Chapter 189: Stay?

Eve stood outside the door.

She held a tray in front of her. It had a bowl of creamy soup, pieces of garlic bread, cup of hot tea mixed with honey, a few slices of orange and a glass of lukewarm water for the medicine. The soup already had a lot of solid food like chicken bits and vegetables. There really wasn't anything for her to add.

But she suspected he hadn't been eating much for the past few days.

"Aren't you going inside?" Eri asked from the couch. 

Ede followed her sister's line of sight. "We won't peek. Don't worry."

A snort puffed out of Eve's nose. It relaxed her tensed muscles. "Thanks, girls." 

It would be her first time to enter this room. Hell, she hadn't even seen it once before. She knocked on the door, balancing the tray in one hand. What could she expect of his room? It probably had minimalistic furniture and decor like his office. 

When no response came, she opened the door hesitantly.

The room was dim. A small fire simmered from a fireplace. Her eyebrows shot up. Despite the heat, the air leaned on the cold side. She figured it was used more as a bit of light than warmth. The interior had a lot more wood design than she thought. The bed was raised on a platform in the middle. Its headboard snaked up to the ceiling like a canopy.

She closed the door behind her and approached the bed.

Ambryan lied on his back underneath gray sheets. He had his eyes closed. The first button of his sleepwear was open. Crease lines wrinkled on his forehead. Sweat drenched the tips of his hair.

Eve reached out to smooth out his scowl.

Even in his sleep, he was stressed.

She set the tray on the nightstand and sat on the bed, crossing her legs. She checked his temperature. It was as hot as she remembered. It would take a while to get it down. That thought raised questions in her head. Like how long had he been sick for? How long had it been this high? What has he done to cure it?

His eyelids fluttered open. The first thing he saw was her.

"Hey…" Eve whispered. "Can you sit up? You have to eat."

Ambryan coughed as he shifted his position. His sinuses were clogged. He moved sluggishly. Eve held his arms for support. She watched him closely. "Would you like soup or tea first?"

"Tea."

"Of course," she muttered with a chuckle. Fetching the tea, she held it by its saucer and let him hold the cup. "I added some honey. Hope you still like it."

Ambryan took a small sip as a test. He tasted the honey right away. It flowed down his throat, hydrating and moisturizing his airways. He felt every inch that the warm liquid touched until it pooled inside his stomach.

Eve grabbed the bowl of soup with a mitten. It was freshly boiled from the stove. Her skin stung even just by touching the ceramic for half a second. She didn't know if he had a bed table and prepared to feed him.

Ambryan set the cup back on its saucer. He left some for later.

Blowing on the spoon, Eve scooted closer. Then, she lifted it up to his lips.

Ambryan merely smiled and let her stay in the same pose. His gaze never went to the soup. It was on her hazel eyes instead. He felt much better already. There wasn't a need for the other things. He was confident that he could recover quickly just by having her around.

"What?" Eve blinked.

"I feel like a child."

She frowned. "Do you want to eat by yourself then?"

His expression changed into a cheeky grin, scrunching his nose while he was at it. The look gave him a youthful and boyish appeal "Not a chance."

Eve felt her heart flutter. She ignored it. "Then, eat."

"Mmm," Ambryan moaned as the creamy soup coated his tongue. He chewed slowly while Eve blew on the spoon again. They followed this routine quietly for several minutes. Ambryan nestled against his headboard. 

He could get used to this. 

"Does your mom always make this soup?" Eve asked, feeding him another bite.

"No, this was made by the chef," he answered. 

Eve paused but recovered quickly. It shouldn't be surprising that their family had a chef. Why was she reacting like she just found out that they owned a fortune? "I see… Well, did you always have it when you were a kid?"

"No. I mostly drank hot broth back then." Ambryan swallowed another mouthful of soup. Remnants of the thick cream dwelled in his throat. A smirk teased at the corner of his lips. "That and instant noodles."

"Really?" 

"I lived somewhere else at the time."

"Ah."

Eve stirred the soup. She searched for more vegetables. In the meantime, her mind went on overdrive. A professional chef at home… then, instant noodles? The curiosity burned at the back of her head. There was a story there and she knew it.

But could she ask about it?

"Grandmother also did the same. Nothing creamy such as this," Ambryan added. The salty flavor lingered in his mouth as if he could actually taste it. "She used to look after me when she was alive."

"Mother and father busy with work?" Eve said, the pieces fitting together a little. 

"It is one of the reasons, yes," he admitted. 

The bowl was now empty. Eve set it down on the tray—then, the urge to facepalm came in. She had forgotten to feed him the garlic bread. It was supposed to go with the soup so he could have more carbs.

"What about your childhood?" It was Ambryan's turn to ask. He grabbed the medicine already on his nightstand and the glass of water.

Eve took the small plate of orange slices. She offered it to him. "Mine?"

"I told you mine so you should tell me yours."

"Instant noodles. Chicken flavor," Eve answered in one breath. She picked up a piece of garlic bread and nibbled on it. "Then, I would throw it up minutes later. I actually enjoyed it so I really felt bad when I coughed it out."

A strong grasp snatched her wrist.

Ambryan bit onto the garlic bread. Eve froze in place. That had been so random. The breadstick was dry and rough. She didn't think he'd want it anymore without the soup. 

He smiled as he chewed. Her dumbfounded expression amused him. It didn't take long for him to give him and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for visiting. I feel better. Maybe if you stay the night, I'd fully recover in the morning."

Eve choked. "In your dreams."

"Dreams can come true."

"Is this a side-effect of being sick?" She demanded, her jaw dropping. "Tell me. Had you been pretending before? When did you even learn how to flirt? Although, they can be cheesy at times."

"Hm, why do you ask?" Ambryan thought for a moment. He put the orange slice back on the plate and leaned in. The smirk had returned on his lips. "Do they make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes?"

"Then, I have to work harder."

Eve became appalled. She would have hit him with a pillow if he hadn't been sick. Her urge settled with a pout instead. It didn't help that her heart had gone haywire since he had kissed her cheek. 

Ambryan placed the empty plate on the tray. Then, he reached for something else. 

Caught off guard, Eve found herself pressed against his chest once more. His arms had found her waist again. Her hazel eyes stared at the wall, not daring to move. She probably couldn't even if she tried.

Her brain had shut down.

While her heart picked up its pace. 

"Did I ever tell you that I'm a selfish man?" Ambryan whispered in her ear. "For instance, you probably should stay away from me so you wouldn't get sick. But I'd rather not let you go at all."

Eve gulped. His heartbeat followed a steady rhythm—the complete opposite of her own. Silence screamed loudly in her ears if that was even possible. Her arms and her hands were positioned awkwardly. Except, she didn't know what else to do with them.

"Don't worry," Ambryan said after a while. He traced her spine with his fingers. "I won't hold you hostage. But can we stay like this for a bit longer? I've missed you so much."

An invisible rope tightened in Eve's chest. Alarm bells rang in her head. Red flags emerged from the ground. This had the word, bad, written all over it. She only agreed to a fake relationship. That was her word to him and to Avery.

'But why did it feel so good?' She whimpered to herself, shutting her eyes. What had changed? They were on the same page when this first started. Tears materialized at the back of her eyes—far from spilling out. The realizations poured down all at once like tides against the shore.

Then, a pair of hot lips touched the side of her jaw.

It jolted her awake like a phrase of comfort. 

Her hands held onto him as she buried her face behind her crimson wig. 

"... only for a bit."