Page 9 of Flawed

Chanel's sitting up in bed, combing her long red hair. She smirks. "Aren't you supposed to ask that while the door is still closed?"

"Oops! Sorry," I tease.

"Are you always so—" She goes into another coughing fit.

I rush over to her, rub her back, and hand her a glass of water. "Here. Drink this."

She takes a sip. I pull a bottle of Nyquil I found in a cabinet out of my pocket. "You should take this."

She shakes her head. "No. I'm fine."

"You're sick."

"I'm not taking that!" she claims.

"Why? It's over the counter. It's not going to hurt you."

"It could hurt—" She closes her mouth, stares at her hands, and pulls on her fingers.

I sit on the edge of the bed. "It could hurt what?"

"Nothing," she mutters.

"Didn't sound like nothing," I push.

She snaps, "I'm not taking it. Now drop it." She sneezes half a dozen times. Her eyes water.

I decide to respect her wishes for the time being. I hand her some tissues and ask, "Do you have a thermometer?"

"No."

I put my hand on her forehead. "You're burning up."

She locks eyes with me, but her exhaustion is clear.

"I should get you some Tylenol," I announce.

"No. I'm not taking anything," she insists.

I run my hand through my hair, declaring, "If your fever doesn't go away in a bit, you should take the medicine."

"Are you ready to leave now?" she chirps.

I study her then grin.

She asks, "What's so funny?"

I pick up the tray and put it over her lap. Then I kick off my shoes, drop my jeans, and remove my shirt. I slide into the other side of her bed. "You're pretty cute when you're pissed. Even though I have no clue what I ever did to upset you."

"Put your clothes on!" she cries out.

"Chill out. I have my underwear on. Besides, it's not like you haven't seen all of my goods," I tease.

Her face reddens further. She takes a few deep breaths while staring at her soup.

I grab the remote, scoot closer to her, and lean my face in front of hers. "What kind of shows do you watch?"

She tilts her head, pinning her eyebrows together. "Luca, why are you here? I've told you to go."

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