Lisa knocked softly at first.
No answer.
She knocked again, still nothing. Her heart began to pound, and she knocked harder, louder this time, until the sound echoed down the hallway. That was when Nina heard it. She stepped out of her room and walked toward Lisa.
"What's going on?" Nina asked, confused.
"Well, I… I…" Lisa hesitated, clearly embarrassed.
"You want to talk to him, right?" Nina said gently.
Lisa nodded.
"Well, he hasn't been home for quite some time," Nina explained. "Besides, most of the time he's either in or out. You won't notice when he comes in, and you won't notice when he leaves."
Lisa's face fell. "Is he avoiding me?" she asked anxiously.
"Not at all," Nina replied. "It's just that sometimes his job doesn't allow him to be home often."
"But why be so sneaky? What kind of job is that?" Lisa asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"Maybe if you get to know him," Nina said calmly, "he'll give you the answers you're looking for."
"But how do I do that when he's barely home?" Lisa pressed.
"Well," Nina said, tilting her head slightly, "you have a phone."
"I don't have his number...."
"You do," Nina interrupted.
"Huh?" Lisa blinked in surprise.
"Check your contacts."
Lisa stared at her in disbelief. Nina lifted her eyes, signaling her to go ahead. With confusion written all over her face, Lisa unlocked her phone and scrolled through her contacts.
And there it was.
Abel.
Her brows knitted together. "How come?" she asked, looking up at Nina, clearly expecting an explanation.
"That," Nina said, "is something Abel can explain to you himself. But now you know what to do, and I believe he'll also tell you where to find him."
Without waiting for a response, Nina turned and walked back to her room.
Lisa remained standing there, staring at the name on her screen. She tried to remember a time when someone else might have had access to her phone, but nothing came to mind. A shiver ran through her. The realization settled in; this family was far more mysterious than she had imagined.
Still, she comforted herself with one thought: I'm already involved. I might as well see this through to the end.
She went back to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, staring at Abel's number. She typed a message… deleted it. Typed another… deleted that too. Her hands trembled slightly.
Then, by mistake, she sent a simple:
Hi.
Her heart dropped.
She froze, staring at the screen. Deleting it felt even more embarrassing, especially knowing WhatsApp would notify him. So she left it. All she could do now was wait.
Seconds turned into minutes.
Minutes turned into an hour.
An hour turned into hours.
Nothing.
Two grey ticks stared back at her.
She lay on her bed, phone clutched in her hand, eyes fixed on the screen. By dinnertime, there was still no response. She even carried her phone to the table.
Nina noticed. So did Abel's parents.
"Is everything okay, dear?" Abel's mother asked, concern etched on her face.
Lisa hesitated, unsure what to say. Nina stepped in.
"He hasn't responded yet, right?" Nina asked quietly.
Lisa nodded, her eyes downcast.
"Who?" Abel's mother asked, confused.
"Abel," Nina replied.
"Oh," Abel's mother said thoughtfully. "I didn't know you two had started communicating. That's good. But that's his habit—if he's on a special mission, you won't be able to reach him. Just wait until he's either online again or back home."
"Special mission?" Lisa asked, curiosity mixed with worry.
Abel's mother smiled knowingly. "I'm sure you have many questions. But from the beginning, you must have noticed that this family is not an ordinary one, haven't you, dear?"
Lisa nodded silently.
"Very well," she said warmly. "Enjoy your meal. We'll wait until he's reachable."
Lisa ate, but uneasily. She felt worried, embarrassed, and uncomfortable, yet her appetite stubbornly refused to disappear.
Days passed.
Nothing.
The silence grew heavier with each passing day. Lisa became increasingly restless. What troubled her most was knowing that Abel had opened her message and chosen not to respond. That thought consumed her.
By Friday, the stress overwhelmed her.
She collapsed.
Nina and Abel's mother rushed her to the hospital immediately. Doctors moved quickly, checking her blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and heart rate. She was placed on oxygen, given IV fluids to stabilize her dehydration, and monitored closely due to her pregnancy. They performed fetal monitoring to ensure the baby was safe, checking the heartbeat and movement.
Thankfully, everything was stable.
She slept through most of Saturday and responded well to the medication. Nina and Abel's mother took turns sitting by her bedside, watching over her. By Saturday evening, she was awake, weak but improving.
The doctor recommended she stay in the hospital for a full week, just to be safe.
After dinner that night, Lisa slept deeply.
Sunday morning changed everything.
She opened her eyes and froze.
Abel was sitting beside her bed.
He looked composed, steady. He wore a fitted charcoal-grey shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up, dark trousers, and a simple wristwatch. His hair was neatly styled, his posture relaxed yet alert.
Startled, Lisa immediately shut her eyes again, pretending to be asleep. Her heart raced. What is he doing here?
"Well," Abel said calmly, "I'm not going to leave just because you're pretending to sleep."
Lisa slowly opened her eyes and turned toward him, forcing a small smile. She said nothing, simply staring at his unreadable expression.
"How are you feeling?" Abel asked, breaking the silence.
"I'm… I'm good. Thank you," she replied softly.
"That's good," he said, standing and helping her sit up properly. She didn't resist. He handed her a food container.
"My mom made this."
She accepted it gratefully and began to eat. Her strength was returning, her appetite fully restored. Abel watched the entire time.
When she finished, he finally spoke.
"So," he said, folding his arms, "do you want to talk about why you ended up here?"
Lisa hesitated. Abel shifted slightly, as though about to change the subject, but she spoke.
"I… I wanted to apologize. For what happened. For your laptop, especially. I wanted to help fix it, but you were never around. No one knew where you were. I thought you hadn't forgiven me. I felt like I disrespected you in your own home. In fact, I just wanted to see if we were good and if you didn't hold any grudge."
Her voice trembled.
"I tried to message you," she continued. "You saw it… But you didn't respond. The silence made me uncomfortable. I got stressed. And that's why I'm here." She said her eyes filled with tears.
And the room fell silent.