Page 36 of More Than an Ex-Girlfriend

I step into his side of the duplex. “Archer, you overslept. I made breakfast. Would you like some?” It feels intrusive to walk into his bedroom, but I can’t exactly check on him from here.

Hesitantly, I step down the hall. The guest room is empty, which isn’t a huge surprise. The bedroom is partially open, and I suck in a deep breath before knocking again.

“Archer?”

A grunt is all I hear as a reply. But I take that as permission to walk in.

He’s huddled in bed, curled up on his side, covers pulled up to his chin.

I touch his forehead. He’s on fire.

After glancing around to see if there were any signs that he’s taken any medicine, I nudge his shoulder. “Hazy, sweetheart. You have a fever. Have you taken any medicine?”

I haven’t called him Hazy since the day he graduated from high school. He’s Archer Hayes to the world, but to me, he was always Hazy. It’s been hard not to use the name since seeing him again, but today, I don’t care.

I shake his shoulder with a little more force. “Wake up.”

“Lettie.” He sighs my name and rolls to his back. “Remember when we were on the porch?”

“I remember.” I’m remembering the raccoon scurrying across the ground and how I came close to telling Archer about my Reddit buddy. He’d probably find the whole thing funny.

He nods. “Your smile made me feel so brave. And then I...” His eyes are still closed, but he’s smiling.

It dawns on me that he’s talking about the first time we kissed. I lean in close and brush my fingers on his forehead. “I’ll never forget that day.”

His eyes flutter open, and his smile widens. “Same.” Then he sits up and presses his lips to mine.

I should push him away. He’s sick, and kissing him guarantees that I’ll get what he has. But then his arms tighten around me, and I melt. Getting sick will be worth it. This is what I’ve wanted for so long. He’s what I want. Cradling his face, I kiss him back.

But he’s burning up. He isn’t thinking clearly.

Now, kissing him feels wrong, so I break away. “I’ve missed that. But I’m not sure you really want to kiss me, Hazy.”

He shakes his head, still holding me close. “Nope. Not until I know why you left me. I can’t do that.”

That fever must be really high. It’s making him brutally honest.

“We need to bring that fever down. I’ll be right back.” I hurry to the bathroom, grab a washcloth, and dampen it with cool water.

He’s back under the covers, shivering.

Sitting beside him on the bed, I drape the cloth over his forehead. “I’m going to get you some medicine, okay?”

Rather than searching his apartment for something that will bring down his fever, I run to my side and snag a bottle from the bathroom cabinet. I’ll have to set reminders in my phone so I know when to give him medicine. If he tries to kiss me again, I will lose all track of time.

With a glass of water in one hand and the pill bottle in the other, I walk back into his bedroom. “Hazy baby, can you sit up for me?”

Brow furrowed, he pushes into a sitting position but grabs for the blankets. “It’s cold in here.”

“Take these. It’ll help.” I hand over the pills, then give him the glass. “Are you hungry?”

That question seems to shake him back to reality, and he sets the glass on the bedside table and throws back the blankets. “I need to get to the mess hall. What time is it?”

I plant my hands on his chest. “Get back in bed. I’ll let Lilith know you’re sick. She can tell Beau.”

“Chores still need to be done.” He grips my hips. “I can’t get up with you in front of me.” Gently, he tries to shove me to the side.

But I’m using my extra pounds to my advantage and not budging. “I’m going to stay in your way. Once your fever is down, we can discuss doing chores. But right now, you have two choices. Stay in bed and sleep or stay in bed and eat.”

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