"JJ!! Thank goodness you open your eyes!!"
My head feels heavy and I could barely move my arms. The familiar voice that had been saying since earlier ever since I woke up was none other than Mr France.
"Uh, why? What?" My voice sounds sore and I can't even breathe properly. I tried to sit up but I don't even have energy to do so.
"Well, first, you need to rest. You have high fever." Mr France placed a cold hand towel on my forehead. I could feel the water dripped a little on my cheeks.
"Ah.." I was about to speak more but Mr France cut me off.
"No, no. Don't speak anymore. I'll take care of everything. You need to rest." He said like a mother figure. Suddenly I remembered we're supposed to have welcome party for him tonight.
"But.. we're..tonight..." I tried to speak more but my voice still can't be heard clearly because of my fever.
"It's okay. We can do it another time. You must be so stress to suddenly have fever at this time of the year."
When he said it like that, it made feel like I'm blaming him as part of my stress and it saddens me a bit. Mr France took care of me the whole evening. He changed the towel on my forehead a few times and even made me rice porridge before I took my medicine. He even helped me tidy up my apartment, even doing washing the dirty dishes from last night and this morning. I admitted it was hard living alone in such place even though I don't have much belongings since I only moved in for place to live while I'm studying. I chuckled to myself as I remembering my first time living alone and how I kept messing my time doing everything on my own.
"What?" Mr France asked me, probably because I laughed a little on my own.
"Nothing, I just remembered the first time I came here. I was so messed up." By nightfall, my voice started became clearer and I can move my body a little, probably because I kept taking a nap in between when I had porridge and took medicine.
"Ah~ I see. But if I may asked, what is it that funny?" He looked at me curiously waiting for my answer.
"Um, well, you might laugh if I said it.." It was actually the embarrassing past of mine even though it happens about a year ago.
"Well, I don't know if I'd laugh or not if you didn't tell me.." He suggested positively making sure he won't laugh if it's not hilarious.
"At that time, it was actually my first day of school and I need to register early because I somehow need to fix my schedule before going to class. The night before it, I had drink a little bit of alcohol because a stranger who passed by me gave it as thanks for helping them..." I was about to continue but got cut off by Mr France.
"I see you have the tendencies to help anyone in need." I just grinned a little at his suggestion of words.
"Yeah, I guess so. Or probably because I've been in a difficult position like them before." Replied back, the mood seems awkward, so I decided to continue with my story.
"Long short story, I woke up with bad bed hair that I couldn't even fix it with combing it and I was late to register classes. I rushed out after quick shower, skipped my breakfast and wear whatever clothes I lay my eyes onto without careful consideration. By the time I arrived at the faculty building, everyone was looking at me funny and when I walked up to the counter, the person behind it snickered at me a little before pointing out to where the toilet. I can't believe my eyes when I see myself looking so miserable in my bad choice of outfit because it doesn't match at all and my bed hair also look out of place even after I wash it with water. I even check my bag and I actually forgot to bring necessary documents to register my classes. It was like my most bad day of my entire life."
"Oh, right, I wonder how bad you look like during that time...It make me really want to see it for myself." His eyes wasn't even looking at me and I could feel like he was searching for something.
Suddenly I remembered something. 'Oh, no! I actually did save a picture of my most miserable outfit somewhere in the room but I can't even remember where is it! Why the hell am I keeping that picture?!' Looking at me panicking on my own, Mr France gave me a glance before his eyes spotted something. 'Ah, please don't let it be that picture!'
"Ah~ oh~ it is..." He suddenly pulled out something that looks like a piece of photo from above my head.
"Wait, please don't tell me --!!" I was cut off before I could finish my sentences.
"Wow, it looked so weird... and really out of place. Even your expression was strange. How come you have this picture?" He gave the picture to me which what looks like the photo from my first day at school, the one I mentioned just now.
"Ugh..." I looked at the horrible me in the pictures as I'm waiting for even a laugh from him.
"Wait, what? You don't think it's funny?" I looked at Mr France with concerned.
"Huh? Why would I laugh at something if it's not even one bit funny to the other person?Are you sure you're okay? You probably need to rest some more. Quick, sleep now." He explained and scolded me for looking at him weirdly.
"No, wait--!!' I was cut off again by him.
"No more talking. Take the medicine and sleep some more. You still have fever."
At the end, I gave in to his words. I don't want to argue as I'm also tired from all the talking and remembering something from the past. I took the medicine in the small packet on my bedside table. Soon after, my eyes became drowsy and I keep yawning, wanting to sleep some more because of the medicine effect. Mr France who's sitting beside my bed took it as a sign to close the light before exiting my bedroom and close the door behind him. As I became sleepy, I keep having a strange feeling about what happen today and I feel like I've forgot something important.
"He's a good person." I muttered to myself before falling asleep.
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To be continued...