‘Luhan, she’s running a fever.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes,’ his voice was hoarse, as if he had just woken up.

‘Wet a towel and put in on her forehead-‘

‘I know that.’

‘Then why are you still calling?’

‘Luhan, please, she’ll get mad at me if I touch her,’ his voice pleaded. Even if it was two in the morning, Luhan couldn’t possibly let her fever spike up. You’re hopeless, Wu Fan.

‘She’s burning up. What the hell happened here, Kris? I don’t come here for a day and now she’s sick?’ the suspicion mixed with concern was evident in Luhan’s voice but Kris really didn’t do anything. He was just as surprised as Luhan when out of nowhere, Katherine had a fever.

‘I came to check up on her like I do every night when I heard her mumbling,’ Kris said as he tried to recall last night’s event. ‘She was shaking and I had to pull her blankets away for me to touch her.’

‘Poor girl, what did she ever do to deserve this ?’ Luhan asked dramatically which made Kris roll his eyes at him.

Damn this thing, he cursed the inanimate object as he tried to look for a pan. Usually, Luhan would cook whenever he visited, or Katherine would when she woke up, but then both were absent and she needed to eat.

He had called Luhan one more time to ask how to cook porridge. When he concluded that he could do the steps, he thanked his friend and hung up.

Almost an hour of fighting with fire, and a dozen of taste-testing instances, the ‘porridge’, according to Kris, was done.

He made his way up to her room and quietly entered.

Now he had to face the most difficult part. He knew that when he wakes her up, she’ll be hotter than how she was at present. And by hotter he meant she was really going to explode. But what the hell, she needed to eat so that she could take her medicines.

He placed the tray on the side table and sat down on the edge of her bed. He was about to wake her up when he saw her furrow her brows. He unconsciously mirrored her actions. Her brows straightened back, though, and he wondered why she would be disturbed in her sleep. He touched her forehead and withdrew his hand quickly upon the hot contact.

‘I’m fine,’ she said weakly as she coughed. He sat back up immediately and the lights of the side lamp.

‘Baby, you’re running a fever,’ he said as he touched her forehead. The coldness of his hand made her head jerk away automatically as her lips shivered. Concern and worry painted his expression as he stood up to grab a wet towel. She refused the dampen cloth but he insisted.

‘I’ll go make you something to eat,’ he offered and was about to head out when she called, ‘No, I’m not hungry. Please just stay with me,’ her voice was shaking and it made him worry even more.

Was she telling him to stay? He approached her and saw her tightly-closed eyes. Did she know he was there? A feeling of slight importance filled his chest. She was asking him to stay. So he did. He sat back down and brushed the hair out of her face. She looked serene even though she was burning up.

‘I’m right here, Kat, I’m right here,’ he whispered as he held her hand.

‘No, don’t leave, Jongdae. Please just stay,’ her voice trailed off to a soft whisper.

But it rang so loudly in his ears. Jongdae. Why did he keep hearing that one name he had despised to hear?

‘Kat-‘

‘No, don’t leave, please,’ now, she was shivering uncontrollably, tightly clutching onto Kris hand as if she didn’t want to let him go although she was saying the name of a different man.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

He climbed onto the bed right next to her and enveloped her in a warm embrace. He had wanted to protect her even back then and now was his chance.

She buried her face in his chest as she shivered and mumbled incoherent words. Although he could feel the heat that she was radiating, he dared not to break out from the embrace.

He was holding his everything. She wasn’t complaining. She wasn’t trying to kick him out.

Moreover, she had wrapped her slim arms around his body too, as if her life depended on it.

‘Jongdae, please stay..’ she called as she tightened her arms around Kris. Kris did the same, and kissed the top of her head softly, ‘Ssh, it’s okay.’

‘Jongdae..’

‘I’m here, Kat. I’m here. Everything’s okay,’ he whispered and kissed her forehead. She relaxed and softened a bit. After a few moments, she stopped shivering and her breathing came back to normal. Kris was relieved. He began to caress her hair and he kissed her forehead once in a while as if the fever would disappear when he did.

‘I love you,’ her voice was soft and weak, yet so assuring and firm. His heart thumped loudly though he knew those words weren’t meant for him.

‘I love you too, Kat.’ He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

Just now, he thought. Give me just this moment, Jongdae.

Chapter ten, done :)

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