Chapter 14 Forecast

Arodelf and I went to the room where they can restore our beat up hands. It was so surreal. It looked like my hand was drained off its blood.

Delf looked at me. "Are we allowed to take pictures of this? This is gut-wrenching but cool at the same time."

Delf took his phone and snapped his hand and he snapped at my hand too. My phone rang. Automatically, the picture was uploaded to my phone too.

"This is weird." I told him. It was really annoying that everything that he put in his phone is uploaded into mine like I don't have privacy and singularity.

"It is. I don't have a space of my own. That's just sad."

"If I deleted the picture in my phone, would it sync to yours?"

"Probably." My hand still hurts from every movement I made and opened my phone. I deleted one of the pictures and it automatically synced to his phone.

"Even we are apart we can monitor each other. I feel so trapped." I said.

I can feel Arodelf was in pain as I said that. "Trapped." He repeated that word. "More like chained. You're so rude."

"You are."

"I give up. We're both rude."

"I wonder why didn't they bother eradicating our memories or such or modifying or psyche or changing our behaviors."

"I don't think they want to mess up with that." Delf said. "This is too sciency. It gives me chills." He bursted out laughing, "As if I hate science, I love it."

"I really wonder how they do it. The technology and stuff in such a short amount of time." He was the only one talking and I only nodded. The pain in my hands grew.

After a few minutes of walking, we got to the room. The nurse greeted us with a joyous voice and made us put our hands on the machine. The process was painless just like the first one but this time I felt like it was warm.

"You're injected with blood that is compatible with yours."

So this is the blood injection room...

The nurse continued, "You can donate blood to our facility once every month and you will be given a participatory reward after. You will also be required to donate blood for every 12 months."

The both of us were silent while we are undergoing the procedure. It lasted about five minutes.

"Thank you Ms. Micella and Mr. Arodelf."

We got out of the room and was given a card. When we got outside the whole facility altogether, the guards inspected the card and directed us to a facility where we can get the box of gadgets that was promised for Arodelf.

The facility was small and there I saw my ex-boyfriend already working in the facility. It was ironic that he dealt with his function as soon as possible. We exchanged glances. My heart was filled with gloom as I know that we touched somebody else just to be alive at this point. I was filled with dread as memories flooded my mind.

Good thing, the counter we were going to be at was not his. I can sense Arodelf not giving a care at my actions to avoid fighting over it. Delf was silent. Dead silent.

We approached the designated counter and gave the card. The person assembled the box with the gadgets carefully. We waited at the counter and I finally faced Delf. He was silent. Was he mad? Was he jealous?

"Delf?"

"What?"

"Why are you silent?" I looked into his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? Micella? You're ex-boyfriend is making an eye contact with you for a whole sixty seconds long. How am I supposed to feel about it?" Delf's voice was calm but he was angry.

"I'm sorry." I told him and didn't even tried to argue or deny it. Arodelf held my hand.

"You are no longer his. You are mine. You are my wife. Everything that's between you and that man has ended when they paired you with me. Remember that." He quickly smiled as he hugged me. He deliberately back-hugged me as if he was showing it off to my ex-boyfriend.

His hug was comforting but at the same time, I could feel my ex-boyfriend's heart breaking.

I might have also felt my heart broke too.

"Here is your box Mr. Arodelf. Have a nice day. This is the pass that you need to scan with your phones just in case the gadgets are not functioning. Thank you." The guy smiled at us as we walked away.

When Arodelf was busy looking at the box I stole a quick glance at my ex-boyfriend. He was crying and then I looked at Arodelf. He knew I glanced at my ex-boyfriend but this time he just ignored it.

"I'm disappointed Micella, but I guess I just have to live with it? I know you can't help to glance at him." He said that to me when we were already inside the car. I was silent.

"Please respond." Delf said.

"I'm so guilty with everything." I said with my head lying low. The rain started pouring as we drove out of the parking lot of the whole facility and we head home.

The drive was silent and steady. The rain made staccatos on the car window. I heard him sigh countless times. "What doesn't I have that he has? I was practically modified to meet your standards and I do not look like him in any single fricking way." Delf started to get emotional.

"This is just too fast Delf." The reason I enrolled in this program anyway was to save my ex-boyfriend's life. Delf already knew that. "I'm guilty about your feelings and his. I saw him crying as we got into the facility. Now I see you crying because of what I did. I am guilty of what I am feeling. I cannot just erase my feelings for him just like that. You know that."

Delf was silent. He was still silent as we returned back to our house. He plopped down the sofa and I sat at the accent chair adjacent to him.

The air is still cold and the rain kept pouring. "Delf..."

"Hmmm?"

"I..."

"Yes?" He blocked his eyes with his arms as if to keep himself from crying. "I hate myself Micella. I'm a grown man but I kept acting like a sixteen year old."

"Maybe it's just the serum we're taking. You know hormones and stuff."

"No Micella." He sat up, he locked his eyes with mine, held my hands, and tenderly caressed them. "I'm just really jealous, Micella."