Daniel had a nice dream before he woke up to the morning sun glaring in front of him shining through the glass curtained window. He squinted his eyes as he tried to block the ray of sunlight and checked his phone by the bedside table. A paper was stuck under it.
He picked his phone to check the time. It showed 4:20pm. He was absent from work. He has never been absent from work his entire life.
"Just today," he muttered under his breath.
He tried to sit and rested his head against the bed. His head still felt a little hot. He felt a smooth feel of paper under his phone and peeled it off. He read the note that was written by Alex.
Daniel,
Mom cooked you some corn soup and made some pancakes for breakfast. Came here to bring these to you but you're still asleep so I'm living the pancakes on the table and the soup in the fridge. Just heat it up.
Get well fast.
Alex
Daniel held a smile on his face as he re-read the note and put them back on the bedside table.
Should he thank his lucky stars he has fallen sick? Because Alex rarely showed her caring side to him. Sometimes he wondered if she was just shy or embarrassed to show her gentler side to him. She was more angsty.
That woman could be hard to read, too. He thought with a shake of his head. Alex ranted on him that he could read her mind but in truth, he didn't. She just easily flared up at times and her moods were easier to understand.
But read her mind? Who does that?
He will never admit to Alex that he could read her mind very well. He could just read her expression most of the times. Which he found entertaining and amusing because she has a very transforming face that changes charmingly under his watch.
Maybe one of the things he liked about Alex' face was she has a very honest and open face. She's not as gorgeous as her elder sister, Ava, but she has a very smart, charming and cute look about her which he found pleasing whenever he looked at her.
And he really liked her expression. Fond of it, adorably.
Something sounded by his window and Daniel turned to find a white furry cat outside it. His window was open and the warm breeze of wind brushed the white curtains to the side. The white cat walked through the open glass window and jumped to the floor.
Daniel doesn't know if it was a she or a he.
The cat turned to him.
"Meow!"
Daniel left his bed and walked towards it. He picked it up.
"Why are you here, kitty?" he asked as the cat purred comfortably on his arms. "Nimbus and Stratus would be delighted to meet you."
He said as he continued to caress the cat's beautiful white fur. It's fur were very soft.
"You appear familiar though. I don't know where I might have seen you."
He carried the cat to the window and looked out hoping to see who owned the white Maine cat.
"Snow! Snow! Where are you kitty-cat?"
A female walked in front of his yard shouting about a cat. She was wearing a yellow and black exercise suit looking very fit and slender.
She whirled around his yard.
Wait. Wasn't that Reina?
He focused his eyes outside to the woman rambling around his yard while holding the cat on his arms.
Reina. His classmate back in primary school in California. What is she doing here?
No wonder the cat he's holding was familiar.
Snow. Right, this was the cat's name. He remembered.
"Hey, Reina!" Daniel shouted from the window.
The woman turned around and looked up searching for the voice she heard.
"Hey, Reina! Here!" Daniel repeated calling her name.
Finally, she saw him. She looked up at the window.
But the glare of the sun from the glass window, blinded Reina from seeing Daniel properly through the window.
"Stay there!" He shouted. "I'll come down. I have your cat."
Daniel ran out of his room and rushed down the house, out of his house in less than a minute.
"Daniel!"
Reina greeted him in the front yard.
"Oh, Snow!" She said as she saw Daniel walking towards him carrying the cat on his arms. "You found him."
"So, it's a him." Daniel said as he gave the cat back to Reina. "He jumped on my window and went inside my bedroom."
"He could be quite a stray when he wants to. I told him to stay for a minute as I prepared his foods and when I turned around, he was already gone."
Reina explained.
"What brings you here, Reina? Are you on vacation?" Daniel asked, poring his curiosity.
Reina looked at him and shook her head.
"Oh…no." She said taking the cat from Daniel's arms. "I'm living next door. I've just transferred today. It's gran's house. She asked me to house sit it while she went on a month long vacation in Paris to see some of her relatives."
"You live next door?"
