The flashback ends, and Julian lets out a deep sigh, both longing and still carrying the delicate memories with him. He looks up at the sunset sky.
Only if Grace were Hannah coming back to life…
The corners of his lips curl up, then he shakes his head, realizing how foolish it is.
"No… let's not confuse the two," he whispers to himself.
Until now, he had only felt sorry for Hannah, for having these feelings toward Grace. But somehow, it also felt wrong and unfair for Grace to be in Hannah's place.
"I mean… she's not even a replacement…" he whispers, a little grossed out by his own thought. "Or am I… just liking her as a replacement?"
That's when he feels a stir of emotions he can't quite identify.
And then, his phone vibrates.
He looks at it and sees a text from Grace Silver.
His heartbeat quickens.
The corners of his lips curl up very faintly.
"So, she's here…" he says with a small sigh.
The more he tries to remain nonchalant about it, the more his heart beats faster, as if pointing out the futility of his attempt to act like it's not a big deal to him.
He steps into the elevator and heads back to his hospital room. Leaning against the bedframe, Julian pulls out his iPad, pretending to focus on his readings while he waits for Grace to arrive.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening breaks his concentration, followed by the soft footfalls approaching the curtain. Just beyond that curtain, he imagines Grace is standing.
"Julian?"
But as soon as the voice reaches his ears, the smile he had tried to hide slips away. It's not Grace's voice. It's Lena, his fellow professor.
Right. She had mentioned she'd come by.
A tightness forms in Julian's chest. He wasn't expecting this at all, especially now when he's been anxiously awaiting Grace's arrival.
"Come in, Lena," Julian replies in a soft voice, trying to mask his discomfort.
The curtain parts, and Lena enters, holding a flower in her hands.
"Oh, Julian," she says, frowning when she notices the cast on his left leg. "I didn't know you'd be like this."
He forces an uneasy smile.
"I didn't expect it either."
Lena's flirtatious smile lingers as she sits down on the guardian chair next to him.
"Of course, I had to come. Have other people been by?"
"Yeah, some."
Lena's lips purse slightly, a hint of disappointment crossing her features.
"I really wanted to come right away on Sunday night, but I was tied up at the seminar. Just got out now."
"It's fine," Julian says sincerely, not wanting her to feel bad. "Thanks for coming by."
Lena leans in a bit, her tight-fitting black sweater accentuating her figure.
"How did this really happen?"
"Nothing major. Just a car accident. I'll be out of here in five days," Julian says, skimming over the details and leaving out the part about Grace.
He doesn't want to share that with her.
"You? The careful one? I never imagined you'd be the one hit by a car," Lena continues, her tone laced with concern. "When did it happen? And you know how upset I was when you left so early on Saturday night?"
Just as Julian opens his mouth to respond, a voice from behind the curtain interrupts.
"Professor?"
A clear, calm voice—low, husky, yet pure—reaches Julian's ears.
The voice that makes his heart flutter.
It's Grace.
Lena's eyebrows arch in surprise as she immediately deduces who the voice belongs to.
"Is she...?" Lena asks, disbelief written across her face.
On the other side of the curtain, Grace hesitates, her hand still on the curtain as she stands frozen. She recognizes the familiar voice instantly.
That female professor... she's in there.
Grace glances down at the book in her hands, momentarily halting her movement as she's about to pull back the curtain.
Before she can fully register her surprise, the curtain suddenly parts, and Lena steps forward with a smile that's far from genuine.
"Hello," Lena says, her tone pleasant, but there's a subtle coldness beneath the words.
"Oh, hello," Grace replies, her voice slightly tense as she tries to regain composure.
Her eyes quickly dart past Lena to where Julian sits against the bed frame.
"Hi," he greets in his usual casual tone, as if nothing's amiss.
"This is for you, Julian," Grace says quickly, handing the book to Lena.
"Oh, you don't need to stay?" Lena asks, her voice pretending to be sweet but with a hint of underlying curiosity.
"No, no, I need to go. I only came to give this book to Professor Julian," Grace replies with a restrained smile.
She gives one last nod to Julian, then to Lena, before walking out from behind the curtain and closing it softly.
Lena looks down at the book, the title
"I'll put it here," Lena says as she places the book carefully on the bedside table.
