Page 10 of Rejected Pretend Mate

"Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Cayden smirked. "Yeah, convince her to marry you."

Over the next couple of days, I tried to think of a way to convince April. But everything I thought of, I knew that Cayden had already mentioned to her. It was up to her to decide what she wanted to do.

I grabbed my jacket and threw it on, planning to go home and relax after a long day. But Cayden stopped me before I got outside.

"Hey, Weslie. Could you do me a favor? Miles is stuck at home for the next few hours before getting in. Can you stop and make sure Riley is doing okay? She wasn't feeling great this afternoon, and I just wanted someone to stop by."

"Sure." I nodded and headed out. I drove across town and headed up to their apartment. I knocked, wondering if April was downstairs in her apartment.

"Come in."

I opened the door and found April standing in the living room. I looked around, confused, not spotting Riley. "Is Riley not here?"

April nodded. "She's throwing up in the bathroom."

I frowned. "Did you guys need anything? Cayden said he was going to be working a little late."

April shook her head and rubbed her eyes. I stared, taking in her rather pale complexion. She had looked pale in general, but since I last saw her, she seemed sicker. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was slightly messy. She was wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweater like she had the other day.

I wanted to ask if she was sick, but I knew she would only feel insulted.

"Do you know if she needs anything? I can go out and grab soup for her."

April shook her head. "No, she's got the flu. I don't think she's planning to eat. She said she just wanted to go to bed."

I looked past Riley to the kitchen, seeing a pile of dishes and a laundry basket on one of the stools. I knew Riley and Cayden were working a lot, and neither was home, so I'm sure they were falling behind on chores.

"Was she cleaning?"

Riley nodded, taking a few steps down the hallway toward the bathroom. "Yeah, we've got it under control. You can leave." She knocked on the bathroom door and pulled it open, stepping inside.

I frowned. I didn't want to leave. I knew that Cayden was going to get home late, and I had nothing better to do with my time. Besides, this was the perfect time to talk with April.

I slipped my shoes off and walked over toward the kitchen. I turned the water on and plugged the sink. As I poured the soap in, I heard footsteps coming back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning dishes," I said, glancing back at April. She looked exhausted like she hadn't slept in a while. "Unless you want to switch, I'll hold Riley's hair back while she throws up."

She sighed, walking closer. "She's in bed now."

I turned the water off, tossing a few plates into the water. "You look tired. And the least I could do is help with some cleaning so Weslie doesn't have to when he gets home."

"Aren't you a good friend?"

I smirked, glancing over at her. "I'm trying to be as good as you are."

April sat down on one of the stools and sighed. "You don't have to stay if you have things to get to. I can do this. I have the time. I don't have a job after all."

I started at the first plate, scrubbing away the food. "I imagine you've been here most of the day helping her." I pulled the plate out and let it dry on the rack.

"Well, as you said, someone needs to hold her hair back."

I laughed, starting on the next plate. "Well, besides that, how was your day?"

"It was good. I walked around. Did some laundry. Watch some TV with Riley. I missed a lot of it because of all the trips to the bathroom, but all in all, it was a decent day."

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