s go to the room, okay?” Abigail suggested, met with Flavia’s nod. Abigail guided Flavia to stand, signaling to her uncle to step back. Gladwin understood and allowed Abigail to lead Flavia upstairs without attracting too much attention.

“What happen with Flavia?” Phoebe asked again.

“You heard her just now, right? Her head hurts,” Gladwin replied flatly.

“Tsk, being so spoiled just because of a headache.” Phoebe mocked.

Gladwin didn’t respond; he chose to make another warm sweet tea for Flavia. Gladwin walked back to the family room, intending to bring Flavia’s plate, but then Altezza asked, “Where’s Flavia?” The question slipped naturally from Altezza.

“Upstairs, with Abigail. She said she’s not feeling well,” he answered. Altezza, seeing the glass and plate in Gladwin’s hands, only responded with a vague nod. “I’ll go upstairs first,” he said and received another nod from Altezza.

Phoebe still followed him from behind, making Gladwin annoyed. Eventually, he stopped and turned half of his body, staring at the woman coldly. “Where are you going?” he asked, with a furrowed brow.

“I want to check on Flavia. She’s not feeling well, right?” she replied with a curt tone. It was just an excuse because Phoebe didn’t want to be far from Gladwin and wanted to limit the space between Gladwin and Flavia.

Gladwin was about to answer, but Claire, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly stood in front of them. “I’m sorry, but the rule in this house is that the second floor is only for family.” She said with a warm smile. Gladwin always feared when his sister behaved like this, but this time he was grateful to avoid a confrontation and chose to proceed upstairs.

“I just want to make sure that Flavia is okay,” Phoebe reasoned.

“No need to worry. Via is not in bad condition. Even if she needs medical attention, there’s Gladwin who can help.” Claire embraced Phoebe’s shoulder, despite being no less tall than her. She guided Phoebe back to where their mother was. “It’s fortunate to have a doctor as a sibling. If you’re sick, you don’t need to spend money on medical bills.” Claire gently squeezed Phoebe’s upper arm and put on her artificially friendly smile.