Chapter 145: I love you Augustine Wales.
"Wait," Charles snapped, lifting his head abruptly from Augustine’s chest.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Did I just hear your voice?" he whispered, his breath hitching as he stared into Augustine’s still face, one brow arched high in a mix of hope and fear.
The room fell silent, his heart pounding in his ears as he waited for a sign.
"Hmm, you need to give the patient two doses of antibiotics so they’ll get well in no time."
The voice of a young doctor drifted in from the hallway outside the hospital room.
Charles let out a hiss, dragging his palm down his face in frustration. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "I was really starting to think he spoke."
He glanced at Augustine’s face again, his heart sinking all over.
Charles had thought the voice he heard moments ago came from Augustine, but to his dismay, it was just the doctor outside the hospital room.
"Gosh, how I wish it was your voice, Augustine," Charles mumbled, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"I miss hearing your voice," he added quietly, swallowing hard as he stared at the still figure on the bed.
"Hmm,"
Once more, Charles heard a mumble.
Charles turned his gaze toward the hospital door, brows arched as he strained to catch the voice of a passing doctor.
But to his surprise, it wasn’t a voice that caught his attention—it was the subtle movement of Augustine’s body.
Charles froze.
His heart raced as he stared at Augustine’s face, watching in disbelief as Augustine’s eyes fluttered open ever so slightly, his fingers twitching faintly on the bed.
Charles sprang up from the bed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Doctor!!!" he shouted, voice cracking with urgency.
Without wasting a second, Charles dashed out of the hospital room, his footsteps echoing through the quiet hallway.
Moments later, he returned with a doctor in a white coat trailing closely behind, their pace quickening as they approached Augustine’s room.
Augustine’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, as if trying to piece everything together.
Charles stood frozen at his bedside, hands clasped tightly, tears streaming freely down his cheeks—tears not of sorrow, but pure joy.
"Hello, Mister Augustine," the doctor said gently, a reassuring smile on his face as he leaned closer. "How are you feeling?"
Augustine nod.
The doctor leaned closer to Augustine, quickly checking his heartbeat before pointing a flashlight into his eyes.
"Do you know where you are?" the doctor asked.
Augustine gave a slight nod. "Ye... yes, I do," he replied, his voice hoarse as he swallowed, his throat feeling sore.
The doctor smiled again, pleased with Augustine’s response as he gently patted his shoulder.
"That’s a good sign," he warmly stated before turning to Charles. "He’s conscious now, but still weak. Let him rest and try not to overwhelm him."
Charles nodded, brushing a tear from his cheek as he whispered, "I won’t leave his side."
Augustine turned his gaze slowly toward Charles, their eyes meeting for the first time in what felt like forever.
Charles rushed to the bedside table and grabbed a bottle of water, quickly opening it before helping Augustine take a sip.
Augustine drank only a little, his shoulders sinking in exhaustion as Charles slowly leaned back.
"Are you feeling any pain?" the doctor asked.
Augustine gave a faint nod. "I’m... I’m having a headache."
"Alright then," the doctor replied kindly. "I’ll get you something for that."
With those words, he stepped out of the hospital room, leaving Charles and Augustine alone.
Silence...
Charles swallowed hard, biting his lower lip as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. "Do you... do you need more water?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, trembling as he tried to sound strong—even though he was falling apart inside.
The tears spilling from Charles’s eyes weren’t from pain this time—they were tears of joy.
Relief washed over him like a tide. Augustine was awake... and it almost didn’t feel real.
Augustine slowly shook his head in response.
Once more Charles swallowed hard again, his throat tight with emotion as he continued to stare at Augustine in complete, aching silence.
Meanwhile, Augustine, whose gaze had been fixed on the ceiling, slowly turned his head toward Charles, silently watching him as tears rolled down his cheeks in quiet sorrow.
Augustine exhaled loudly.
"Why... why are you crying?" He asked, arching his brows as his voice sounded weary.
Charles sniffed back the snort threatening to escape, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"I... I’m the reason you’ve been in a coma for the past month," he confessed, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. "I shouldn’t have been mad at you. All you... all you did that day was protect your company."
Charles voice dropped to a whisper, soaked in guilt. "I was selfish, and that was wrong. What I— what I did to you was wrong, and if something worse had happened... I don’t think I would’ve ever forgiven myself."
Augustine’s lips curved into a faint, warm smile as he blinked slowly. "Pooki... I mean, Charles, you don’t have to blame yourself, okay?" he purred softly.
His voice was weak, but his concern for Charles was stronger—he just wanted to be sure Charles was okay.
Charles’s heart immediately shattered into pieces the moment he noticed how Augustine quickly corrected himself when he was about to call him "Pookie."
’On the night of the launching event, I told Augustine to stop calling me Pookie,’ Charles muttered inwardly, sniffing as the memory pierced through him like a blade.
"I love it when you call me Pookie, Augustine," Charles confessed, his voice soft and filled with sincerity. "And I promise to be more reasonable whenever we have issues. So please... if you don’t mind, I’d love it if you could forgive my actions."
Charles gazed deeply into Augustine’s amber eyes, his heart racing as he waited for a response.
Augustine scoffed. "Umm," he purred with a hoarse voice. "Is that the only thing you wish to ask for forgiveness?"
Without thinking twice, Charles shook his head sideways. "No," he uttered with a firm voice before entwining his fingers together as he nervously began to play with it. "After our argument, I had a lunch with a guy the following day," Charles whispered although his words were audible to the ears of Augustine.
Augustine’s expression flicker with surprise. He didn’t interrupt, letting Charles speak, knowing how difficult it must have been to confess.
Charles continued, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "I was angry, and I thought... I thought maybe being with someone else would make me forget how I felt about you. But I couldn’t. I... I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Even during that lunch, all I could think about was you, Augustine."
He paused, his throat tight as he looked down at his entwined hands. "I’m sorry for doing that. I should have never tried to fill the space you left in my heart with someone else."
Augustine arched his brows. "And why is that?"
"It’s because I love you," Charles boldly uttered, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. "I love you, Augustine Wales, and I’ve loved you for a while now—even before I realized it myself."
*Edited