Chapter 20 A Temperature Of 39°

Terence calmed down. He looked at the alarm clock on the table to see if enough time had passed since he placed the thermometer under Carla's armpit. Seeing that it was time he carefully removed the thermometer.

"It's 39℃. You have to take some medicine immediately."

Terence went into the living room and came back with a glass of water and antipyretics for Carla's fever.

Carla held his hand as he helped her take the medicine. She was delirious with fever and asked him, "Please tell me who you are. Why were those people trying to kill you? And how about your family?"

Carla rambled as she dropped in and out of consciousness. Terence's dark eyes narrowed at her questions. He put the pills in her mouth.

"It's okay. Take your medicine first."

The pills were very bitter and Carla gulped the water down to wash the taste out.

When the pills were finally swallowed, Carla got relieved. She heaved a deep sigh.

"Terence, I know, in your eyes, I am just a passer-by.

She propped herself up leaning against the bed head and said quietly, "You haven't told us any information about yourself because you don't expect to stay with us for very long. So you don't want us to know much about you. Is that right?"

Carla looked up at Terence who remained silent with misty eyes.

"Fine. Just take it that I am talking nonsense because of the fever. I will never ask you this again. After my brother's birthday, you can leave whenever you want. I won't try and persuade you to stay."

Carla lay down and tucked herself into the quilt.

"I'm okay now. I have taken the medicine and you don't need to stay. Just go back to sleep now and I'll be fine," she mumbled.

Even though Carla, was delirious from the temperature, she knew clearly

that Terence did have many secrets.

He seemed so indifferent to a lot of things, making it difficult for her to read him and distinguish from when he was joking and when he was serious.

This made Carla feel like she was in a dream

and when she woke up, he would no longer be there, leaving her life to be the same as it was before she met him.

"I will stay for a little while longer. Just close your eyes and get some sleep," said Terence.

He sat on her bedside and acted as if Carla had said nothing.

Carla slept deeply, but as the medicine began to wear off, she started to sweat again. She moved about the bed uncontrollably uncovering herself.

In obscurity, Terence wrapped the quilt around her and hugged her, whispering, "It's okay. Don't move or you'll catch a cold again."

Terence stared at the woman in his arms. His deep dark eyes were no longer as gentle as they were before.

He struggled with different feelings of affection, but soon calmed himself

and returned to his former self.

After the fever broke and she stopped sweating. Carla relaxed and slept much more soundly. She snuggled into the human pillow that lay beside her and wrapped herself around it.

The following day, when the sunshine filled the room Carla woke up, she yawned and opened her sleepy eyes.

Carla blinked in shock to find that

the skirt-style pajamas she was wearing was up around her waist exposing her pink underwear and her leg was pressed between the legs of a man.

One of her arms was wrapped around the man's waistline under his top, touching his skin

and to her horror

his hand was placed on her breast.

Carla gaped at him in shock.

'How dare you!'

Carla ra

ised her hand and slapped Terence on the face.

Terence lay fast asleep until he felt a sharp pain on his cheek. He woke with a frown at Carla.

"Do you always slap people when you wake up in the morning?"

"Take your hand off my breast!" she said glaring angrily at him.

Terence raised his head slightly

and looked at his guilty hand. He didn't remember when the crime was committed. Terence was about to remove his hand, but lingered there a little longer, because it felt nice.

He dared to move his thumb ever so lightly across the delicate skin.

"Te-ren-ce!"

Carla warned, her eyes glaring at his hand which didn't want to let go.

"Knife!

Where's the knife?

Someone get me a knife!" she roared, looking around. "Fine!"

Terence chuckled. He quickly withdrew his hand and grasped Carla, who was ready to get the knife and chop his hand off. He lifted his top and tucked Carla's hand under it.

"Here, you can touch back, for as long as you want!"

Carla pushed him out of the bed and out of her room. "Get out of here!"

"Come on. I swear that it wasn't deliberate."

"Bang!"

Terence tried to apologize but the door was slammed shut

and he had been kicked out.

Terence laughed out loud when he looked at his hand that had been on Carla's breast. There had been quite a lot of women who had tried to seduce him. But Terence had always preserved his moral integrity.

Carla may not have ever been with a man, but Terence had never been with a woman either.

Being with someone intimately for the first time might not mean much to other people, but to Terence it meant a lot.

However, what he felt when he lay next to Carla, with her body next to him and his hand on her soft breast felt really good.

He wanted more...

Since Carla had been ill the previous night, she asked for a day off to fully recover.

Sean was at school and would not be coming back for lunch. So there was only Carla and Terence at home.

Carla kept herself busy and found things to do.

She changed the sheets on her bed and did a load of washing and cleaned around the house.

Sean's birthday was coming up soon and she had planned to decorate the house a little.

Carla opened the window to air the house and noticed

two familiar figures walking towards the building outside.

One of them was Tracy. She was aunt Li's nineteen-year-old daughter who lived in the next building and the other was tall handsome Terence. She was speaking with him about something.

"Thank you so much." Tracy took the bag of fruit from Terence and bowed shyly to express her gratitude.

"You're welcome. It was nothing." Terence smiled as he pressed the elevator button.

"Oh. Terence. My mum steamed meatballs for lunch. It's very delicious. Would you like some?" Tracy looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

Terence thought for a moment and tried to politely refuse, "No, that's okay. I don't want to trouble you."

"It won't be a problem at all. I'll pack some for you and Carla to have later. I'll only be a moment."

Tracy smiled, carrying the fruit and went to the next building where her apartment was.

Terence walked upstairs

and held the grocery bag in one hand, while knocking on the door with the other. He didn't take the key with him because he knew that Carla was at home.

But, no one opened the door after a few knocks.

Terence frowned. 'What happened?'

"Carla?" He knocked again. "Carla! Are you home?"