Chapter 6

• SICK
• I woke up the next morning feeling heavy and sick. Maybe I am really sick because I couldn’t stand up when I tried to. I can’t even move my body.
• Kristoff walked to my room. We don’t share one room. But our rooms are next to each other.
• He called me and said some things I couldn’t decipher anymore. He keeps talking but I don’t think I know what he was talking about.
• Is he speaking in Chinese? I don’t know.
• My head hurts like hell and I can’t move and it’s cold and maybe I need his hug and…. Wait. What did I just think of?
• I need his hug?
• Oh no. Please, Ashanti. Get a hold of yourself.
• I closed my eyes and went to sleep again.
• Sorry, Kristoff. I can’t understand you right now. Everything is blurring and fading away.
• ***
• I woke up with a heavy feeling on my hand. I looked at the window and it’s already dark. I turned to my hand that is feeling heavy and was shocked when I saw Kristoff sleeping on it.
• I immediately removed my hand in a manner that would not wake him up. I was about to stand up but my eyes were glued on how handsome he is.
• Kristoff, why are you making me crazy? I can’t even contain what I am feeling now.
• I swear I am so close to touching his face now. I always wanted to know how it would feel to touch his magnificent face.
• I don’t even know if I could manage to live when I did that. I probably would have died of giddiness and happiness.
• I straightened up when I saw him move. “Ashanti?” he spoke as I stood from bed.
• His eyes widened in terror. “Hey! You sleep here. Don’t tire yourself,” he said as he led me back to my bed.
• I looked at him in shock and disbelief. Why is he acting like I am too fragile?
• “Kristoff, I am fine now,” I replied as I did not do what he wants me to be.
• He shook his head. “No, baby. It was just hours since you grew sick. You are not fine,” he said as he made me lay on the bed. He even tucked me to bed!
• I looked at him and gave up insisting I am fine. The way he called me was all I could think of. He called me baby. What does that mean now?
• “I’m hungry,” I said, trying to shake all the thoughts in my mind, because if I don’t, I think my intestines would start coiling inside my tummy because of extreme hunger.
• Kristoff looked at me and nodded. “Okay. I’ll ask Lora to prepare something good for you,” he said as he walked to the door and left me in the room.
• I sighed in relief and sat on bed when I was left alone. I took my phone and dialed Min’s number. I have to check on the project we are working on. I wish everything is going to be fine. Although there is a big part in me that says that it will never be.
• I sighed as I waited for her to pick up.
• “Hello?” Min answered.
• “Min, how is it going?” I asked directly. I need to be fast. If Kristoff comes in and catches me sitting, he will freak out again.
• “Ashanti, we are trying our best to look for the best solution. But I guess, we really have to push this through on the twenty-eighth,” she replied with a really worried voice.
• I sighed and nodded. “I understand. There is nothing we can do about that anyway. We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Because I don’t think I can move today,” I said.
• “Are you okay now? Your husband called in this morning telling me that you can’t come today because you’re sick. Don’t exhaust yourself, Ashanti. And don’t stress yourself about this problem. We will do everything we can to solve this.” I am so glad that Min and my colleagues at work are as dedicated as I am. Or else, I would’ve died.
• I sighed. “Alright. You, too, don’t tire yourselves. We can find a solution soon.” I tried to encourage them. Perhaps, that’s the only thing I can do now that I am sick.
• “We know. You rest now. Bye, Shan!” Then she hung up.
• Just that instant, Kristoff came in with a tray on his hands. He gave me a suspicious look. “I told you to not tire yourself. Don’t think about work now. Think about yourself first,” he told me as he sat on my bed. He prepared the porridge. “Here,” he said as he placed some on the spoon and motioning to feed me.
• I looked at him. “Kristoff, I am just sick, not disabled. I can eat by myself,” I said as I tried to take the spoon from him but he insisted.
• “No, baby. I am going to feed you,” he said and my heart fluttered once again. “Say ah…” he instructed as he put the spoon near my mouth.
• I hesitantly, awkwardly, opened my mouth as he fed me.
• “It’s delicious, right?” he asked me smiling.
• Oh God, am I in heaven now?
• I swallowed the food and nodded with my heart beating really fast.
• He looked at me and smiled. “That’s right. You eat so you gain your strength again,” he told me. I nodded and smiled weakly.
• Actually, I don’t know what exactly I am feeling right now because everything is just mixed today. I am sad because of the problem for the fashion show. I am devastated because of Kristoff’s goddess. But I am happy because Kristoff is here with me, taking care of me. It’s as if he is really a husband.
• For that, I wish to be sick forever.
• No. I’m just kidding.
• I looked at Kristoff and found him giving me weird looks. “Why?” I asked him innocently.
• He cocked his head. “Are you checking me out again?” he asked.
• I narrowed my eyes on him. “What? Why for?!” I asked back.
• Okay, the last time, I admit, I was checking him out. But now, no. Not totally because I was thinking of some things as well.
• He chuckled. “Don’t you even deny. You were staring at me for fifteen seconds.” He mused to my disbelief.
• I scoffed. “I was thinking,” I replied.
• “About my body…” he smirked.
• I looked at him disgustingly. “What?!” I asked.
• This guy is so full of himself!
• He chuckled and shoved food on my mouth to stop me from talking. “Stop talking, keep eating,” he said in between laughs.
• I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “You are unbelievable!” I snapped.
• “Unbelievably sexy and worth checking out.” He continued with confidence in full blast.
• I sighed hard. “Really airy,” I said as I kept on shaking my head.
• Kristoff chuckled and so did I. These are the rare times when I feel really comfortable with him, even with all the feelings I have for him that remained secret.
• Suddenly, his phone rang. He looked at me before answering. He put the spoon down and motioned that he’d stay at the balcony of my room while on the call.
• “Hello?” he answered.
• I looked at him as he strode to my terrace. I guess that is an important call—a call that I can’t hear. Something inside me seemed to have died realizing that there are things that he couldn’t let me know.
• “What?!” His voice was too loud and I couldn’t help but hear it. “You should tell her to wait in the office! My house isn’t a business place!” He roared.
• I even flinched because of his loud angry voice. Sure, he is scary. I heard him sigh really hard as he continued to talk to that someone on the other line.
• I wonder what they are talking about. I looked at the food on the tray and tried to eat some.
• The truth is I don’t need help from Kristoff to eat this. He was just really insisting. And as much as I hate it, I think he is enjoying it so much.
• I heard his footsteps coming after a few seconds. He went back to his place—in front of me, taking the porridge from me.
• “Hey, I told you I will feed you,” he told me with those serious eyes.
• I looked back at him. “It’s because you are mad on the phone,” I said. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But you just talk so loud.” I added.
• He nodded. “Well, yeah. There are a lot of distractions at work. I’m getting tired of everything,” he replied.
• I looked at him. “They will resolve on their own,” I said as I smiled.
• He gave a queer look. “Hey! That’s my line,” he said as he fed me another spoonful of porridge. I protested but in the end we both chuckled.
• Can this moment last forever?