Sweet Subterfuge

By afternoon, the rain did not seem that it would slop any time soon. The gray clouds had hidden the sun. It was only 2 pm, but it
was so dark that one would think that it was nighttime right now.
Larissa woke up from her nap and felt around for the remote control Mrs. Grillin left for her near the edge of the bed, turning on
the television with it. The TV screen flashed once before turning dark once more. Almost at the same time, the room lights went
out as well.
Mrs. Griffin was so shocked that she leaped up from the bedside chair. “The TV can’t have been struck by lightning, right? She
was so startled that her eyes widened a great deal.
Larissa was calmer than she was. “It must just be a regular power outage. Even though the timing was too coincidental.
The room was completely dark. Mrs. Griffin felt for her own slippers before she got out of the chair,
“I ask a nurse.”
A few minutes later, she came back and said. “The nurse said that the lightning struck the electrical pole nearby, and the circuit’s
malfunctioning. So we need to wait for the electric company to repair it. She even said that the hospital has a backup generator
that will
restore power soon and that we don’t need to panic.”
Thank goodness that it was not summer. Otherwise one would not survive without air conditioning.
Larissa was not a critical patient that needed all sorts of equipment either. Other than the fact that she might be a little bored, a
power
outage did not have that much effect on her.
Closing her eyes, Larissa said. “I sleep for a little while longer then.”
Mrs. Grittin sat back down on the bedside chair too.
Before they could really sleep, the hospital’s backup generator was in motion. The room lights flickered on, piercing through
Larissa’s eyelids so much that it hurt her eyes. She turned on the television again, and the screen showed the news channel that
she had stopped at and turned off during the morning.

The huge power outage near the hospital also made the live news. The news anchor reported anxiously. “Due to the heavy rain,
il is difficult for repair work to be put in motion. Therefore, it can only be postponed. Related authorities say that the power supply
will be restored latest before tonight.”
Mrs. Griffin sighed heavily. “Who knows how long this rain wil pour! This is temible!”
Larissa pressed her lips together and changed the channel,
There was nothing really nice to watch during a weekday aftemoon, there would normally only be TV show reruns. She picked a
local tv show that Mrs. Griffin Iked and watched it with her as a way to pass the time.
Mrs. Griffin liked discussing the plot with someone else, and she kept insulting the show while she watched as if she were
watching a livestream. Whenever she said something, Larissa would just echo her sentiments. Back and forth they went and it
somehow added a sense of fun to it all.
Just as Mrs. Griffin was complaining about a character in the show, someone suddenly pushed open the ward door.
Startled, Larissa turned her head as best as she could to look at the door. All it took was one look to stun her. The man standing
at the door was competely drenched; his wet hair was plastered to his scalp, and there were countless droplets of water dripping
down his soaked locks. Ins clothes were completely plastered to his body, revealing his sculpted figure. His expensive leather
shoes were stained with muddy water, and looked very dirty, so much so that it was difficult to discem its original appearance.
Kevan braced himself against the door frame, his chest heaving as he panted, the sounds of which Larissa could hear very, very
clearly. He was pale, but his eyes showed anxiety.
“W-Why are you here? Larissa did not know why her tongue fell a little tangled up.
Kevan took one step forward but remained far away from her.
“I did not have much going on today, so I came to see you.” He smiled a little. Mixed with the sounds of rain, his deep voice
sounded strangely pleasam.