Susu finished eating the last glutinous rice ball that he had left her and rubbed her tummy satisfyingly, "Deeeelicious"
Chen Mu walked out with a pillow and blanket in his arms, heading to the couch. "What are you doing? She asked.
"Setting up my bed for tonight." He placed the pillow on one end of the couch and unfolded the blanket.
"Why?"
"Because you're sleeping in my room." He was spoiling her to the extent where he wouldn't let her sleep on the couch because it would be bad for her back.
"Wait, wait, it's my bed that's coming in two days. So even if it is sleeping on the couch, it should be me and not you." She didn't want him to give her his bed while he sleeps on this hard, cold couch.
"Too bad~ I called the couch, so you have to take the bed." He winked and stuck the tip of his tongue out like a cat.
"but but~" She tried to find words to reject his offer.
"No butts, spanks, or tuts. It's getting late, so I'll talk to you in the morning~ Be a goooood girl and sleep on my bed. I already changed the bed sheets and everything for you. night night~~" He gently pushed her to his room and closed the door from behind.
She stood with her hands on her hips and sighed, "Geez, would he think about himself before me?" Sitting on the edge of his bed, she smiled, "Oh wells... I'll make him breakfast tomorrow and lunch for work as a thank you!"
After changing into her pajamas, she washed up and got ready for bed.
In the middle of the night, she found herself drenched in cold sweat again. She traced the wall and used it to support herself as she carried the bottle of pills with her to the kitchen. Good thing the water container was light enough for her to pour herself a glass of water to flush the pills down her throat.
Chen Mu wasn't actually asleep when she walked out to grab water. He was still thinking about how their interactions become more flirty and close every day that passes by. Happiness filled his tingling heart when he heard her light footsteps.
At first, he thought that she wanted to minimize the noise that she makes to avoid waking him up, but slowly, he heard her pant heavily and decided to take a look. He switched on the lights and saw her sitting on the floor with a layer of sweat beads slowly dripping down her forehead.
"Susu! What's wrong? Are you in pain? Where? Is it your tummy?" He was worried that the steak may have been too oily for her to digest. She shook her head and gasped for breath while slowly deep breathing in and out.
She was shivering and her face looked so pale that it was whiter than the grudge from the original horror movie. In one movement, he picked her up and carried her to the couch where he then covered her with the blanket that he had been using. While her breathing slowly went back to normal, he felt her forehead to make sure there was no fever.
Her forehead was cold, but her body felt hot. After wiping the sweat off her forehead and pouring a warm cup of water for her to drink, she felt much better.
"Susu, take a day off work. I'll bring you to the hospital. The sweat, breathing problems, and feverish body are symptoms of more than just a flu. Plus, for the past few months you've had relapse of the flu for a few times already. It's not normal. You need to get a full body check done."
Susu contemplated whether she should tell him that she had cancer, but a part of her wasn't ready to tell him that yet. There was an unexplained prickling heart ache when she thought of how much more worried and sad he would be when she tells him about it. She looked at the man with his wrinkled brows and frown on his face.
'Already, my heart is aching to see him like this. How could I tell him the truth?'
At the end, she decided that it was not the right time to tell him it yet, so she caressed his face lightly, "I had a nightmare, so I woke up panicking. I felt better after seeing you though..."
"Nightmare?" he held her hands tightly as if his body was telling her that he would protect her even in her dreams.
"Mm.. it was a very long, cold, and dark road. I saw everyone that I loved and cared for in it, but no matter how many times I called out to you guys... you guys kept walking forward. No matter how much strength I used to try chasing after you guys, I couldn't catch up. At the end, I was all alone."
What she said was true. She did have such a nightmare before and woke up in fear, but after knowing that it was just a nightmare, she calmed down. A hint of sadness flashed through her eyes as the moonlight reflected in her eyes.
Her trembling body from before had stopped, but even so, a pair of warm, comforting arms pulled her into a tight, protective embrace. He whispered, "I'll never leave you alone. Never." It took her a few minutes to reciprocate the hug and for twenty minutes, they remained in the same position.
Once again, his words had deeply moved her. Unconsciously, a tiny bud grew in her heart, a seed name Chen Mu. This was a secret that she would keep buried deep within even if she knew that the tiny bud would one day grow into a beautiful blossom.
'If only I didn't have cancer, then maybe...we would have a chance together.'
Chen Mu carried her back to his bed after she fell asleep while holding his hands. He brought the used glass over to the sink and noticed the bottle of pills that she had taken during her panic attack. He remembered hearing the sounds of rattling pills from a bottle and by the looks of the loosened cap, he assumed that she had taken it.
He picked up the bottle and started reading the prescription on it....