Daniel asked.
Reina nodded.
"I just mentioned that," she said smiling at him.
"Sorry," he said puffing an apology. "My head's still a little bit groggy. I just woke up. I think I caught a cold," he explained and sniffed a little. "A little. Rain poured on me yesterday when I fetched my cousin who traveled from London."
And as if to prove his point, he coughed out of the blue.
"You don't have to cough to prove your point, Daniel," Reina said to him.
"No, I—" Daniel repeatedly coughed.
"Are you okay?"
She asked. This time worry etched on her face.
He kept coughing until he stopped.
"Sorry," he coughed again. "I'll be okay in a minute." But he kept coughing.
Reina felt slightly worried for him as he continuously coughed and massaged his back as he kept coughing.
"Maybe you should see a doctor. I can drive you there," she offered.
He shook his head as he kept coughing. When he stopped, he felt sweat and warmth around his face and across his chest.
"I think you need to change your shirt, Dan." Reina said as she stopped massaging his back. "Your back is very sweaty."
"Yeah, I will." He said between coughs.
"Is there anything more I can help you with?" she asked looking at him, very concerned.
Daniel looked at Reina and for a second he stopped coughing. Until, it erupted out of him. He felt his chest and his throat burnt right at that moment.
"I need to warm the soup from the fridge," he explained between coughs.
Reina helped him back to his house. They entered the living room.
"Well, why don't I warm them up for you? While you go change your clothes."
She said.
Daniel nodded and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. Reina went to the kitchen looking for the soup.
"Reina—?"
The woman in neat ponytail wearing a loose and casual yellow shirt over a black tight fit brassiere paired with black fit pants and a pair of white Skechers shoes looked up as she picked the pan on the floor.
Alex was deeply surprised to see her in Daniel's kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" she asked feeling incredulous trying her best to mask her surprise but nonetheless, it was drawn on her face.
Reina also has the same expression written on her face as she looked at Alex. She opened her mouth to explain herself but before she could speak, Daniel spoke from the kitchen doorway.
"Did Snow drop the pan on the floor?"
An awkward silence wrapped around them.
Alex and Reina both turned their gazes to the doorway to find Daniel standing.
He was naked to the chest up. He has his pajamas while a piece of cloth was clutched on his hands.
Why was he on pajamas and not a shirt on? Alex would love to know.
She swung her gaze back to Reina.
Suspicious. Her eyes narrowed at the situation.
"Alex!" Daniel belatedly spoken her name. He walked hastily towards her.
Alex only looked at him. She tried her best not to glower at him.
Silently, getting the message, Daniel wore his shirt in front of them.
"I'll explain," he said as fast as he could as if he was running a marathon.
Alex smelled soup as Daniel told her to sit by the table.
"Sit down, Alex." He said as he guided her to table. "She's just trying to help me."
She didn't sit. They were both on their feet as Reina went to the stove and closed it.
Alex was quiet for a while before she opened her mouth.
"Why are you naked to your chest up when you came here?" she asked suspiciously. She looked at Reina who was quiet by her side as she picked bowls and cutleries. And pointedly asked, "What is she doing here?"
Daniel winced and cringed before her words. He didn't have to feel guilty for he didn't do anything wrong but with Alex words, why did he have to feel that?
"I—ah…" he thought for words that would be easy to understand so he wouldn't be misunderstood. "She came here to help me."
"You already said that." Alex said sounding her best not to minced her words.
"She massaged my back when I was continuously coughing…"
Alex just looked at him.
Did he just say the wrong words again?
"She went to the kitchen to warm the soup."
Alex just eyed him. Suspiciously.
Couldn't he say it right? Daniel turned his gaze at Reina who observed them silently from her side. She put two bowls on the table.
Pity, she thought. Reina has never yet seen a guy looked so helpless in front of his girlfriend but seeing Daniel groped with the wrong words to explain to his girlfriend was a very entertaining, if not enjoyable sight she had to witness.
"I just came here to help him, Alex." