Hidden Passion
Chapter 33

Lillian's eyes became blurry for a moment as she heard someone calling her name repeatedly. She felt a hand touch her and she jerked back to reality. She met Nathaniel's eyes and was surprised to see him alright. She moved her eyes to the floor where he had collapsed earlier and around the room, nothing was out of place.

She had just imagined that. How possible? What happened? How come? Nevertheless, she was grateful it was just her imagination. She would have never forgiven herself if anything should happen to him because of her. She had better keep quiet about everything. It was for the best.

"Why are you so out of it? Is everything okay?" Nathaniel asked.

Lillian forced a smile. "I don't know. I am sorry."

"It's fine. I'll be disappointed as well if I found out about that as well."

Lillian became confused. A lot has happened ever since she had gone to her imaginary world. How long had she been gone? "Uhm.. What were we talking about? Disappointed about what?" She asked with embarrassment. She knew she should be ashamed of herself for spacing out during a conversation and she was.

"Oh.. I....um...I asked you why you aren't curious about how I could not recognize you," he commenced, looking at her in the eyes. He could not help thinking that she was disappointed in him. The feeling that brought him was bitter and he wished it would wash away as soon as possible.

She tilted her head upwards." Okay?"

"You did not say anything, so I told you that I...um...I..." he paused and swallowed hard. He could not guess why, but it was hard for him to repeat. "You have prosopagnosia," she said.

He covered his eyes with his right thumb and index finger and nodded. He stiffened as he felt her embrace and then eased his countenance and wrapped his hands around her. "I am ashamed of myself. I don't want her to meet me in this condition."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Nath. You have done a great job all along. I'm sure it was never easy," she said before something occurred to him. Lillian eased from the embrace and looked at him. What was he talking about? "But what do you mean you don't want her to meet you this way? I thought you said you found her."

She knew he had the wrong person, but she would not say that herself. But for him to mention it, something must have happened to make him doubt the imposter.

"Lillian, I have told you this a while ago that she isn't the one I have been looking for. She fooled me with the inscription on her arm."

"Oh, yeah! You said so. I thought I was imagining that. I am sorry. So, what are you going to do now?" She asked. "I am really worried about your mental health. Isn't shock bad for you?"

"It is, but I found out today and I am perfectly fine."

"How'd you find out?" Curiosity started crawling its way to her as she asked.

"Why are you here, by the way?" He asked at the same time she asked her question.

"I am here to say hi to you, that's all," she lied and smiled.

"There's this crazy thought that I have been wishing was true. You want to know what?" He asked, and after she nodded her yes, he continued. "I really wish you were the one."

Her mouth opened wide, and he smiled.

"It's fine because I know you aren't. You would have told me if you really were. Somehow within me, I know you can't deceive me," he confided.

Her eyes became watery. "Uh... Uhm..." She could not find the right words.

He leaned forwards and pecked her cheek, making her blush. "It's okay. You asked me how I found out about Linda, right?" He asked and without waiting for her reply, he added. "I saw Linda on her arm because she has a lot of tattoos and then, I received a call from..." His phone alerted a message and seconds later, it started ringing. "Excuse me, please."

"Okay." She watched as he answered his phone.

"Hey, mum. No, I am not alone. I am with a friend." He looked at Lillian and smiled.

"I sent you a message, my dear. Have you seen it?" His mother said from the other end of the phone.

"No, mum. What did you send?"

"I just sent you the phone number of the daughter. I had to call and beg her father to give me her number because I know how much you have missed her. You should at least call her and talk to her."

"If I call her," he glanced at Lillian who was busy playing with her nails. "Won't she ask me to meet her?"

"My dear, first things first. Call her and you'll know what to tell her if, eventually, she asked you to meet up with her. Promise me that you will call her now. It took me a lot of words to get her mobile number," his mother said, and he promised. "Okay, mum. Bye. I'll call you later." After he hung up, he faced Lillian and smiled as she met his eyes. How he wished to know how she looked! "Please, give me a moment. I will be back." "Oh.. Okay."

He went to his room and looked at the number her mum sent him. He slapped his phone in his palm a couple of times before mustering up the courage to dial the number. His heart began to beat faster as he heard the ring back tune of the line.

Lillian brought out her cell phone from her purse as it began ringing. She looked at the caller and became confused. Why was Nathaniel calling her? She thought of going to meet him where he had disappeared to but decided against it. He might have dialed the wrong number. She picked it up at the last minute and said after a sigh, "Hey, Nath." "Huh? You know me?" She heard him say. What prank was he pulling?

She laughed and rose to her feet, crossing one arm on her chest as the other held the phone to her ear firmly. "Are you trying to prank me or something? Why won't I know you? I figured you intended to dial another number or why else would you call me after telling me that you would be back some minutes ago," she uttered and smiled.

Nathaniel emerged from his bedroom and walked to the living room, staring at Lillian as she held her phone and smiled at him on sight. He could not even process what was happening to him at that moment. But he had her number saved on his phone. Perhaps, it was her other line.

But how come? His mother had sent him the phone number of the Lillian he had been looking for. How come it happened to be Lillian's number? What could that mean? His brain kept telling him the one thing it could mean but he did not want to agree with that. That was not possible.

"Are you okay, Nath?" Lillian said over the phone with her eyes still on him.

"I...I...don't know. I... My mum just sent me the phone number of the Lillian I have been looking for because she met her father in town, but I...I don't...I...don't know why that number ended up being yours." They were within hearing distance, but he could not even bring himself to take the phone off his ear.

Lillian's mouth became wide open. She began shivering and before she knew it, her phone had scattered on the tiled floor. She immediately stepped back out of shock and looked from her ruined phone to Nathaniel.

"Is it what I'm thinking?" He muttered as he took his phone off his ear.