The Royal Contract

"Are you sure you can manage on your own? I can cancel my date with Sebastian if you need me around." Jacky asked as she moved around her. 

She knew that Dani was feeling way better today compared to the last couple of days. But Alex insisted that she should take an extra day off before going to work again.

Although Dani could already move around the house using a crutch, she was still uncomfortable leaving her alone unattended. She even skipped work today to keep her company.

"Go on with your date. I am not disabled. I can still make use of the other parts of my body. Besides, in a couple of hours, Alex will be here to take care of me." Dani said, assuring her friend that she was ok.

If she could push her friend out of the door, she would, but it was a bit difficult in her current state.

"But Sebastian and I can go out some other time. I will feel more at ease if I stay here with you. Something might happen to you and no one to assist you." Jacky pointed out as she sat down beside her friend. 

In truth, Jacky was dreading seeing Sebastian tonight because she decided to tell him the truth. She did not want to lie to him anymore. Besides, he had the right to know what he was getting into if she wanted to give their relationship a chance.

"Don't worry about me. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Here." Dani grabbed her phone and placed it inside her pocket, tapping it for emphasis. "Ben is in my speed dial. I will call him if ever I will need help."

Although Ben's number was on her phone, she lied about the speed dial. Dani felt that it was the only way her friend would stop worrying about her and go out on her date.

"Fine. But if anything happened, make sure to call me too." Jacky instructed as she stood up and grabbed her bag.

She knew that she had run out of excuses and had no choice but to meet Sebastian in thirty minutes. She insisted that she would meet him at the restaurant near the hospital. 

It was more practical instead of him traveling back and forth to pick her up. His shift would end shortly, and he said he could not wait to see her again.

She wondered if he would still feel the same once he told him how she felt about him. After she revealed everything about her, would he still want to see her?

"Be careful and enjoy your date," Dani shouted before Jacky walked out of the room. 

Dani could sense that her friend was going through something, but she felt that maybe it was not the time to talk about it when she was about to go out. Maybe later, she would inquire about it.

Her thoughts went back to Alex and what he had shared with her last night. She wondered if her advice was the best for the situation. After all, she did not have a clear view of the entire scenario.

But she trusted that Alex would find the best solution for his problem even without her help. He would not have reached his position without having sound decision-making skills.

"Now, what should I do." She thought as she settled on the sofa and a movie as she waited. 

Although she had enough of lazing around, she had no other options since Alex and Jacky guaranteed that she had no access to her paper works.

Jacky, on the other hand, found Sebastian already waiting at their reserved table. She sometimes wondered how a resident could afford such luxuries. 

"I hope that I did not make you wait too long." She told him, greeting with a kiss on the cheeks as he stood to assist her on her seat.

She found out from some colleagues that new doctors barely earned enough, especially if they have student loans they had to pay. Now she could only conclude that either he was spending beyond his means or he was loaded.

Those parts of his life had not been a topic of their discussion before. She was not sure if he was avoiding telling her that he was broke or rich. Or it just did not come in their conversation.

"Not at all. I only came out of surgery a few minutes ago. I thought that it was me who was late." Sebastian assured her as they started to order.

Dinner, as usual, was superb. Conversations went smoothly between them since it was basically about Dani's accident or his patients in the hospital.

During dessert, she felt it was time to toughen up and tell him about her confession. So, here it was, she thought as she cleared her throat. "Sebastian, I." But it seemed that it was easier to think about it than to do it. 

Once again, she inhaled deeply, garnering enough courage to say her piece that she had rehearsed in her head a hundred times before meeting him.

"Before you say something, will you mind if I go first?" Sebastian interrupted her as he stretched his hand on the table and firmly gripped hers.

"Ok." She replied, feeling a slight relief that he was giving her time to recompose herself.

She was known to be a blunt person, always speaking her mind. But it was a different story when she knew that she was about to hurt another human being, a man who had only shown her respect and kindness. 

Sebastian also took a long breath before he continued with what he had to say. "From the few girls I had dated, you intrigued me the most. I like you." His hand kept its hold on hers as he searched for what else to say. "I want to keep seeing you."

The first time he saw her in the club dancing, he found it difficult to take his eyes off her. He had no control of himself when he introduced himself to her. It was not love at first sight, but an attraction he had never felt before with another woman.