Chapter 47 The Cat Was Almost Out of the Bag

Sabrina returned to the ward alone. The first thing that greeted her was Marcus… who was scanning her with way too much intrigue as he stood by the door. "Yo, you're back alone? Where's the guy you were with just now? I thought he was pretty cool. Actually wanna meet him up for a couple of beers and some video games and everything!" he said. Sabrina pursed her lips. As if she would believe him! The guy had been injecting himself between Sabrina and Finnick since he showed up! That was such an obvious show of hostility—but whatever, Sabrina decided not to expose Marcus before he did it himself. "What does he do for a living? He seems dependable. Looks pretty good. A face most girls would like," he added, "I've got a sister who's about his age, which means he might just be the perfect boyfriend for her! If he's single, I mean." Curtis raised an eyebrow. Since when did Marcus ever have a sister? Sabrina was speechless. She turned to Curtis for help, but he ignored her and focused on peeling his apple. She had no choice but to handle Marcus herself. "Look, I don't know, okay? I can give you his numbers and you can ask him if he's interested in your sister or whatever yourself," she said. "We may be friends, but we don't know everything about each other." Marcus scanned her skeptically. She let him. He broke out an awkward grin. Ah, well. He believed her. He shot a glare at Curtis and asked, "How did the two of you know each other? Do you know how shocked I was when I heard about my bro's marriage?!" Sabrina had no preset answer for that. She did not know what to say. She turned to Curtis, who rose to his feet. He grabbed Marcus by the nape of his neck and dragged him away. "For Christ's sake, can you shut up?" he grumbled. "What? I care about you, man. This is how I show my care," Marcus replied innocently. "When is the wedding, hmm? 'Cause I wanna get y'all the most awesome present you'll receive!" Curtis felt his eye twitch. Victor, who came in just in time, caught the conversation. "Oh, wait! You own a private island, right? You can host your wedding there and nobody other than those invited would know! Oh, if you're considering getting her a custom-made bridal gown, then you gotta start now. They take half a year to make that sort of shit! …But you're friends with that guy, right? Remember him? His dad wouldn't accept custom orders but said he would make an exception for you," Marcus barrelled on. "This is perfect for your occasion now!" Curtis and Victor had no chance nor time to stop Marcus from saying all of that aloud. Despite being outwardly unfazed, Curtis' heart raced at the unwanted exposition. Victor, meanwhile, had his back against Sabrina. He stared at Marcus, eyes wide in disbelief. This idiot let the cat out of the bag! Sabrina, however, simply found their exchange confusing. "What? Is it too modest for you, Curtis? Well, you could always show off your helicopters to your guests!" Marcus continued, completely oblivious to his faux pas. Victor finally—and secretly—stomped on Marcus' foot. "Marcus, are you tripping?! Did you stone yourself out this morning? Nothing you say makes any goddamn sense! I thought I told you to quit munching on edibles when you game!" he said loudly and eyed Marcus warningly. Marcus at least recognized something was likely off with what he said. He glanced furtively at Curtis, whose silence was deafening. "Ugh… I think you're right on those edibles, Victor. Hey, Sabrina? Ignore what I said. I think my senses are coming back, ha ha ha!" Marcus said hastily. Despite how unconvincing his expression was, Sabrina believed him. It was not too hard to brush all that "private island" and "custom-made bridal gown" aside when one already believed it to be the rambling of someone who was high. "I know you were just pulling my leg, Marcus. He couldn't afford a car without getting a loan from the bank! How could he even own a private island?" Marcus' eyes widened. He was just about to react when he felt another kick in his ankle. It was from Curtis this time. "So, why are you here instead of at work?" Curtis asked, hoping to change the subject. Sabrina looked a little reserved. It was hard for her to confess to what happened when so many people were looking at her. "Uh, I… I burned out from work. My supervisor thought I needed some break to focus on caring for Grandpa and Barry, so yeah. I'll be back at work once Barry's gets better." The men immediately knew she was lying—even Marcus, whose himbo attitude belied his real intellect. Nonetheless, none of them decided to pick her excuse apart. It was likely a private reason, they bet. If she was not going to say it, then maybe she did not feel comfortable letting others know. Curtis nodded silently. "I think your grandpa is fine over here. Let's check on Barry, and then we can have lunch together." Sabrina had wanted to decline him, but Curtis took the lead and started toward the door with Victor and Marcus behind him. She could not draw up an excuse, either. They arrived at Barry's ward. The man inside immediately asked, "Whoa, aren't you supposed to be working right now?" Sabrina repeated her little fib from before, which did not amuse Barry. He rolled his eyes and called her out, "Seriously? Can't you come up with a more convincing lie?"