The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 285 The Much-Awaited Kiss

"This is my last warning, Stephen. Get out or you will regret it, "

Isla said, pointing her fingers as she stopped Aron from moving closer to Stephen.

"What are you waiting for? Go on. I'm not afraid of you."

Riled up from hearing her words, Stephen responded with a biting remark. "Here's the thing. You can throw yourself at me all you want but I would never like a woman like you. Stay away from me or else I will destroy you."

Stephen hurriedly left right after, clearly afraid of Aron.

With a sigh of relief, Isla loosened her grip on Aron as she watched Stephen leave. Aron, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel upset. "Why did you have to do that? You should not have stopped me from beating him up. That scumbag deserved it!" Aron said, furious that Stephen treated Isla with such disrespect.

"You're acting like a kid! Fighting doesn't solve anything. Always remember that, "

Isla said, scolding him for saying such a thing.

But deep inside, she'd never forgotten about what Joanna had said. She's well-aware of Aron's poor health. She couldn't let him engage in a fistfight out of fear that his condition would only get worse. "Don't tell me you're not mad at what he said, "Aron said, still seething in rage.

"Stop that. There's no use in getting angry," she said as she watched Aron closely, noticing his pale face.

"Anger wouldn't solve anything. I'd rather just stay away from him now that we've known who he truly is. Isn't that enough?"

"But..."

Aron stammered, unable to replace the right words.

"We should just talk about something else. How have you been?" Isla said, trying to change the subject. She really wanted to know more about Aron's health.

"Your grandma told me something about you being hospitalized. Are you alright? Is there something wrong?"

She asked, worry apparent in her voice.

"Why are you asking? Do you still care about me?"

Aron said, looking at Isla straight in the eye. This made him feel nostalgic about the time they spent together in the past. He remembered Isla would always take good care of him whenever he's not feeling well "I..." Isla said, feeling a little flustered.

After all, she already promised herself never to give a damn about Aron until now.

"Well, you are my friend. It's normal to care about your friends, " Isla said, feigning a little cough as she turned away from Aron to hide her embarrassment.

Aron, amused to see Isla embarrassed, couldn't help but tease her.

"Are you sure? Are we really just friends?"

He said, moving closer as he whispered in her ear.

Annoyed by what he's suggesting, Isla quickly turned her back at him, not expecting that he'd gotten so close.

"You..." she stuttered, his nearness catching her off guard.

"Why are you so near me?"

Flushed with embarrassment, she tried to push him away but to no avail.

Aron took a step forward, his mouth descending firmly to capture her lips in a light kiss. As he noticed that she wasn't resisting, he took possession of her mouth, his lips completely claiming hers.

He couldn't contain his joy for he had been waiting for four years for this moment to finally happen.

On the other hand, Isla was taken aback, clearly at a loss. She suddenly felt as if she's paralyzed, too weak to push Aron away.

All coherent thoughts seemingly left her mind the moment Aron's lips met hers. He skillfully slid his tongue between her lips, deepening the kiss. Isla's body jolted in surprise as their tongues intertwined, making her push Aron away. "What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, suddenly aware of her surroundings.

"Stop trying to repress your feelings. I know you're still in love with me, "Aron said, trying to make a point.

He wasn't upset about Isla's reaction. If anything, the kiss they've shared only confirmed his assumption that Isla still had feelings for him. The knowledge made him deliriously happy.

"Don't be too sure of yourself. I am warning you..."

Before Isla could even finish her words, Aron suddenly collapsed on the floor.

His body made a loud thud as it hit the ground.

For a moment, Isla thought Aron was just playing around. "Hey, stop messing with me!" she said, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

But moments had passed and he still laid motionless on the ground. Isla suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Aron, Aron..." she said, frantically calling his name.

She was filled with dread when she saw that his face had turned very pale. "Wake up, don't scare me like this," she cried, her eyes brimming with tears.

A stranger who happened to be passing by saw them and came to lend a hand. The stranger helped Isla get Aron into a taxi. She couldn't help but sob, seeing how limp he was. Bringing Aron to the hospital was pure torture for Isla. Try as she might, she couldn't help but cry even more when the doctor informed her that Aron was suffering from a perforated stomach caused by his excessive drinking.

Isla decided to not call Joanna to tell her what happened. Instead, she stayed up all night at the hospital looking after Aron. The next morning, Aron woke up feeling extremely weak.

Isla was the first person that he saw upon opening his eyes. She had fallen asleep at the edge of his bed, lying closely next to him. Aron's heart almost burst with happiness at the sight, grateful that she stayed with him. He reached for her slowly, gently stroking her hair.

The gesture jolted Isla awake in surprise.

"Aron!" she screamed as she saw him lean against the bed the moment she opened her eyes, looking at her with a playful smile. She was immediately flooded with relief at the sight of him awake. "How are you?

Are you feeling any better?"

Isla asked, her voice hitching as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Don't cry. I'm fine now," Aron smiled as he looked at her.

"I'm feeling better. Don't worry about me," he said, trying to offer some reassurance.

"How can I not worry?

You have no idea how scared I was when you fainted yesterday. I was afraid you'd never wake up..." Isla said, wiping her tears.

"Isn't that what you wanted? To never see me again?" Aron asked in a teasing manner.

"You don't want to see me anyway. If I never wake up, I wouldn't be able to bother you anymore. Wouldn't a life without me make you happy?"

"Hey..." Isla said, feeling a mixture of anger and sorrow. His words only made her cry some more.

"Don't say things like that." She couldn't even imagine what life would be like without Aron.

"Please don't cry. I was just kidding, "Aron said, catching Isla's hand the moment she tried to leave.

"Hey, don't be mad. I wouldn't joke about that anymore, alright?"

But no matter what he said to console Isla, she just couldn't stop herself from crying. "Come on. If the doctor sees you like that, he'll think I'm being mean to you," he teased, gently wiping her tears away. "Aren't you worried about your health? How can you joke about those things?" Isla asked, clearly frustrated.

"Okay, I'll let you be. This is none of my business anyway, " Isla said, looking at Aron with resignation as she prepared to leave.

"Are you really that heartless to leave me here alone?" Aron asked as he held on to her before she even had the chance to leave

"I..." Isla could never be cruel to him even if she tried.

"I'll just be calling in to take a leave from work. What would you like for breakfast?"

She asked with a sigh, making Aron grin smugly in return.