Chapter 5 The New Player

• “Dr. Esteves, we are glad you are
• here! Dr. John is ...” the nurse continued to brief Dr. Kyle Esteves as they
• both hurried to the operating room, all prepared and ready for the battle they were
• about to fight. Kyle is a surgeon by profession, and it is very common for him
• to work a double shift; and because he is the best in the field. 
• “heart rate is stable,”
• “Good job, everyone,”
• Kyle leaves the operating room, tired
• but poised. He is the epitome of grace and competence.
• “Hey, Kyle!” Someone from his back
• called his attention. It was not a doctor; it was a tall, handsome man,
• probably around his early thirties,  with
• Parisian looks wearing casual attire that will be hard to miss as
• expensive.  Kyle was confused for a
• second and then narrowed his eyes while saying, “What are you doing here?”
• “As usual, errands.” The man answered
• while walking towards Kyle, who was standing in front of the surgery room. He
• put his hands on Kyle’s shouldered and whispered,
• “Let’s start walking. You are
• starting to look like an idiot standing there,”
• Kyle pushed his hands away and said,
• “You mere presence, for me, is like a plague-you know that, right?” The man
• just chuckled as they walked towards Dr. Esteves’ office. Once they are there,
• Kyle directly asks the man a question after closing the glass door of his
• office.
• “Now, why are you here?”
• “You are such a rude brat; you don’t
• even offer me anything. I am still a visitor here, Dr.” The man teased Kyle.
• “You are an unwelcomed Visitor,”
• “Still, I am a visitor,” The man
• chuckled.
• Kyle put out a box of cookies and
• lightly threw it on his table, where he was sitting. The man is seated on the
• office couch that has a minimalist design inside Kyle’s office.
• “Get one, help yourself,” Kyle
• said in an irritated tone.
• The man grinned and said,
• “You know why I am here, don’t you? I am sure you already received a call
• before I was sent here.”
• Kyle responded by saying,
• “They know I am gay, right?”
• “You know I am not buying
• that, right? It takes one to recognize one, and I know you are not.” The man
• walked towards Kyle and put his face close to his that their nose almost
• touched.
• “Do you want to die?” Kyle
• said while looking at the man straight in the eyes.
• “See, this is how I know,”
• And the man laughed.
• “Don’t worry, your secret is
• safe with me, Kyle,” while walking three steps back.
• “So, what’s the use? As long
• as my parents believe it is it as good as a fact, Steven,”
• “ I won’t be too sure if I
• were you, remember, secrets meant to be discovered at the end.”  Kyle was silent.
• “Anyway, this is the reason
• why I am here,” Steven layout a photo of a beautiful girl on Kyle’s office
• table. Kyle looked at it uninterestingly.
• “5 foot 6 inches tall, a
• well-known doctor, just like yourself and the most important detail – The only
• daughter of Sansung Electronics,” Steven says all of these while pointing at
• the picture of a beautiful girl. “ A worthy opponent, right Kyle?” He added.
• “What is the point in all of these? I
• already told them I am gay.” Kyle turned his seat back at the table and not
• facing his office wall made of glass. The sun now peaking on the sky that is
• slowly turning to orange from black.
• Steven, still leaning at the edge of
• Kyle’s office table, let out a sigh.
• “You know it doesn’t matter, right?
• The only thing that matters is publicity, financial standing, and connections.
• Everything comes with a price.”
• Kyle repeated the last words that
• Steven said, “Everything comes, with, a price.” As his sad eyes observe the
• subtle changes that the sky is making.
• “9 AM tomorrow. I will send you an
• email about the reservation,” Steve says while heading out the office door.
• “I never said I will go,” Kyle
• retorted without taking his face off the sky that he was looking at.
• “You know you should. It is not like
• you have a choice,” Steven said, smiling in a serious tone.
• Steven smiled, closed the office
• door, and went off his way.
• “Some people are very talented in ruining
• someone’s night,” Kyle said while looking at the sky that is now turning blue
• from orange. He can’t help to admire the sky and its ability to change as it
• like. He also noticed the busy crowd far from where he is, people who struggle
• day to day, active as a bee “ At least you have the right to choose; you will
• never know what you have until it is taken away from you, “ Kyle whispers.
• Once Kyle heard the door shut, he
• slowly walked toward a small corner in his office where he sleeps. Tired on
• both body and mind, Kyle removed his lab coat first and headed to take a
• shower.  Kyle is a very masculine man;
• you will never get a hint that he is gay unless he tells you. Standing at six
• foot six inches tall, with broad shoulders, 
• fair skin, almond eyes, and a pointed nose and heavy lower lips, he
• obviously has the looks that women will fall for.
• “I deserve this,” Kyle said after a
• warm bath while preparing to sleep at 8 in the morning. Anyone who has just
• undergone all the physical, mental, and emotional stress he just had right now
• would have slept quickly once their head hit the pillow, but it is the same for
• Kyle. The first thing he said right after cuddling his pillow a little and
• closing his eyes for a good ten seconds is, “Who the hell is that F*ck*ng new
• player? He rolled around his bed, there was a lot on his mind, but amidst all
• these, he still managed to message Angel, “Hey stupid! Eat your breakfast.
• Don’t sleep until it’s already 1:00 PM!” though the message sounds rough, he is
• smiling while typing it-Message sent, closed his eyes, and let his body and
• mind take a little rest.