Always, Lily

?? Twenty eight

You: No. Just talking.

He'd read my message before I could even turn to face him. He looked at me and then glanced at Wayne.

Even in the distance, I could tell something was bothering him so I added another message.

You: Don't worry. I'll be with you soon.

A small smile played on his face after he read that and just then, the host called the event to an order.

Brief introductions were made, some distinguished guests gave their brief speeches before the presentations began.

I was the eleventh one to go on stage out of the twenty five of us who were competing for the top three positions.

Walking up the stage, I was nervous. The countless eyes on me almost brought my confidence down but when I noticed Enzo in the congregation, I felt rejuvenated.

I presented everything just as we'd practiced. I answered the questions asked as he'd guided. I planned everything within the time allocated to me.

I stammered a bit at the start but my confidence build up as I laid down the concepts behind my project.

I didn't think I did so well until I got off stage and a heavy round of applause followed me.

I looked at Enzo's direction and he seemed to be clapping the most. He passed me a big thumbs up until I was back to my seat.

My Enzo: you were so wonderful, Venesse. I'm proud.

I smiled, lifting my head from my phone and smiling at him. I listened to the rest of the participants, taking note of their impressive points.

Wayne was among the last to present so he was pretty nervous but I assured him he'd done well. I knew we were all competing for that top spot but he truly did fine.

Soon, we were taking a short break for the moderators to perform a quick voting session for all the participants.

During that time, I rushed to meet Enzo so as to hear what he thought about my presentation.

"How did I go? Did I articulate the terms properly?" I asked, settling down beside him.

"You were great," he said, locking our hands. "You nailed that project. You made it look so easy."

"Really?" I smiled and asked, "I felt a bit nervous at the start, was it noticeable?"

"Barely," Enzo pinched my cheek and added, "You were actually shining," He paused, looking behind me.

"I hate to admit that there were many of us admiring you." He looked at the floor and gritted out, "Including the man who sat beside you."

"Wayne?" I asked, his eyebrows furrowing in an annoyed manner.

"You know he's the only one from our hospital other than me." I looked back to where we were seated earlier but he wasn't there.

Skimming through the crowd, I almost failed to hear Enzo's grumble. "He was staring at you too much."

He was glaring at the floor, his tone just as displeased. I didn't get to say a word before I heard Wayne's voice just behind us.