39.Our Room wifey
Neil hovered at her doorway sideways, arms supported head flexed leaning on the door.He looked nothing like making a serious decision.
Neil: "Eva... you remember what I said earlier. About... staying in my room."
Eva: deadpan "Just why?."
He stepped closer, voice softer.
Neil: "Eva... you know that I-"
She raised her eyebrow, arms folded.
Eva: "I what?, Dr. Machine?"
He opened his mouth... absolutely no words came out.
"Move"
She patted his chest lightly, like scolding a stubborn intern.
Eva: "Go get some good sleep, Dr. Machine.
We are totally fine in separate rooms."
And then she shut the door on his face.
Neil stood there in the hallway like a rejected golden retriever.
Neil's mouth opens. Closes. Opens again.
He finally mutters something like, "Just... think about it," before retreating like a flustered 6'3 surgeon whose brain just got shut down by a 5'
Cute resident.
She rolls her eyes at his increased boldness.
Eva: "We are not a real couple, Neil Morris."
Inside the room, a small blush kept on Eva's cheeks.
He mumbled under his breath at the door,
Neil: "I hate separate rooms..."
But he walked away... sulking like a kid who didn't get the chocolate he wanted.
---
Morning sunlight filtered into Eva's room.
She blinked slowly, stretched like a cat, and flopped back into bed.
Eva: "Ahhhh... blessed day off."
She reached for her phone.
A text from Neil at 6:02 AM:
Dr.Mechine: Left early. Surgery at 7. Have a great day. Don't skip meals.
Her eyes shined not by the sunlight but by the text smiling like a puppy.
Eva: "Bossy even in text."
Another message from Lexi popped up:
Lexi: BE READY IN 30. Wear something cute. We're going OUT, babe!!
Eva shot up.
Eva: "Oh god she will never stop poking me about it from now on- why is she like this?"
Few minutes later...
Lexi walked in, looked around Neil's apartment, and froze.
Lexi: "This is it? This is where you live? Babe... are you safe?"
Eva: "Lexi, it's not that bad-"
Lexi: "There are exactly two colours here: grey... and darker grey. Is he allergic to joy?"
Eva rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the tiny smile.
Eva: "He's just... minimalistic."
Lexi: "Minimalistic? This looks like a crime documentary reenactment waiting to happen."
Eva: "Okay yes, it's a little blank.But he gave me permission to change it as per my style but didn't get time you know."
Lexi: "Hmm. we are doctors eve time is what we never get."
Lexi: "Why does he arrange his shoes like they're in a military parade?"
Eva: "Because he's clinically allergic to chaos."
Lexi: "And you... are the personification of chaos."
Eva: "Thank you, I know."
Lexi picked up Neil's labelled file on the table: 'Important Documents - DO NOT TOUCH'
Lexi: "Who labels stuff like this? Psycho."
Eva: "He does. And if you touch it? He'll have a micro heart attack."
Lexi: "So he's controlling?"
Eva: "Annoyingly. But he also gave me his entire room yesterday so... he's a confusing creature."
Lexi raised an eyebrow.
Lexi: "Wait-did he?".
Eva: "Yeah. Then he asked me to start staying with him in his room..."
Lexi: "WHAT?!"
Eva: "Relax, I already roasted him enough."
Lexi:
"Is this a house or a hospital waiting area?"
Both laughed.
Lexi:Taking a pause ,looked at the balcony.
"Girl. This place screams: 'I haven't smiled since ages. Except that one.'"
Pointing at the plants.
Eva:"That's my favourite spot."
Lexi: "And I can tell whose idea it was!"
Both walking towards the balcony "He must be dominating and weird, Isn't he?"
Eva:
"No he isn't.He DOES smile! Sometimes. When he's not irritated. Or pretending he's not irritated. Or when he's eating."
Lexi:
"...So basically never."
Eva:
"LEXI!"
Lexi crossed her arms, smirking witnessing her defensive mode.
Lexi:
"Oh my God. Listen to you. Defending him like a loyal little wifey."
Eva's eyes widened instantly.
Eva:
"I am NOT defending him! I'm just... explaining!"
Lexi:
"Right. Right. Not defending. Just passionately arguing on behalf of your grumpy boss-husband whom you claim to not like at all. Got it."
Eva slaps her arm:
"Shut up! Come on, we need to get books."
They bought a few medical books, argued over editions, made fun of difficult terminology.
Eva hugged one book like a prize.
Eva: “This one is impossible to find.”
Lexi raised a brow.
Lexi: “You’re glowing. Nerd.”
They bought a few important textbooks from the store.
Eva: “Okay, library next. I need reference books.”
They reached the library.
Closed.
BIG board outside: CLOSED
Eva stared.
Eva: “…you’re kidding me.”
Lexi: “Fine. If we can’t feed the brain, we feed the soul.”
Lexi checked her phone.
Eva exhaled.
Eva: “Yes. Authentic food. We deserve it.”
