20 Vance is Sick

The next morning, Vance woke up first. He was turned towards the cupboards. He soon reached for his phone to check the time when his torso was restricted. He found Nicolette's arms around him, her face buried in his back, her ponytail loose.

He slowly stretched more to take his phone. There was still a half an hour before she would wake up, as always. He then gently loosened her arms and stood up from the bed. After he freshened up and came out of the bathroom, he saw her in the same position as when he left. Her face was covered partially with hair and the rest of it laid softly on the bed. He walked down towards her and slowly shook her by the shoulder. He sat where he had slept and after more shaking, she woke up.

As soon as Nicolette opened her eyes, she found Vance. She quickly pulled herself away. He sat too close, she felt. Vance noticed and thought she was cute. When the confusion in her eyes cleared away, he stated, "You were holding me so tightly," he said pleasantly. Nicolette was bewildered. "I did?" she asked and the man simply nodded and left. "I'll make breakfast now," he called out. It was a weekday and Nicolette quickly got herself ready.

When she went to the kitchen, he was just finished with the cooking. Nicolette took out the plates and Vance put the food into the two. Just as Vance was filling up water in a glass, he suddenly turned away and he sneezed. Little water spill out of the jug but thankfully, they did not fall on the table. Vance had a slight headache but he did not mind it.

Nicolette quickly took away the jug from his hands as he sneezed again. "Are you okay?" she asked. He simply nodded and took his phone to make a call and quickly notified his leave to the other side.

"Was it the AC?" she asked when he came back.

"Could be," he smiled but his nose was already red. "I'm not going… So you better be quick," he told her. It would delay her by at least ten minutes if she was to catch a bus or order a cab.

Seeing him go the bedroom, she stopped him, "You won't eat?"

"I'll eat later." He badly needed a sleep, his head was hurting. In the bedroom the windows were already closed, he pulled the curtains close and laid down with a blanket on top. The door was open and Nicolette that she saw the exact same scenery before.

Was he also sick on their wedding night? She remembered him rubbing his palms and putting them into his pockets very frequently, soon after a shake hand at their wedding venue. That function hall had AC. Later, she had found him sleeping wrapped up the blankets with only his face outside.

She had become used to sleeping in the bedroom with the AC and last night, she did not ask him. Not that he was unaware though. "Shall I stay back?"

But Nicolette got no answer. She went inside and found that he was already sleeping. It was best not to wake him up. She closed the door silently. The in the kitchen the food was left unattended, still warm vapours escaping. She stored away Vance's and ate her breakfast. She opened her laptop and asked her superior to stay back, she could write the game codes from anywhere.

She quickly did the dishes and sat in the living room with her laptop. Vance was really sensitive to the cold, she thought. Two hours soon passed and Vance needed to eat something soon.

She opened the bedroom door but the blanket was already neatly folded. She heard the water sounds from the bathroom.

She went to the kitchen to reheat the food. When she was done, she thought she would ask him if he could eat the breakfast or liked something else. She soon as she turned around though, she had to take a step back. Vance's eyes widened and he soon catch her by the waist and pulled her away, "This is the kitchen, be careful!" He sounded angry. With his hoarse voice it sounded even more so.

Nicolette was breathing heavily. She just got one scare after another. "Why would you stand like that? And so quietly…"

Vance shifted his eyes before looking at her again, "How would I know you'd be here? What if it was someone else? I had to be quite."

Nicolette looked at him as their gaze locked for a short while. Did he not understand it was her from standing by the kitchen door? Had he the need to look at her face to confirm? She would recognize him from half a kilometre away.

"Can't you see that it's me from there?" she pointed at the entrance to the kitchen.

Vance did not want to answer. When he came out of the bathroom he had seen her leaving the bedroom. He was surprised she was still at home. He followed her out and into the kitchen. He stood by the door for a while, the exact space she just pointed at. She saw she look right, look left, take the dish, search for the lighter, then again lift the dish place in on the stove, he had been watching her. She knew cooking, and she cooked well. But still did not have enough practice in his kitchen. Somewhere in his heart, that did not sound like something he was fine with. He wanted to hug the woman standing in front of him. But then he remembered the bitter conversation about him having a girlfriend. She definitely would not want him to hug her. But then again he kissed her twice. Once in the cheek in their wedding and then on her forehead. But those were not something only lovers would do, rather, they were more or less friendly gestures. He drifted a little in his thoughts. What he wanted was not a buddy hug, but a tight embrace. Then he suddenly remembered today morning. How she hugged him and the fact that she did not mind much that she did so. Or did she reprimand herself about it? As Vance was seeing her movements, she offed the stove and was about to turn to him. He stood straight but she did not turn after all. Vance silently walked forward. What would her reaction be if he hugged like how she held him in the morning? She placed a lid on the dish and suddenly turned around when Vance was just a feet away from her.

She was suddenly shocked to see him so close and took a step back without much thought to what was behind. Had it not been for him, she would have scalded herself.

When she asked if he couldn't understand that it was her from the door, he had no answer. So he asked her something else.