Chapter 167 Tell me what you need
June
We finish eating and start heading back, walking side by side down the bright hospital corridor. Hermes is practically hovering beside me, an excited smile tugging at his lips.
"Lunch was great, right?" he says, almost bouncing.
I give a faint smile. "I don’t think I can say that."
He stops abruptly, stepping in front of me.
"Why? The food was great. It didn’t even taste like hospital food."
I cross my arms, tilting my head. "Well, the person who bought the food wasn’t even present. So…"
Hermes clicks his tongue, annoyed.
"Well, it’s not our fault that he was sent for."
"I don’t think he was sent for," I mutter, giving him a pointed look. "I believe it has something to do with the death stare you kept sending him."
His eyes fly open, almost comically. He points at himself.
"Me? I didn’t do that."
"Oh yeah?" I raise a brow, trying not to laugh. He’s so ridiculous. And so… him.
But the amusement drains quickly—I’m exhausted. My stomach has been twisting for the past hour. I just want to lie down. Preferably after getting Hermes to sleep too.
Hermes scoffs, glancing away. "Hey, I’m trying to look out for you. That guy—that nurse…"
He lowers his voice like he’s sharing government secrets.
"He doesn’t look like he has good intentions. I think he just wants to use you to pass time."
I actually snort. "And how would you know this?"
"I’m a guy," he says confidently as the elevator doors slide open. "I know stuff about guys."
He ushers me inside like he’s escorting me into a palace instead of a steel box that smells faintly of sanitizer.
I step in, holding back a groan as another wave of nausea hits.
The elevator closed, and I tried my best not to vomit.
We stood silently, me shifting uncomfortably.
"Are you okay?" Hermes asked, leaning toward me.
"I’m fine," I breathed, shifting to the edge. "I just need to, uhm… lean against something."
He watched me and nodded slowly.
After some minutes, he said, "They said I was in an accident and was in a coma. Lost some of my memories. I don’t even know about myself anymore."
I sighed. I didn’t like them lying to him about what happened, but I couldn’t say anything. If I did, Lucien might take him from me. At least he knew he hadn’t fully remembered everyone. They didn’t lie about that.
"Don’t worry. With time, you’ll get them back," I said softly.
"I hope so. I feel like something is missing. I just can’t crack the code even if I try," he said, leaning against the wall.
"You shouldn’t try so hard. It will come to you naturally. Trying hard might get you hurt," I said, though inside, I wanted him to try harder. Time was ticking fast.
"What was I like? I mean… as your boss?" he asked.
I shut my eyes. I didn’t know how to answer him without spilling the truth.
"Uh… you’re acting just the way you were and—"
Just then, the lights in the elevator flickered on and off.
We both looked up as the elevator jolted to a stop.
I lost my balance and landed on Hermes’s body. His hands gripped my waist immediately.
We stared at each other. Our breaths seized.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his hands still on my waist.
I lifted my gaze from his head, letting it drop quickly to his lips and then back up again.
"Yes, I—I’m fine," I breathed.
Slowly, awkwardly, he released me.
We both turned away from each other.
"What happened?" Hermes muttered, pressing the floor buttons again and again.
The elevator shuddered and stopped.
My chest tightened immediately. Panic clawed at me.
Shit. My claustrophobic self can't handle this. This was bad.
My breath quickened, heat creeping up my neck and face.
"No. No. This can’t be happening," I muttered, pacing in tiny steps.
"Calm down. It just stopped. I’m sure the technician team are on their way," Hermes said, his voice calm but cautious, trying to anchor me.
I slid down the wall, my back pressed against it, gasping.
Hermes immediately knelt before me, pressing the red emergency button.
"What's going on? Please… say something," he said, his hands hovering uncertainly.
"A bag… a bag…" My throat was closing, words barely making it out. My eyes squeezed shut.
"Help! Help!" Hermes yelled, his voice loud and sharp as he looked around frantically.
I didn’t know what else to do. I grabbed his hands, forcing them over my mouth, trying to catch my ragged breaths.
Hermes froze, confused, cornered by my sudden action, eyes wide as he tried to understand what I was doing.
His hands were warm against my mouth, too warm, and it sent a strange, dizzying rush straight through me. I didn’t mean for it to feel intimate, but it did. God, it did.
"June…" he murmured, voice low, almost unsteady. "What’s happening to you?"
I tried to breathe through his palms, but panic still clawed up my throat. My heart was racing too fast, my chest too tight.
He called me June. I haven't told me my name. I can't even rejoice right now. Bad timing.
"I-I can’t—" I choked out.
He leaned closer instinctively, his face only inches from mine. I could feel his breath on my cheek, feel the heat radiating off him in the confined space.
"Look at me," he said softly. It wasn’t a command. It was practically a plea.
I forced my eyes open. His were right there—dark, wide, locked on mine like I was the only thing in the world. My breath hitched.
"It’s okay," he whispered, his voice deep enough to vibrate in my bones. "Just focus on me. You’re not alone."
But that only made it worse. Or better. I didn’t know. I couldn’t tell the difference anymore.
My breathing stuttered, and instinctively he cupped my jaw with one hand, steadying me. His thumb brushed the side of my face, and the touch stole the breath right out of my lungs—but somehow calmed them too.
"June," he said again, my name falling from his lips like he’d been saying it for years. "Breathe. With me."
He inhaled slow, exaggerated. I tried to follow.
His hands were still framing my face, our knees touching on the floor of the elevator, our foreheads almost brushing.
Heat pulsed between us. Thick, heavy, dangerous.
"Good," he murmured when my breath steadied just a little. His gaze dropped to my lips again—subtle, barely there, but I saw it. Felt it.
And despite the panic clawing at me moments ago, a different kind of trembling spread through my body—on
e that had nothing to do with fear.
The air between us grew unbearably tight.
His voice fell to a near whisper. "Tell me what you need."