Olivia Sparks

The sound of the door creaking startled Olivia that she abruptly stood up in attention, pushing Maxen away which caused his bum to kiss the floor.

From the cabin door, the nurse ushered a lady doctor in whom Maxen knew. He rose from the floor, his brows furrowed as he wondered what Dr. Aila Zhang, a psychiatrist, was doing inside. "She's your doctor?" he asked, perplexed whilst pointing a finger to the doctor. 

"Yes, why? Do you know her?" Olivia inquired, extending a hand to Dr. Aila Zhang who gladly shook it.

"But she's not a general doctor. She's a psychiatrist," he blurted. He tried to wrap his mind around what was going on until Dr. Aila Zhang huffed, her arms crossed over her c.h.e.s.t.

"Yes, I am a psychiatrist, Victor. But I am still a doctor so I can do physical examinations." Dr. Aila Zhang called him by his second name–aware not to cross Maxen for to blow his disguise was akin to handing herself a death sentence.

Looking at the man across her, Dr. Aila Zhang dropped her bag on the leather couch. One glance and she knew who the man was behind his disguise. His voice alone was a dead takeaway.

But Dr. Aila Zhang knew. She knew that behind Maxen's charismatic smile and philanthropic deeds was a rotten man whom someone should never dare turn into a foe.

Snapping the two from their stare-down, Olivia's low sultry voice echoed in the room. "And...I asked for a female physician and her credentials are noteworthy. Plus, she passed the criteria… my criteria. I don't want some random doctor getting their hands on my medical records." Olivia smiled at Dr. Aila Zhang, gesturing for the latter to take a seat in one of the leather couches so as not to disturb the sleeping Amelia Lin. 

Once the three were seated, with the nurse standing behind Dr. Aila Zhang, Olivia shifted in her seat, a look of suspicion painted on her face, grey clouds hovering over her head.

Maxen saw it and immediately, he clarified, "We didn't date. She's not my type and I'm not her type."

"If that's the case, then why are you so apprehensive with Dr. Zhang?"

Dr. Aila Zhang shook her head whilst opening her medical bag. She wanted to finish this check-up as soon as possible.

"She's into girls. I don't want her touching you," Maxen whispered in Olivia's ears. He scooted three seats away when Olivia sent him a scathing glare enough, searing his skin. "Babyyy," he cooed when Olivia refused to spare him a glance, immersed in filling up the medical forms on a clipboard.

Dr. Aila Zhang and the nurse raised their brows upon hearing him but continued setting up a line of syringes and tools.

"How's your epistaxis, Ms. Lin?" Dr. Aila Zhang asked, wearing a rubber glove, the slapping sound raised goosebumps on her skin.

"It happened more frequently than usual," Olivia uttered the words through almost closed lips.

"Okay," Dr. Zhang trailed off. "Have you started any medication that was not included in your file?"

"No."

"How about any unusual bruising in your body?"

"None that I have seen. Have you seen anything?" Olivia whisked her head towards Maxen.

"I haven't seen anything on your body, baby," he replied, c.o.c.king an arrogant eyebrow at Dr. Aila Zhang.

"What's the animosity about? Care to indulge me with the details?" Olivia finally inquired. The invisible electric zaps between Maxen and Dr. Aila Zhang told Olivia that there must be a hidden story between the two.

"I won a bet. That's why," Dr. Aila Zhang sneered.

"You didn't win. You cheated."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The hair on Maxen's back rose at the sound of Olivia's perfectly manicured nails tapping on the wooden clipboard.

"Maxen, it would be best for you to stop betting." Olivia lifted her hand and rested her temple on her fist, her eyes traced from Maxen to Dr. Aila Zhang. A triumphant smile painted Olivia's face as she informed the doctor, "He lost to me too."

The two women shared a short laugh until Dr. Aila Zhang opened a sealed long cotton swab.

Blocking Olivia with his forearm, Maxen felt his anger shoot up from the pits of his stomach to his ears.

"What the heck is that for, Ms. Zhang?"

"For strep," Dr. Aila Zhang lied. She didn't want to expose the truth, especially with the presence of a nurse that she didn't know.

Maxen snapped his head to Olivia who pushed his arm away and gave him a small smile.

"I'm used to it. I've been doing this all my life."

Maxen, who hated the idea of Olivia going through another humiliation of proving her DNA, snapped his fingers to the standing nurse.

"Swab her cheeks," he ordered Dr. Aila Zhang who glanced at Olivia for approval.

"Yeah. Whatever. Hopefully she doesn't have strep." Olivia c.o.c.ked her head towards the nurse, who waved her hands over her face.

"No, no. I don't have strep throat Ms. Olivia or else I can't report for work today."

The nurse opened her mouth, letting Dr. Aila Zhang swab the inside wall of her cheeks. Little did she know of the gravity of her ignorance over what seemed like a simple swab test.

As if Olivia didn't cheat on her routine DNA testing, the series of physical examinations were done, including a pap smear in one of the spare bedrooms of the cabin.

All went well until Olivia's dreaded flu shot. 

Maxen saw how Olivia slowly closed her eyes, masking the tension that was crippling her upon seeing the doctor prepare the syringe.

Taking small short breaths, Olivia blew air in between her almost closed lips. Her eyes flew open when she felt a warm hand heating her cold palm. She bit the insides of her cheeks when she saw, for the first time in a long time, a hand slipped under hers. 

In silence, her eyes glimmer under the natural light that filtered through the windows at his simple touch.

Grateful, she tightened her grip on Maxen's fingers that were interlaced with hers, pulling his mask away to seal his lips with a sweet and short kiss.