Page 51 of A Royal Arrangement
“Sorry, let me shut the blinds,” a manly voice said, causing her to jump.
She peeked one eye open, looking toward the windows, searching for the source of the voice. When she spotted the side profile of Colin as he closed the curtains, bringing her some relief from the throbbing headache, her heart nearly stopped. Colin was in her room. Colin was inherroom.
She scoured through her memories of the previous day, coming up empty on what had happened aside from a brief recollection that she had gone berry picking with him.
Rosalie attempted to sit up but found her muscles weak and achy. When she tried to swallow, it felt like her throat had been rubbed raw with sandpaper.
“Here, let me help.” Colin rushed to her side, resting carefully on the edge of the bed. He placed his hands under her armpits and pulled her up into a sitting position. She thought he would walk away after that, but instead, he fluffed a pillow and placed it behind her back beforepulling up the sheet and comforter to cover her. “Are you comfortable?”
She nodded, not wanting to grit out any more words than necessary with her scratchy throat.
Reaching onto her end table, Colin passed her two ibuprofen pills and held out a glass of ice water with a bendy straw.
“Take these. They should help with your fever and your headache. I wish there was more I could do to help, but the doctor said rest and fluids are the best things for you to get over this flu.”
She tossed the pills into her mouth and took two big gulps of water from the cup he still held, trying not to flinch at the pain in her throat from swallowing. “Thank you,” she croaked, her voice coming out hoarse.
“You’re welcome.” He shot her a sad smile before placing the water glass back on her end table next to a beautiful arrangement of yellow flowers.
Rosalie pointed to them with a questioning look.
Colin’s ears tinged with pink. “I thought you might like something sunny and floral in here to brighten up your room since you’ll likely be cooped up here for the next week or so.” He pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to the couch. “I have a humidifier for you that we can plug in whenever you’d like.” He picked up something else and carried it over to her. “I also had Hector drop off a book and some throat lozenges. I practically live on these things whenever I feel under the weather.”
He set the items on her bedside table and looked around the room like he was unsure what to say. “I—I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by sleeping in here last night.”
Her eyebrows raised of their own volition.
“I slept on the couch, of course,” he added quickly. “I wanted to be nearby in case you needed anything. You were pretty out of it when I came in to check on you, and I couldn’t bear the idea of leaving you alone.”
Seeing this protective, gentle, caring side of Colin made her heart flutter. This was the kind of stuff she swooned over in romance books and movies. And she could confirm that it was one thousand percent more romantic in real life.
After putting a lozenge in her mouth, hoping it would help soothe the scratchiness in her throat, she said, “Thank you, again.”
He took her hand in his and lightly squeezed it. “Of course. I was going to go eat breakfast with Addie since I didn’t spend much time with her yesterday, but if you need me here, I can—”
“Go,” she interrupted him with a shoo of her hand. “I’ll be fine. I’ll text you if anything changes.”
Colin looked at her warily. Finally, he said, “If you’re sure…but if you need anything at all, please ask.”
She nodded and gave him as much of a smile as her tired, sick body could muster. When he shut the door behind him, she sank back into her pillow and sighed as she tried to wrap her clouded mind around everything that had happened.
A switch had definitely flipped in Colin. In just a few weeks, he’d changed from a reserved grump into someone who went out of his way to take care of her. And now he was sacrificing his own comfort to sleep on her couch—which was definitely smaller than he was—without even a second thought.
She didn’t know what had happened to cause this change in him, but she wasn’t complaining. It was one step closer to the happily-ever-after she had always dreamed of. Herrelationship with Colin was slowly but surely changing, and she knew she was in danger of falling for him.
But the real question was if he was falling for her too. She lay back down and fell asleep, mulling over that very question.
Rosalie wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep when the gentle caress of a hand on her cheek pulled her out of her slumber. She was happy to discover the pounding headache from earlier in the morning had subsided to a dull throb she could almost ignore, though her throat still felt gravelly.
“Hey, sunshine.” Colin smiled at her. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded as she pulled herself to a sitting position.
“Good. I’m sorry to wake you, but it’s two in the afternoon, and we should get some more fluids and food in you.” Colin walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a tray. He carried it over and gently placed it on the bed. “I had the chefs prepare some chicken noodle soup and herbal tea. I’m not exactly sure what’s in it, but Gloria swore it would help your sinuses.”
“This is all so thoughtful.” Her eyes fell to her lap. She was used to taking care of other people. Having someone take care ofherwas something she didn’t know how to deal with. She felt like it must be an imposition. “I don’t want to keep you away from your schedule, though.”
“It’s not a burden to take care of you. I want to.”
