Page 79 of His Untoward Hate

Sky did not believe in love. He was straight. He knew that much. He reminded himself of it every single day.

And yet…whenever it came to Jude, nothing about him felt certain anymore.

30

Having a part-time job had always been one of Jasper’s goals. It was not too late to start saving money for college next year. He was genuinely happy that his brother had finally become supportive of the idea. For years, whenever Jasper brought up wanting to work, Sky would either refuse outright, ignore him, or get annoyed by the suggestion. Because of that, Jasper had never gotten the chance to apply for a job before.

As he constantly reminded himself, he could not depend on his brother forever. He knew he could take care of himself and handle his own responsibilities. That was why he was grateful that Sky had finally given his approval.

“Hey, where are you?” Jasper texted his brother while waiting outside the school.

Since it was his first day at work, he had planned to ask for a ride. He had only thirty minutes left before his shift started, yet there was still no reply. Jasper frowned at his phone, wondering where his brother had gone. Earlier, he had seen Sky in Teacher Leizel’s class, but he had not stayed until the end of the session. Jasper had not seen Jude around lately either.

Was something going on between the two of them again? he thought. Jasper knew his brother’s personality better than anyone. Lately, he had been constantly reminding Sky to change his ways or at least try to behave for a while, especially since he was a graduating student. But as usual, Sky never listened. He had always been stubborn, particularly when it came to the way he treated Jude. Jasper had long understood the reasons behind it. There were still many times when Sky was simply being unreasonable. In fact, Jasper was glad that Sky and Jude had been paired together for their research project. He knew it would turn out well for his brother. Research was one of the major requirements for graduation, and knowing they were partners gave him some peace of mind. After all, Jude was the only person who could tame Sky Granger.

Yet, neither of them had attended the class.

Jasper was pulled out of his thoughts when a familiar car slowly turned the corner and drove past him. The windows were rolled down, allowing him a clear view of the person behind the wheel of the Chevrolet XP. Jasper narrowed his eyes and looked closely at the driver.

He wore a pair of black polarized retro sunglasses despite the sun already dipping toward the horizon. Dressed in his medical uniform, he looked effortlessly cool in the white fabric. White was not the only color their department used. They also had blue and dark green scrubs. Most of the time, they were seen wearing green, but Jasper preferred him in white.

Jasper forced himself to look away as the car sped off into the distance. He lowered his gaze to the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets while reminding himself, once again, not to let his emotions overpower him.

These feelings would fade eventually.

Once he graduated from senior high school and transferred to a different university for college, everything would be over. In fact, that was one of the main reasons he wanted to leave for another institution—to put distance between them. If he could not see him anymore, maybe his feelings would stop growing into something deeper, as if they were not already deep. Maybe, with enough time and space, they would finally disappear. Just one more semester and a little more endurance, and all of this would finally be over. The thought brought a weary smile to Jasper’s lips. On the other side, the idea of not seeing him anymore already left a painful ache in his chest. But Jasper knew it was for the best.

Glancing at his phone once again, he saw that his brother still had not replied to his message. With no other choice, he decided to take the bus downtown. The trip took nearly half an hour, and it worried him slightly. Commuting between his house and the town would take up a considerable amount of his time every day, with the return trip likely adding another fifteen minutes.

Jasper arrived at exactly six in the evening, which happened to be the same time his shift started. Realizing this, he hurried toward the pharmacy located at the center of town. He could not afford to be late. Today was the first day of his training. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the establishment, he was already five minutes behind schedule.

“I’m sorry, Miss Norma. I got caught in traffic,” Jasper explained apologetically.

“It’s okay, Jasper. We’re all late on our first day,” she joked with a lighthearted laugh, offering him a warm smile.

Miss Norma was in her late forties. She had a kayumanggi complexion, black hair streaked with a few strands of gray from age. She had a quite plump figure. Jasper had already taken a liking to her during his visit the previous week. His first impression of her was that she was approachable and well-mannered. More importantly, she was the pharmacist’s assistant in charge of the drugstore. There were also two pharmacy aides working there—Ms. Marian and Ms. Elizabeth, both of whom had been with the establishment for over three years. Another aide, Miss Nadeth, was currently on maternity leave. For the time being, Jasper would be filling in for her position.

“By the way, you can leave your bag in the staff room for now and come back afterward so you can finally meet our pharmacist,” Miss Norma instructed.

Jasper nodded respectfully and followed her directions.

He had not met the owner of the drugstore during his visit the previous week. For some reason he could not quite explain, the thought of meeting her made him a little nervous.

The staff room was surprisingly spacious. Two double-deck beds occupied opposite corners of the room, while a small rectangular table sat in the middle, surrounded by white sofas large enough for an adult to lie down on comfortably. There was also a refrigerator, a water dispenser, and a five-door locker cabinet, with the middle compartment assigned to Jasper. Along one wall stood several shelves piled with medical books and references. The room had a warm and cozy atmosphere that immediately put him at ease. It was far more comfortable than he had expected from a pharmacy. Jasper found himself genuinely impressed by the place.

Miss Norma led Jasper to the patient counseling area, where the interior was decorated mostly in white, giving the room a clean and professional atmosphere. As they entered quietly, Jasper noticed an elderly couple preparing to leave. Judging by their gestures and the way they interacted, it was obvious they had been together for a long time. Across from them stood a woman in a white coat, holding an ambulatory blood pressure monitor.

“Don’t forget to come back for your scheduled blood pressure, glucose monitoring, and medication refills, Ma’am and Sir, okay?” she reminded them in a warm, friendly tone with a gentle smile resting on her red lips.

The couple thanked her repeatedly before making their way toward the exit. Jasper watched as the elderly man carefully supported his wife while she walked. Seeing them approach the door, he hurried forward and opened it for them.

“Oh dear, thank you,” the grandmother said kindly while tapping his shoulder lightly.

Jasper gave a small bow in response and watched them leave before gently closing the door behind them. The affection they had for each other was evident in every gesture they shared.

“Inday, this is the newly hired part-timer I mentioned the other day,” Miss Norma informed the lady in a white coat.

Jasper quickly turned to face them, offering a respectful bow along with a polite smile.