Lexi: “Of course.”
Lexi sighed dramatically.
They went to a small place serving authentic food.
Eva relaxed instantly scanning the menu.
Eva’s phone buzzed.
She glanced.
Neil.
She groaned.
Eva: “Oh god.”
Lexi leaned in.
Lexi: “What?”
Eva read aloud.
Neil (text:1):
People are missing my wife in the hospital and want some spice about yesterday’s drama. Should I give them some?
Eva stared at the screen.
Eva: “Is he for real?”
Lexi was already laughing.
Another text came.
Text:2
Also missing the tiny background who runs with me in wards.
Text:3
And missing bossing her.
Eva shook her head, smiling despite herself.
She typed.
Eva:
I am with Lexi and busy. Bye Morris. ??
She locked the phone and put it face down.
Lexi raised a brow.
Lexi: “Smirk emoji?”
Eva shrugged innocently.
Eva: “Professional response.”
Lexi grinned.
Lexi: “Sure it Was.”
Lexi: “He worries about you, doesn’t he?”
Eva hesitated.
Eva: “Too much.”
Lexi smiled.
Lexi: “Good.”
EVENING — LEXI DROPS EVA HOME
Outside the apartment.
Eva hugged her tightly.
Lexi: “You’re okay, right?”
Eva nodded against her shoulder.
Eva: “Yeah.”
A pause.
“I love you, Lexi. Like… seriously.”
Lexi squeezed her harder.
Lexi: “Always.”
Lexi waved and left.
Eva stood at the doorway for a second, then walked inside, quiet apartment, books in her arms.
The apartment felt quiet.
Too quiet.
She glanced toward Neil’s room…
then shook her head.
She missed him a little.
Within minutes,
Eva’s room looked like a battlefield.
Books everywhere.
Loose papers scattered on the floor.
Highlighters without caps.
Sticky notes climbing up the wall like they owned the place.
Eva sat cross-legged on the floor, back to the door, glasses slipping slightly down her nose.
Hair tied in a messy bun.
Pen between her fingers.
Completely lost in her notes.
Neil stepped in quietly.
He paused.
Because—
God.
She looked… unreal.
Not glamorous.
Not dramatic.
Just focused.
Determined.
He closed the door softly.
Neil: “Hey, wifey.”
Eva flinched so hard.
Eva: “NEIL—!”
She turned around, clutching her chest.
Eva: “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”
Neil smiled, already walking in.
Neil: “You didn’t hear me.”
He sat down on the bed, facing her, elbows resting on his knees watching her.
Neil sat there for a full minute.
Silent.
Still.
Watching.
Eva went back into her book.
She was cross-legged on the floor, glasses sliding down her nose, muttering to herself while flipping pages.
Neil cleared his throat.
Nothing.
He shifted on the bed.
Louder this time.
Still nothing.
He sighed—loudly, dramatically.
Eva scribbled something, completely unfazed.
Neil’s jaw tightened.
He folded his arms.
Then unfolded them.
Then folded them again.
Finally—
Neil: “…wow.”
Eva blinked, still reading.
Eva: “Hmm?”
He scooted closer to the edge of the bed, clearly offended.
Neil: “You haven’t looked at me in fifteen minutes.”
She turned a page.
Eva: “That’s because I’m studying.”
Neil: “You looked at that book more lovingly than.” He paused and never completed his sentence.
She finally glanced up, eyebrow raised.
Eva: “Are you… jealous of my notes?”
Neil: “Never.”
She shook her head, amused, and went back to reading.
Neil huffed and lay back dramatically on the bed, one arm over his eyes like a wounded soldier.
Neil: “I come home early.
I walk in quietly.
I sit next to my wife.”
Pause.
"She doesn't care,leave it"
Eva bit her lip to stop smiling.
Eva: “Neil, I have exams.”
Neil: “And I have feelings.”
She looked up, trying to look serious.
Eva: “Huh?.”
Neil: “Nothing.”
He peeked at her through his fingers.
Neil: “You haven’t even asked about my day.”
She closed the book slowly.
Eva: “…how was your day, Dr.Dramatic ?”
He dropped his arm instantly.
Neil: “Terrible. My wife ignored me. I had to perform surgery emotionally wounded.”
She laughed softly.
He watched her laugh.
And just like that, the sulk melted.
He sat up, leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
His fingers reached out gently and nudged her glasses up her nose fixing them from falling.
Eva froze.Looked up at him.
Their faces were suddenly too close.
Neil (soft): “Perfectly straight.”
Eva's pov:
Four months.
That’s all it took.
Four months ago, Neil Morris was the most intimidating man she had ever met—
sharp voice, colder eyes, walls taller than hospital ceilings.
A man who commanded rooms without raising his tone.
A man Who people feared disappointing.
Arrogant. Harsh. Giant.
And now—
She glanced sideways without lifting her head.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, jaw tight, staring at her like she’d personally offended him… because she hadn’t looked at him for ten minutes.
