Chapter - 56 - Question with question

Rick swallowed the pills and sat on the couch to relax. Gianna went into the bedroom and took a quick shower. She put on her clothes and sat in front of her dressing table to do her routine skin care. Gianna walked towards the side table where Rick kept his belongings and slid her hand into the jacket to reach for the gun. As she felt the gun, she pulled the gun out and filled the cartridge with the bullets she had taken earlier.

After placing the gun back in its original position, she walked out of the bedroom and sat on the swing chair on the balcony to enjoy the night breeze.

Rick followed suit and went to the washroom to clean his sweaty body with the wet towel. He came out of the bedroom and saw Gianna sitting on the balcony. "Thank you for the delicious dinner," said Rick as he stepped onto the balcony. Gianna looked at him and nodded in response. He sat on the chair beside her and admired the moon shining brightly in the sky.

"Want some coffee?" asked Gianna, looking at the forest in the distance. "I'd love to," replied Rick looking at her face, which was now prettier as the moonlight lit her face.

Gianna prepared coffee and gave Rick a cup of coffee, who was still admiring the night sky. "Did you come through that forest?" asked Gianna, taking a sip of her coffee. Rick hummed in response to her. "Is the river deep?" "It's shallow. The water depth is only up to my ankle length," said Rick, taking a sip of coffee.

"Are you from Velaris?" asked Rick, still looking at the sky. "Do I look like a Velarish?" cross-questioned Gianna. "No, and do you always have to answer a question with another question? Instead you can just answer the question." said Rick as he felt a bit annoyed. "Is there any kind of rule that says a question can't be responded to with another question?" asked Gianna with a light chuckle. "Fine. Do not talk to me then," said Rick, losing his patience.

Rick gulped down the remaining coffee and said, "I will sleep on the couch. Good night." Rick left the balcony and went into the kitchen to wash his cup. Gianna walked into the living room quickly and laid down on the couch with her blanket before he returned from the kitchen.

Rick saw Gianna sleeping on the couch as he entered the living room. "Gianna, why are you sleeping here?" asked Rick, after letting out a deep breath. Gianna continued to lay there in silence. "Why are you not responding to me now?'' asked Rick in a low voice sitting at the edge of the couch.

"How do you expect me to talk when you told me not to?" asked Gianna with her eyes closed. Rick smiled faintly and said, "I am sorry. You can talk to me as you wish." "You sleep in the bedroom. I will sleep here," said Gianna. "Are you worried about me !?" asked Rick, looking at her face with surprise. "Pfft...Is there a reason for me to be worried about you?" "There you go again responding with a question! If you are not worried about me, then let me sleep here," said Rick, totally annoyed.

"It's not because I am worried about you! The problem is, you slept on my bed for nearly 18 hours and do you expect me to use that same dirty bed now? I can lie down only after changing the sheets when you leave tomorrow." said Gianna.

She felt a pang in her heart when she uttered the words 'when you leave tomorrow'. Gianna did not understand this indescribable feeling and continued to lay down on the couch, hiding her emotions. Rick let out a deep sigh and closed the balcony door before he left to sleep on the bed.

There was complete silence in the house except for the croaking sound of the cricket from the forest. Gianna kept thinking about the indescribable feelings towards Rick and was lost in her thoughts. The silence in the room was suddenly broken when Gianna's phone rang loudly.

Gianna sat up completely startled and saw it was Victor who was calling her. "Yes, Victor?" "The surgery was successful, Dr.G. There was a sudden depletion in the oxygen level, but with the help of other staff, we overcame it quickly," said Victor tiredly.

"Good job. Take a good rest now. Tomorrow morning you have another surgery." reminded Gianna. "Yes, Dr.G. Good night." She hung up the call and looked at the bedroom door. She expected the door to be closed, but it was wide open. She did not want to disturb him, so she laid on the couch and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Rick received a text message. Derrick: Everything is ready. Share the location. Rick: 4th street, Bluebridge. Derrick: Smart thinking with the forest. I will be there sharp at 1 am.

Rick: I won't wait for even a second longer. Derrick: Trust me, Rick! Rick heard Gianna talking to Victor and understood from the conversation that the surgery went well.

A smile appeared on his face and thought, 'Do I deserve to be happy? I should have lost my mind to think all this shit about love and family after losing a lot of blood. Gianna is a great woman. I don't want to pull her into my mess. I should forget about her as soon as I get out of here. If we are fated to be together, then I am sure we will meet again.'

Rick couldn't sleep even though he tried to and looked at the time on the phone screen. It was quarter past 12 and it was time for him to leave. He went to the side table and wore his mask, cap and jacket after tucking in his gun. He took the tucked-in gun out and smiled because the cartridge was full of the missing bullets.

'Does she know that I will be leaving tonight? Or does she trust me now?' thought Rick as he walked towards the couch where Gianna was sound asleep.