At the Queen's College apartment, I opened the door, feeling very cold. I turned on the heater, removed my wet clothes, put on dry ones, and settled with a cup of hot chocolate.
I thought it would make me feel better, but it didn't. Soon, I caught a cold. I started coughing and sneezing so badly that my nose turned red and my throat hurt. That was when it dawned on me — I was falling sick.
Chris had been right when he said I could get sick from playing in the rain. What was I going to do now? I couldn't take care of myself alone. What about school? What would happen to the Freshers Fair that Penelope and I were going to explore? I started asking myself questions aloud, as if someone was there to listen.
I had no idea what to do. I tried sleeping, but sleep never came, and my head was pounding. I decided to take some pain relief medication. After that, I managed to get some sleep. When I woke up, it was already morning.
My eyes hurt from the brightness of the light. I had hoped to feel better by then, but I felt worse. I tried getting up but couldn't even lift my body from the bed. I was so weak. I picked up my phone and tried calling Penelope, but it didn't go through. Then I called Chris. He picked up, and I told him my situation. Since he knew where I lived, he was the best person to call.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I told you not to play in the rain, but you didn't listen. Should I come over to help you?" Chris asked.
"No, no, never mind. Just go to school and enjoy the Freshers Fair for me. When you close, please come and see me," I replied.
"Oh, and please tell Penelope about my fever and the Freshers Fair," I added.
"Alright, got to go. I'll see you later today. Take care of yourself. Bye," he said, and hung up.
After the call, I managed to get up and take a hot shower. I wore a fresh purple dress, drank a cup of coffee, and slept again.
When I woke up, I felt a bit stronger. I decided to tidy up my apartment before Chris arrived. By the time I was done, it was around 4:00 p.m., so I decided to take a short stroll. It wasn't long before I felt cold again, so I quickly returned home and lay down on my bed.
Shortly after, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in, the door is open," I said with a shivering voice. Chris stepped in with a sad face.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes. "What do you think? Of course, I'm not okay, idiot."
He let out a small smile. "Sorry I asked. Obviously, you're not okay. Silly me. I told you not to play in the rain, but you didn't listen. Now see what it caused? Stubborn lass."
"Oh, this little sickness isn't going to stop me from playing in the rain next time. Never," I retorted.
"Okay, I give up. Do what you want, but I won't be a part of it. You're too stubborn; please reduce your stubbornness," he said.
"I'm not stubborn, am I? Whatever. And oh, you are going to be a part of it," I replied with a big grin.
He rolled his eyes, and we both laughed.
We talked and laughed for a long time while he took care of me — just like Mom would. He had bought some medicine on his way back from school and even cooked soup — something I never thought he could do — and surprisingly, it tasted amazing.
In my mind, I thought, He's the one for me.
"Mmm, amazeballs! This soup is amazing. I never knew you could cook!" I said.
"Oh, there are still many things you don't know about me — and you'll never know. I learned to cook from my mom," Chris said with confidence.
"Okay, like what? You've been in juvie? You don't live with your parents because of some terrible past? You do drugs? No — just tell me what you're hiding that could surprise me. Honestly, these things don't matter to me at all. The past is in the past, like my mom said. Besides, I have my ways of finding out," I said, winking.
"What... how... I mean... your way of finding out... who... um... how..." Chris stammered, clearly rattled.
"Hey, chill out. I was just kidding. It's not like you could have done those things, right? Keep calm, okay?" I reassured him.
"Um, yeah, of course. I'm going to get some fresh air. I'll be right back," Chris said and went outside.
Did I say something wrong? I wondered. I stood up and went to look for him. I found him lying on the grass.
"Hey," I said as I approached.
"Hey," he replied, sitting up.
"I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just kidding, okay?" I said, touching his shoulder in reassurance.
He looked at me, staring deep into my eyes. I began to feel nervous. Then he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, you're so naive and gullible! I'm not mad at you. You apologize too easily. Such a sweet, innocent soul," he said, touching my cheeks.
"What is wrong with you? It's not funny, Chris. I even thought you were mad," I said, turning away angrily.
"There you go again, getting angry too easily. You need to control your emotions, Felicity. If not, people will take advantage of you."
I didn't reply. I was still upset, so I kept silent. He kept talking, but I didn't respond.
"Come on, Felicity. Don't give me the silent treatment, please," he nudged me playfully.
I tried to walk away, but he grabbed my hand.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. But what I said isn't wrong though," he said.
I turned around and looked at him. "Okay then, teach me how to control it, idiot," I finally replied.
"I'll be happy to, darling," Chris said.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Oh, I was just trying to repay evil with good. You called me an idiot, so I called you darling. Besides, Mr. 'Not Too Cool' isn't the only one who can call you sweet names. I've got a few up my sleeve too," he said with a smile.
I sniffed the air dramatically. "Is that jealousy I smell? You're such a drama king."
"Haha, very funny," Chris said, pretending to be serious.
"Don't get corny. You're not my type," he added.
"Who, then, is your 'type'?" I asked, making quotation marks with my fingers.
"Don't even go there. Not now," Chris said.
"Okay, relax, geez. When you find 'your type,' let me know, okay?" I said.
He looked at me and we both laughed.
**********
Christopher's POV
I woke up right on time to go to work, then to school. I did my daily routine and set off for work.
While working, Felicity called me. She sounded feverish. After the call ended, I couldn't stop worrying about her.
At the Freshers Fair, I wandered between booths, but my mind wasn't there. I kept wondering how Felicity was coping.
At the end of the day, I decided to buy some medicine and go straight to her place. When I knocked, she told me to come in. She was feeling feverish, so I decided to take care of her.
We talked and laughed a lot until she said something that hit me harder than she realized. I decided to get some fresh air. Lying on the grass, she found me. I cracked a joke, but she wasn't amused. After I apologized, we started chatting again.
Then, I made a comment —
"I'm not your type," — knowing deep down that she is mine.
That evening, as the sun was setting, I asked,
"So let's change the subject. Let's talk about you."
"Why? You never tell me anything about yourself or your family, so why should I tell you about me? Besides, you still haven't told me your 'type.' Tell me all that, and then I'll tell you everything about myself. Capiche?" she replied.
"Wow, you're amazing — and fair. That's reasonable," I said.
We kept talking and laughing until we lost track of time. It was getting late, and I needed to leave.
"Hey, I should get going," I said.
"Oh right, it's getting late. I'll see you off," she replied.
"No, no. Stay and rest. I want you back at school tomorrow, okay?" I said.
"Okay. It's so sad Penelope couldn't come," she said.
"Oh yes, maybe she's caught up with something," I replied.
"Yeah, maybe," she said, her voice a little sad.
"Hey, cheer up. You'll see her tomorrow, okay?" I reassured her.
"Okay. Good night," she said.
"Sweet dreams. Kisses," I said, waving.
She just smiled as she watched me go with my hands tucked into my pockets.
Immediately after leaving, I felt lonely. When I reached home, I lay on my bed trying to sleep, but it didn't come easily.
When I closed my eyes, all I could see was Felicity. I thought about the day we met, all the way until today. Before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.