The Royal Contract

In a fine restaurant in the middle of the city, two newly acquainted people out for dinner were starting to enjoy their first date. 

"Jacky, I hope you like meat. I forgot to ask you earlier if you have any preference." He was so busy thinking of how to impress her that he had forgotten the basics. But, he rarely did go on dates, so that was his excuse. "But maybe after this, we'll learn more about each other."

It was also a rare occasion for him to relax and enjoy a fine meal with a beautiful woman. So, he was savoring every minute of it. His meals usually consisted of food placed inside a box, a food wrap, or a hospital tray.

Being a fourth-year resident doctor did not exactly give him time for socializing, especially on dates. He almost lived inside the hospital, so going home mostly meant showers and naps. In his experience, relationships inside the hospital had been a common thing.

"No worries, Sebastian. I can eat anything." She answered him.

She was not particular about where he took her. It was not the reason she went on a date with him. She preferred to know how much effort did he put into this date.

Wealthy men could easily dine and wine her in an expensive restaurant, but it always ended up the same. They only enjoyed the night, just like Marcus did. But not all, Lance did make every date they had felt extraordinary. He did put a lot of thought into it.

"What did you do again?" Jacky shook her head and concentrated her attention on him, wanting her thoughts of other men gone. Besides, it was a good topic of conversation.

And it was also a clever way to divert the attention away from her. She felt that this time, she wanted to change things. Instead of the usual, she was an open book, and her life was no secret approach. She would only give him a glimpse and pieces of herself. 

She would like to test if he would stick around to find out more about her. If he was still present on the fifth date, then maybe, he was genuinely interested in a more serious relationship and not just getting into her pants. 

"I am a doctor. Orthopedic surgeon." He answered her, taking a sip of the wine in front of him.

Even drinking alcoholic beverages was limited in his profession. Anytime from now or later, his phone might beep, and he would be back for duty.

"Being a doctor must be a rewarding profession. You get to help a lot of people get better." Jacky stated as she sipped on her wine as well as they waited for their meal.

She put to use her skills in striking up a conversation. She never did like a dull moment. So far, she found the doctor interesting, so it was at least worth a shot to get to know him.

"Oh, it certainly needs passion and devotion if I want to survive in this field. But yeah, it has its rewards." He said as their orders arrived.

If he did not love what he was doing, he would not last in this profession. Studying alone to be a doctor almost made him crazy. Then, the long nights of no sleep when he was an intern almost did drove him mad. 

But luckily, he survived it all. However, the ordeal did not end there. Being a doctor meant sacrifices that many people did not understand. That was the reason many of them did not do well with commitments and marriage.

"Anyway, how did you choose your specialty? Isn't it weird to operate on bones while there are so many other fields?" She asked since this was the first time that she met a bone doctor.

She dated once a doctor. If she remembered right, he was a heart surgeon. But, he was very arrogant that she left him in the middle of their meal.

"Honestly, it was due to an unfortunate accident when I was young. My brother and I loved to play soccer. But in one of our games, he had an accident that broke his legs." He started telling her the story of why he became an orthopedic doctor.

"Wait, if it was your brother who broke his legs and could not play again. Why did you stop playing if you love the game so much?" Jacky felt confused with the story.

"Although I love the game, I love my brother more. I knew that it would hurt him if I continued to play while he could not. I figured it would be better for us to watch it together on the sidelines." He replied to her query.

"Wow, that is so sweet." Suddenly remembering her brother, Andy. She guessed she would do the same if something similar happened to them. "So, that made you decide to be a doctor so that you can cure your brother." She said, making her conclusion to her questions.

"Not really." He gave her a chuckle as if there was something funny. "My brother's broken legs eventually healed, and he is now perfectly normal. You would think that I wasted my sacrifice for that. But I think that accident opened my eyes to new things." He told her.

"What do you mean?" She was suddenly curious about what he was saying.

"Well, when I saw his condition and how the doctors tried to fix him in the emergency room, I found myself fascinated. I was not grossed out or scared by all of it. I wanted to learn more about it." He was suddenly enjoying telling her this part of his life because she seemed genuinely interested.

"And here I thought that your brother was the reason for your noble act. But you are just a weird nerd who loves gooey stuff." She teased him as they ate the delicious steak in front of them.

"Guilty." He admitted before putting his for down to look at her. "Enough about me, what about you? Don't think that I did not notice that you kept avoiding my questions?" He looked at her suspiciously with a teasing smile. "What is your story if you care to share it with me?"

"I am a legal assistant in a law firm. My boss is my bestfriend. If you are going to ask me if there was a divine calling why I ended up in my job, then I will tell you now that it was pure luck." She awarded him with a sweet smile that made them both laughing.

"Well, one thing for sure, I am enjoying every minute of this date." He stated as he ate another slice of the luscious meat. "But seriously, what about your family? I feel like I am the only one talking here about me and my aspirations." 

Under other circumstances, he would usually wait for the girl to tell him more about herself. The girls he dated in the past liked to talk about themselves a little too much. 

But in this case, he was genuinely interested to know her more. However, it would seem that she was the one reluctant to share.