Sulking.
Like an actual child.
Her lips twitched.
How did this happen?
How did the man who once corrected her posture mid-surgery now quietly appear and miss me all day?
How did the surgeon who barked orders now whisper her name like it meant something fragile?
He had changed.
No—
he had softened.
He listen more now.
Talk more.
Smile more.
Care in a way that didn’t feel forced or loud—just steady and real.
God, I never thought, I'll witness him like this.
Eva:"Damn, Whatever is wrong with you, I am loving it, dear husband"
"You said something? " Neil asked looking at his phone searching for tomorrow's schedule.
Eva: “Nope. Talking to myself.”
He hummed, distracted.
Neil: “Hmm. You do that a lot lately.”
She rolled her eyes, then bent back over her notes.
Eva: “Occupational hazard. Living with you.”
That got his attention.
He finally looked up, one eyebrow raised.
Neil: “Living with me is an occupational hazard?”
She didn’t look at him, just kept flipping pages.
Eva: “High risk. High reward. Very stressful environment.”
He smiled. A small one. Private.
Neil: “You’re very… focused today.”
Eva shrugged.
Eva: “Exams don’t pass themselves.”
A beat.
Neil: “Neither do husbands.”
She paused mid-sentence.
Slowly turned her head toward him again.
Eva: “Excuse me?”
He smiled innocently.
Neil: “I am hungry”
Eva: “Straight. Then left. You’ll see a very large kitchen.”
She shot him without looking.
“And to your notice, the great Neil Morris can cook.”
She waved her pen toward the door dramatically.
Eva: “So… leave.”
Neil blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Neil: “…wow.”
He placed a hand on his chest like she’d stabbed him emotionally.
Neil: “That's cruelty.”
Eva smirked.
Eva: “Facts only.”
He sighed and flopped back on the bed like a defeated child.
Neil: “I can cook.”
Pause.
“But it’s not edible enough to fill my growling stomach that has been waiting for fuel since morning.”
His stomach betrayed him right on cue with a low growl.
Eva bit her lip to stop smiling.
Neil (dramatically): “A surgeon. Starving. Tragic.”
She finally closed her book and looked at him.
Eva: “So?”
He turned his head, peeking at her with hopeful eyes.
Neil: “and waiting for wifey’s delicious food.”
Eva: “Get up.”
His eyes lit up immediately.
Neil: “That means yes?”
Eva: “That means wash your hands and help yourself.”
He stood up instantly, obedient.
Neil: “Yes, chef.”
At the dinning:
Neil ate fast.
Too fast.
No teasing.
No comments.
No drama.
Just spoon to plate, bite after bite.
Eva noticed.
She kept glancing at him, waiting for something—anything—but he didn’t look up once.
When he finished, he pushed the chair back.
Stood up.
And left.
No good night.
No glance.
Nothing.
The bedroom door shut quietly.
Eva stared at the empty chair.
Eva: “That’s… rude.”
She sat there for a moment longer, confused, annoyed, a little hurt.
Then she finished eating slowly.
Cleaned the plates.
Washed the dishes.
Wiped the counter.
The house felt oddly quiet.
She walked back toward her room, then paused.
Peeped toward Neil’s door.
No sound.
No light.
Maybe he’s tired, she thought.
Maybe he slept already.
She shrugged it off, stepped into her room, and reached for the lock.
Just as her fingers touched it—
BOOM.
The door swung open.
Neil stood there.
Shorts.
Loose t-shirt.
Hair slightly damp.
A pillow tucked under his arm.
He walked in like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Eva jumped.
Eva: “WHAT—”
He shut the door behind him with his foot.
Neil: “Move.”
She stared at him.
Eva: “Excuse me?”
He walked past her, dropped the pillow on her bed, and sighed like a man finally home.
Neil: “I tried sleeping.”
Eva blinked.
Eva: “And?”
Neil looked at her, eyes honest, a little annoyed, a little helpless.
Neil: “Good night.”
Silence.
Eva: “So you decided to—what—invade?”
He shrugged.
Neil: “Your room is warmer.”
She crossed her arms.
He looked up at her.
Neil: “I’m staying here from now.”
Eva: “You can’t just announce things like that.”
Neil was already kicking off his slippers, utterly unbothered.
Neil: “I just did.”
Neil glanced at the clock on the wall.
11:00 PM.
Neil: “Don’t disturb me, wifey. Important surgery 4 a.m. Gotta leave early.”
He dropped his head on the pillow and layed down like the decision was already final.
“So… you can go back to your books.”
Eva stared at him, stunned.
She scoffed sitting on the floor back to her books, flipping a page with unnecessary force.
He turned his head slightly toward her, leaned just enough to whisper near her ear—
Neil: “Moreover…We’re married”
A pause.
“And this is our room.”
Eva exhaled sharply, defeated.
She rolled her eyes, picked up her books, and scribbled.