21 Hugs

"Why didn't you go?" Because you would not send me, how nice would it be if she said so? Was it the headache or was it the fever? Right then, he had wild imaginations.

"I should have asked you about the AC. Sorry," she said what was in her mind.

Seems like guilt again, but strangely this time Vance did not feel angry at all. Unlike when she asked him to stop being nice to her because she wasn't being so good to him.

"Are you sorry?"

"Of course, I am."

Vance wanted to ask her something, precisely a hug. But he did not. "What will do about it then?"

"You can tell. And, I won't put the AC on again." She was being responsible, like a proper lady, a little bit diplomatic, if he should add. But above all, she was adorable.

"Don't be so sorry… But you will have to adjust without AC until summer."

"I will. Right, do you want to eat that or shall make something else? Do you feel better now?"

"Better now. I'll eat it."

When Vance was eating, she also sat at the table watching him. Many times when she looked at him for long, Vance would feel that he being evaluated, and he knew, it wasn't just his feeling. But now, her eyes were simply looking at him.

"Are you hungry too?" he asked at the end of his late breakfast.

"No, I'll make lunch soon."

Initially, Vance had only wanted to stay back in the forenoon, but he thought he'd just stay home the whole day. He had to make another phone call then.

When he finished eating, he did not have much to do. Seeing that Nicolette was sitting in the living room with the laptop he asked her to sit in the bedroom while he laid beside her. No one would know, but Vance had to pep talk to himself before asking her that.

Nicolette instantly agreed. As they were at peace, Nicolette found Vance slowly closing his eyes and she suddenly touched his forehead and told him, "You have fever. Did you take medicine?" The temperature wasn't exactly high, but if he slept on fever without medicine it might worsen.

"Fever is no problem. It'll be alright."

"I'll get you," she got up putting the laptop aside but Vance caught her wrist.

"When I get a cold, I'll have headache. It isn't much serious. In fact, I thought of going to the office after lunch."

"Okay then… You sleep. I'll make lunch and wake you up in an hour, okay?"

"Yeah," he let go of her hand.

By evening, Vance had completely recovered. Nicolette had put aside her laptop not long after lunch. She was just browsing the social media. Vance was looking through his work mails. At night they cooked dinner together.

Going to bed, Vance was the first to occupy it. When Nicolette came he was facing the ceiling with the blanket covering his legs. He had put the light off but the twilight came from the windows. That was when she saw one window open. The curtain was drawn but it still fluttered in the cool air.

"Vance, why is the window open?" He shouldn't be asleep. He had slept enough in the day.

"Let it be. That's how I sleep." That was right. That was how he slept and Nicolette said she would adjust. She had also asked him not to do anything for her. He simply sighed and shook his head.

"Alright." The windows were on her side of the bed anyway, he should be fine. Moreover, the cold that came through the glass windows was considerable too. They had not pulled the curtains to keep warm yesterday. But now the curtains were pulled and also, the cupboards were on towards the side of the room where Vance slept and that would keep a little warmer.

However when Nicolette was going to lie down next to him, she remembered something. He said she hugged him in the morning. She suddenly felt a little uneasy and shy. She decided not to look at him or ask him about it. She did not want to be too obvious about it so she didn't go to the other room to retrieve an extra pillow to put in the middle. She put her own pillow in the middle and lied down. She could sleep without it for a night.

"What are doing?" Vance's tone was even.

"What?"

"The pillow."

"So that I don't come to your side." Nicolette quickly turned away from him. She pulled a blanket over at the same time.

"No need. Take that."

She thought she best slept off on him. "Nicole, listen to me and take that away." He sounded angry. He was indeed a little upset.

She silently placed the pillow beneath her head. Soon after she felt a hand crawling over her stomach. "What are doing?" She cried at the sudden intrusion.

Vance did not speak but he pulled her closer to him. Their bodies were now just half a foot apart but with layers of tick blankets in between.

"Vance…"

His hand simply rested on her waist. "Good night," he whispered.

Nicolette's heart raced. Her ears tickled and felt very sensitive. What was he doing? She felt very nervous. How could she not? It was the first time for her to share such intimacy with a man. Oh silly her, how she had thought romance wasn't as blissful a thing as this. She had believed that it was too trivial. That, she could not be affected so much by such gestures. It was at least after ten long minutes that Vance's breath evened out. Nicolette calmed herself down and slipped into sleep.

Unknowingly, she turned towards him after just another few minutes as she gravitated towards his chest, nuzzling where his heart nestled. Unknowingly, then, Vance's grip on her tightened as well. He held her closer in his embrace. It was warm in the contrasting cold night and the moon raised higher above.

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