Abel looked at her.
His face remained serious, unmoving, almost unreadable. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Well, if I didn't know any better, I would say you care a great deal about me. But from what I've observed, you tend to take on hyper-responsibility."
Lisa frowned.
"Huh? Why is everyone saying that?"
"Everyone?" Abel asked, one brow slightly raised.
"Yes. Nina… and even the doctors here. After Nina explained what happened, they said the same thing. When they brought food with your mom, they explained my condition too."
Abel nodded slowly.
"Then they clearly know how to do their job."
There was a brief silence before he continued.
"Anyway… let me ask you something. Do you still want to help me fix my laptop?"
His tone was calm, but there was expectation behind it. He already knew the answer. Lisa looked at him, then down at her hands, and nodded quietly. Abel almost smiled.
"The thing is… I have plenty of laptops. That day, I was using one of many."
Lisa blinked.
"So… what should I do then?" she asked uneasily.
"First," Abel said gently, "calm down. Don't you care about yourself and the baby?"
Her eyes softened.
"Anyway," he continued, leaning slightly forward, "I would kindly like to ask for something else."
Lisa stiffened.
"What is that?" she asked, frowning. She didn't like the sound of it.
Abel chuckled softly.
"Relax. I'm not going to make you do anything dangerous. In fact… I'll be very well-behaved this time."
"Behaved? You? In the same sentence?" Lisa interjected immediately.
Abel placed a hand dramatically over his chest. "Ouch. You're hurting my feelings. So you don't believe I can behave?"
Lisa slowly shook her head in disagreement.
Abel sighed deeply. "Well… first of all, I would like to apologize for my behavior the first day we met. What I did was unnecessary."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm not very good at apologizing. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to say after that."
He forced a stiff smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Lisa couldn't hold it in. She burst into laughter.
Abel blinked. "Why are you laughing?"
"You should see your face!" she said between laughs. "You look like you're trying to force forgiveness into my heart. It's like you want to scare me into forgiving you."
Abel narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh? Then I guess you'll have to teach me how to apologize properly."
"Huh?" Lisa said again, surprised.
"You've been acting so surprised this entire conversation," Abel replied calmly. "I'm starting to wonder if you're pretending. You're not a child, are you?"
Lisa composed herself. "Honestly," she said carefully, "I'm not sure if you and I can be close."
"And the reason?" Abel asked, folding his arms.
"There's a gap between us," she admitted. "You feel… dangerous to be around. Everything about you is mysterious. That includes your family."
Abel studied her quietly before answering. "As far as I know, you're an adventurous person. You don't say no until you've tried. If I were you, I would jump into this adventure and explore the mystery that is my family and me… until you uncover it."
Lisa hesitated. "What if I fail, end up losing my life, or something like that?"
"You overthink," Abel said gently. "If you fail, it won't be a total failure. You'll learn something. I know our first encounter was terrible. But I'm willing to make up for it. You need to give me a chance to prove myself. Words aren't enough; I'll show you through my actions. One more thing, I will also make sure that no danger will come close to you."
For the first time, his steady gaze was sincere.
"Well… I… I…" Lisa struggled to respond.
"Take your time," Abel said softly. "You don't need to answer now. Let my actions speak for me. Starting today, I'll take care of you. And I'll take you home." He forced another small smile.
Lisa didn't object. She simply stared at him, unblinking, her mind spinning. Is this real? Or am I dreaming? Abel waved a hand lightly in front of her face. She blinked, inhaled deeply, and nodded. She didn't understand what was happening or where this would lead, but she decided to go with the flow. She had too many unanswered questions to walk away now. Abel's expression softened slightly as he changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way… let me formally introduce myself. My name is Abel. I'm the only child of my parents. I run a few businesses. And… I think that's all." He smiled.
Lisa burst into laughter again, this time freely, genuinely. Abel frowned slightly.
"Why are you laughing now?"
She wiped her eyes. "You're terrible at communicating. You basically said nothing. That information is so basic it's almost suspicious."
Abel's lips curved into a subtle, almost menacing smile.
"I love that you're curious. So get to know me more… and maybe you'll find the answers you're looking for."
Lisa rolled her eyes but chose not to argue. She already knew debating with him would lead nowhere. They chatted lightly for a while. Eventually, Abel stepped into another hospital room to attend a meeting.
Just as the doctors had promised, Lisa spent the whole week in the hospital under their watchful care. Even though she felt stronger with each passing day, they refused to discharge her any sooner. They wanted no risks, not with her, and not with the baby.
The hospital room became her small world. The steady beeping of machines, the smell of antiseptic, the soft footsteps of nurses in the corridor… all of it slowly became familiar. Yet beneath the calm routine, her heart remained restless.
Because she was waiting.
And just as Abel had promised, he came every day.
He didn't come with noise or drama. He didn't ask too many questions. He didn't try to force long conversations or explanations.
He simply showed up.
Sometimes he brought food cooked by his mother, carefully packed in warm containers. Other times, he came with fresh fruit, books, or small things she didn't even know she needed, extra pillows, warm socks, a charger when hers stopped working.
Their conversations were never forced. They spoke in simple ways.
"Good morning.""How are you feeling today?""Did you sleep well?"
Small words… but they carried something deeper.
Lisa began to notice things she had never paid attention to before. The way Abel always checked with the nurse first before waking her. The way he lowered his voice when she seemed tired. The way he quietly fixed the blanket when it slipped from her shoulders.
He never stayed too close.He never stayed too far.
And somehow, that distance felt… respectful.
At first, Lisa didn't know how to react. She had expected coldness from him or indifference. She had expected that his promise to take care of her would fade after a day or two.
But he kept coming.
Every single day.
Even when he looked exhausted. Even when his phone kept ringing with urgent calls, he had to step outside to answer. Even when it was late in the evening, and she thought he wouldn't show up.
He still came.
One afternoon, while watching him peel an orange carefully into perfect slices, Lisa spoke without thinking.
"Why are you doing all this?"
Abel paused, his hands still.
He didn't look at her immediately.
"Because I said I would," he answered simply.
Lisa swallowed. "You don't have to. Your family could take care of me."
"They do," Abel said. "But this part… is mine."
His voice was quiet, steady.
There was no pride in it. No drama. Just truth.
Lisa felt something warm and uncomfortable rise in her chest. Gratitude… mixed with confusion… mixed with fear.
She looked away quickly.
Later, the following day, Lisa was discharged. Abel insisted on driving her home himself. He drove smoothly, calm, controlled, steady. The car moved almost silently along the road. Lisa, still recovering, felt safe enough to close her eyes. And she slept the entire way. When they reached home, Abel parked but didn't wake her. He simply sat there, watching her peaceful face. Ten minutes later, she stirred awake. For a brief second, she forgot where she was. Then she saw him. Still sitting there.