Leonelâs voice dropped even lower.
âYou should worry about yourself, not me.
â
He quickly rummaged through her bag and found the hemostatic medicine.
Noreen handed him a bottle of water without a word.
Leonel unscrewed the cap and handed it to Alexis.
âTake the pill,â he said firmly.
Alexis didnât budge.
Leonel, unsure what was going on, fed her the medicine himself.
His warm hand brushed against her lips, and both of them flinched at the touch.
In the dark car, they locked eyes, their expressions complicated.
Leonel cleared his throat and said in a raspy voice, âYouâre a grown-up now.
You canât keep acting this careless.
From now onâ¦â
He couldnât go on.
He remembered they were divorced.
He remembered he couldnât offer her a normal life.
And he remembered she might be with someone else now.
Tears sparkled in Alexisâ eyes.
She leaned in and pressed her lips against his palm.
The tiny pill was swept away by her tongue, leaving a damp mark on Leonelâs hand.
Leonelâs hand gently curled as he handed her the water bottle.
âTake a sip,â he said.
Alexis took a drink and Leonel got the first aid kit to patch up her wound.
While wrapping the bandage, he couldnât avoid touching her skin.
As he held her slender wrist, he noticed she seemed more delicate than before.
Leonel muttered, âLooks like someoneâs not taking good care of you.
â
âWho do you mean?â Alexis asked.
Leonel looked up at her.
After staring at her for a moment, he asked, âDonât you have a new boyfriend? I thought you two were doing okay.
â
Alexis didnât argue.
She just pulled her hand away after he finished bandaging her palm.
She leaned back into the seat and kept quiet.
Leonel didnât say a word either.
Occasionally, lights from the street outside flickered across their faces, casting shadows that made it hard for them to see each otherâs expressions.
When they reached the hospital, Leonel said, âAlright, letâs get your wound properly treated.
â
The driver and Noreen got out of the car to give them space.
Only Alexis and Leonel stayed in the back seat.
She didnât move.