Nose

June 10th

Diagnosed (as of today): 125

Deaths (as of today): 36

Total diagnosed: 1,217

Total deaths: 530

Asher decided that it'd be best to return back to work on the following Monday. As a celebration for his recovery, Constance invited a few friends over the night before. Evelyn and her husband Jamie rang the doorbell when the sun started setting.

"Welcome, welcome," Constance ushered them in.

Evelyn's love of carbs in her diet described her slightly plump, rounded body. She was a jolly woman with a simplistic smile. Hugging her felt like sinking into a warm, soft pillow. "Oh my, I missed you both so much!" she beamed as she took turns to embrace them one by one.

Jamie was Asher's colleague at work, in charge of the medical science field. His eye bags were droopy and dark, proof of the hard work he put into countless nights of researching for a vaccine. He twisted his lips to the side to form a lopsided grin. "Glad you're feeling better, man," he said, patting Asher's shoulder lightly before making his way inside.

The table was neatly set as always. There were a few bottles of champagne that they had prepared for the celebration. It felt weird to finally bring out the bottles after storing them in the cupboards for so long. The atmosphere felt soft and light, almost as if they were living a different chapter of their lives. Gathered around the table, they started eating.

"Everytime I come over, your cooking always amazes me," Evelyn says between mouthfuls of braised chicken. "By the way, I see that you've switched from a vegetarian to a meat-lover, Asher."

He was caught off guard when he heard this. It was strange, how he suddenly had developed a strong craving for meat-based dishes. On second thought, he almost salivated at the thought of biting into a plate of grilled beef and broiled fish earlier today. He stopped chewing and sheepishly laughed. "Ah, yeah. It's probably 'cause I didn't have a good appetite for the past few days."

"Oh," Jamie's eyes widened. "Can't believe I forgot to ask this, but how did you manage to find a cure?" He picked at something on his plate with his fork.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I think I injected both medications at the same time once, and somehow… " his voice trailed off.

"Well, he was all fine yesterday and today morning. Imagine the shock I felt when I saw him up on his feet again as if nothing had ever happened to him," Constance cut in. "The doctor gave us this new prescription--which I think was a mixture of the two medications they had given him earlier when he was diagnosed--and we're kinda testing this out to see if it'd work as a possible vaccine in the future."

"Definitely," Jamie nods to himself. "Ash, if this ever becomes a cure in the future," he paused and stared at him wide-eyed, "... you'd be doing us all a huge favor."

They all laughed, but their laughter reeked of fear. Something felt off, but Asher couldn't quite lay his finger on what it was. The rest of the dinner table conversation became monotonous and quiet, as four pairs of ears tuned themselves to the sound of cutlery clinking against each other and food being distributed around the table.

After the food was finished and their bellies were full, the ladies gathered around the living room to have a chat.

"Ash, I'm going for a smoke. You coming?"

He never really enjoyed smoking, let alone watch others smoke. The thought of breathing second-hand toxins into his lungs felt mildly disturbing, but he pushed that thought away. After all, tonight was just a celebration. Maybe I should loosen up a bit more.

They headed out to the balcony. The night was dark and the occasional breeze brushed gently against their faces as they clambered onto the narrowly-spaced platform. He watched the windows of the far-off skyscrapers turn off their lights one by one. He looked down at his feet, and through the wire mesh, felt a wave of adrenaline when he realised the ground was far, far away from where he was standing.

"You should quit smoking," he suddenly said to Jamie.

"I know, I know," Jamie laughed. His face hardened abruptly. "I've been trying for years now and I just can't exactly stop."

"Try going cold turkey. It may actually work."

Jamie hunched over the edge of the balcony at a precariously dangerous angle. Although the flashing lights and buzzing traffic blared below their feet, Asher felt as if he could hear his friend's deep breathing clear as ever. "Let's head back inside," he finally said.

He didn't know if he heard him clearly as they stepped back into the room through the sliding glass doors. He almost didn't understand what his friend had said to him. But Jamie walked briskly back to the living room and joined in the women's conversation.

"Hey, don't you think your nose is turning darker?" Jamie's voice had said. Was there a hint of hostility behind it?

Asher stopped for a minute, wondering if he should check his reflection in the mirror. But why would he? There was nothing wrong with him at all.

Must have been the champagne.