Love My Friends with Benefits

I vaguely heard Phoebe's voice through the receiver.

Leonard hung up after a short while and picked up his suit jacket before leaving. "I'm going to send Phoebe home."

I noticed that he'd had a change of clothes and asked cheekily, "Where's your shirt from yesterday?"

He didn't turn back, but his tone immediately became icy. "I threw it away."

He slammed the door shut.

I lay back down on the bed, thinking that he deserved it.

May brought my phone over during her lunch break.

I unlocked the screen to find five or six missed calls from Aunt Nancy.

She rarely called me so many times in a row. Had something urgent cropped up?

I closed the door to the ward and called her back.

"Hello?"

Aunt Nancy answered the phone after two rings.

"Aunt Nancy, it's me." I asked, "Did something happen? Why'd you call me so many times?"

Her voice changed instantly. I could hear her anxiety even through the phone. "Queena, I think I heard Phoebe on the phone outside at noon!"

On the phone again? And allowing someone to overhear her again?

I felt both angry and amused. How many people was she trying to trick with that show of hers?

Aunt Nancy was worried. "I didn't hear her clearly because of the distance, but I heard her saying something about Gail not agreeing and that she had to take her chance to marry Leonard. I don't know whether I was imagining things." She became more and more uncertain. "Maybe I was just imagining things."

The things she'd heard was almost exactly the same as what I'd heard the day before.

Phoebe was lying again.

I was about to tell Aunt Nancy the truth, but I caught myself at the last moment. "You're really sleep-deprived. I think you probably heard her wrong."

"Is that so?" Aunt Nancy was a little dubious.

"Yeah."

was wondering why Phoebe would be blurting out her plans in such a public

blushed at her

not occurred to me at

for a bit more

for a while, still a

changed into the clothes I'd worn to the hospital and headed to the ICU

Nancy was on her own, as usual. She was probably so exhausted that she

saw me, she put a finger to her lips and

nodded understandingly and sat down

are you busy with

getting to be a rare occurrence for her to be conscious recently. I had yet to tell her that I

shook my head. "No, I'm

didn't even change your clothes." She pointed at me. "How would you have forgotten

a wake-up

awkwardly. "I was busy

said. "No matter how busy you are, you should always remember to change your clothes and put some makeup on. It'll only

nodded obediently to show

Don't be like those young ladies nowadays, wearing

She suddenly stopped.

what's wrong?" I

how annoying it is to nag at someone. You must be tired of listening to me say all

head. "No, of course not. Also, you're still young,

"I'm still young at my

want you to move in with me. It's

"That's

her sleep at our voices and sat

was taken aback. "Queena, you're here already? Weren't you at home

knowing

was only a walk away.

you hear me?" Aunt Nancy peered

wasn't at home. I was at

let the matter go. "Let's go get some water to wipe your grandmother down. I wanted to do this yesterday, but Phoebe

I answered and stood

...

my arm and a