Julian's eyes shift from the closed curtain back to the book that Grace just brought. Something feels off. He doesn't want her to leave like this—there's a lingering unease.
Seeing the tension in his face, Lena leans in, her voice lightly teasing but probing.
"Do you want her back?"
For a few seconds, Julian doesn't respond, his mind racing.
"No, she just came by for the book," he finally says, trying to dismiss the thought.
Lena smiles knowingly, her expression filled with silent judgment. "You seem a little too close with that student, Julian."
At her words, Julian's body stiffens, his gaze sharpening.
Lena continues, her voice laced with a subtle warning. "You know, maybe you might want to keep some distance from her. I mean, of course, I know you only see her as a student, but what if she feels differently about you?"
Julian's eyes flick to Lena.
What is that supposed to mean? What if she feels differently about me…?
His heart skips a beat, the thought unexpectedly quickening his pulse. It's clear Lena didn't intend to provoke this reaction, but he can't shake the sudden intensity of the question.
Despite the storm of emotion beneath the surface, Julian keeps his face unreadable.
"She's just a student," he says calmly.
Lena's lips curl into a satisfied smile.
"Of course I know that," she replies lightly. Then, lowering her voice to a teasing whisper, she adds with a wink, "I'm just saying… be careful, Julian."
She eases into the seat beside him, crossing her legs with practiced elegance. The conversation drifts toward faculty schedules, the usual chaos in her interior design classes, the endless cycle of grading, and her ongoing headaches with the teaching assistants. Her words flow, animated and effortless. As always, Julian listens politely—ever the professional, ever attentive in his role.
But today, his focus wavers. Her voice fades into the background like soft music in a too-bright café. His thoughts are already chasing someone else—Grace. She had slipped away moments ago, leaving only a book behind. A quiet departure, almost too quiet.
Her face lingers in his mind like an unfinished sentence. The way her expression flickered—composed yet somehow flustered, guarded but vulnerable.
He sits straighter, trying to refocus, but Lena catches the subtle shift in his energy. His responses come a touch too casually now, his smile a bit too thin. She watches him for a beat, reading what he doesn't say.
With a small sigh, she rises, smoothing her skirt and masking her disappointment behind a strained smile.
"I guess you'll want some time to yourself, Julian."
"Thanks for dropping by, Lena. You really didn't have to."
His voice is courteous, but distant. Polished like glass—reflecting, not revealing.
The words sting, more than she'd like to admit. But Lena's practiced enough to keep her poise. She tosses her hair slightly and forces another smile.
"I'm just glad you'll be back on campus next week. The place feels so dull without you," she says, a flirtatious lilt in her tone.
Julian nods with polite formality.
"Have a safe way home."
Lena hesitates for a heartbeat, then glances back at him one last time. Her eyes hold a flicker of longing, of something left unsaid. Then she turns and disappears through the curtain, her presence fading like perfume in the air.
Julian remains still, the quiet settling around him. But his thoughts are already elsewhere—following the faint echo of footsteps, the flutter of a book left behind, and the expression of a girl who, like him, keeps her heart well hidden.
Finally alone, Julian exhales quietly, the air in the room suddenly heavier with silence. Almost instinctively, he picks up his phone. The screen lights up, and his fingers navigate to the messaging app—straight into the chat with Grace.
He stares at the empty message box, thumb hovering, hesitating.
Should I at least say thank you?
The words form in his mind but never make it to the screen.
His fingers twitch once. Then stop.
"No... never mind," he murmurs under his breath.
The phone slips from his hand and lands gently on the blanket beside him. He leans back, a quiet restlessness crawling beneath his skin. For a moment, he simply stares into the empty air—until his eyes land on the book.
It's resting on the bedside table, right where she left it. A small, quiet presence, yet suddenly the most magnetic object in the room.
He reaches for it gently, as if it might vanish if he moves too quickly. His fingertips graze the worn cover as he lifts it.
"Tuesdays with Morrie…" he reads the title aloud in a whisper, almost reverently.
Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes soften. His lips tug upward in a quiet smile—subtle, involuntary.
"So this is the book you like…" he says, his voice barely audible.
There's a warmth stirring in his chest now, something delicate and unspoken. The kind of feeling that creeps in when no one is looking.
His fingers linger on the edges of the pages, as if the book itself might hold a piece of her—her thoughts, her voice, her quiet sincerity.