"Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?" he asked.
I swallowed hard. "Not good. My head is swimming. But I'm better than yesterday."
"I'll take care of you today," he announced.
“Nooo, I don’t want to get you sick.”
“My immune system is great. Don’t worry about that.”
"But you said you have a lot of things to do."
"My team has got it handled. Besides, we dealt with the crisis last night, so I have some leeway today." He kissed my forehead. "Stay here in bed while I make breakfast for both of us."
I bit the inside of my cheek as I slid down and put my head on my palm. "I could come and help out," I said half-heartedly. On one hand, I absolutely didn't feel capable of getting out of bed, but on the other, I was a bit afraid of leaving him alone in the kitchen.
"No. I'll take care of everything. You just rest," he said.
My heart grew in size. I touched his chest and then his back as he got out of bed.
"Don't tempt me already."
I grinned. “You’re right. Silly me. You need your coffee first.”
He looked at me over his shoulder, then took my hand, kissing it.
I was so immensely happy even though I felt like shit. I wanted to take a shower, too, as I was sticky from all the sweat. But I just couldn't muster the energy to get there.
I grabbed my phone by reflex, checking my emails. When I fell ill yesterday, I’d emailed all my tutoring students and had to cancel the appointments today too. I also had a tour booked today, and I regretfully informed my boss that I couldn’t make it.
I was a warrior and liked to push through, but even I had my limits. I'd apologized to my students and offered to reschedule at their convenience.
I also messaged Celia, since I was supposed to meet her tonight for drinks.
Diane: Hey! I’ve got a cold. It’s pretty bad. Let’s meet another evening, okay?
Celia: OMG. Do you have everything you need? I can stop by after the morning shift.
Diane: No, I don’t want to get you sick. And I have a lot of medicine. Don’t worry about me.
Celia: Are you sure?
Diane: Yes. I’ll be super mad if you show up.
Celia: Got it, boss!
I opened the Netflix app on my phone, thinking I’d watch something, but five minutes later, my head began to swim. I was in even bigger trouble than I thought.
I put it down, closing my eyes. I had no idea how long I stayed like that, but I only opened them when I heard footsteps, and then I saw Gabe carrying a tray. I instantly grinned, pushing myself up into a sitting position. My eyesight blurred.
Oh, Diane. Come on, get your shit together. A sexy man is taking care of you. You can't miss any details of this. You have to commit it to memory.
“A glass of orange juice, of course, and two boiled eggs, along with toast.” He’d put a slice of butter on the plate and some sort of orange jam in a small bowl.
"Wow, this looks so professional."
He laughed. "I did my best."
Since this wasn't an actual bed tray, I had to take care not to spill any crumbs. He’d brought a plate for himself, although his was far less organized than mine. I started with the eggs. The second I swallowed the first bite, I realized this was my first meal in twenty-four hours. I was starving. Maybe that was why I was so light-headed.