Their Compromise

Althea almost jumped from her seat when she saw all her chats had been read and Ray's status turned into typing.

She had been keeping her phone on to wait for any change of status in the chats she sent to Ray since she started her study and fortunately what she was waiting for finally came.

"Sorry it took time for me to reply." was Ray's first message.

"I fell unconscious for some time."

'As I thought.' Althea held her breath as the guilt slammed back to her.

"Fortunately a colleague who planned to study with me yesterday came and brought me to the doctor. I was conscious for awhile but the doctor gave me medications which made me fell in deep sleep afterwards. Sorry to make you wait."

"Yes dear, it's fine as long as you're safe. Are you okay now?" Althea pushed back her study chair and went to flop on her bed.

"Yes, exhaustion and stress just took a toll on my body. I still need rest but much better now."

Althea was immensely relieved and was about to say, 'See what I told you' but figured she shouldn't since she was also one of the causes.

"Then you should get rest." Althea suggested. She was dying to talk to him but that obviously can wait.

"No, dear." Ray's answer made Althea's heart dropped, thinking that it's the same answer that he needs to go study first, the time is limited or something of the sort.

"Let's talk. Didn't you wish to?" Ray added before Althea could ask why.

Althea sighed and reminded herself not to overthink, "I do wish for that. But your health comes first, dear."

"It's okay, baby. I wish to talk too."

Althea's cheeks heated from the nickname. She and Karin sometimes call each other as 'baby' as well but it was more friendly than anything with a joking nuance.

Hearing it from the always serious Ray sure hit differently.

"Okay..." Althea hesitated, "If you're sure you'll be fine."

Althea wished she could see Ray's reaction to it as she could somehow imagine him shaking his head with a constrained smile on the other side.

"May I see you? I miss you badly." Ray's next message made Althea flustered. This man used to be so straightforward with his words but that didn't mean he express such wish often, not to mention their severe lack of communication for the past month.

"Of course you may. I wish to see you too." Althea couldn't stop being thankful in her heart as the talk didn't turn into a full heated quarrel like it previously did, but instead a soft cotton candy-like talk.

Her phone rang as soon as her message was read and Althea swiftly picked it up.

"Althea," Ray said as soon as his image was reflected on the screen.

"Hello, Ray." Althea smiled as a mixed feeling of guilt, pity, and yet a strange calm and satisfaction filled her.

Just how many times did she try to have such an eye to eye talk with him before, only to be told that he's busy?

"Are you okay?" Ray asked and Althea's smile turned bitter, "Why are you asking me, I'm supposed to be the one who asks if you're okay."

Ray shrugged nonchalantly and said, "You're always my priority."

Althea scrunched up her face as she didn't know if it was okay to feel happy when she just hurt this man, "Not when you're sick, dear." Althea managed to say.

Ray chuckled and asked again, "So are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I am. Or at least I'm much better than you?" Althea teased.

"For now, yes. You know you can't be healthier than me when you don't eat veggies and drink too little water." Ray taunted back with a slight smirk on his face. The sentence was so true that Althea could only huff in defeat.

She then looked at the man again. Ray wore a grey short-sleeved shirt with the same model as all the other shirts Althea had seen him wore before. His usually tidy hair and appearance became messy, and there were traces of sweat on his forehead. Added with a pair of tired eyes, Althea's heart ached for this man who ceaselessly caring for her.

Althea bit her lower lip and downcasted her eyes, "I'm sorry for yesterday, Ray." she started.

Ray stayed silent as he looked at her, knowing that his girl needed time to arrange what she wanted to say.

"I was wrong. I might've disagreed with you but I should've persuaded you better. I thought you were being unfair and constraining to me, but while you're gone I thought over it and it made me realize that I only saw it from my perspective, completely ignoring yours." Althea peeked at the man and seeing he didn't show any sign of disagreement, anger, or the sort, she continued, "I would've said it better and not cursing at you, but you see, I also think that it was not my own --'

"Dear," Ray cut her sentence, "That's mine to acknowledge."

His interruption caused her to stop in her track in fear of him becoming annoyed and unaccepting, but when she looked up, he had a normal expression with a bit of guilt too-if the subtle crease of his eyebrows and the light from his eyes showed her right.

"Even if I didn't feel so before, It's true that it was not only your fault, Thea. It was mine too. I've known you so well that you hate being restricted, but in my desperation, I couldn't really control myself." Ray stated and Althea wanted to respond but backed down when Ray signaled her not to, "So let's do it like this. First, we'll state what are the dissatisfaction from our side. Second, we'll search for the reason why, and third, we will see if we can compromise and solve it together. Good enough?"

"That sounds good." Althea nodded, "But does it have to be so structured?" Althea's lips broke into a soft laugh, thinking that this style was very much like Ray. Making everything in order and logically solving the problem.

"Yeah, because a certain someone would go saying sorry over and over again with jumbled sentences without it." Ray smirked and Althea pouted her lips,

"Nice one, Mr. Right."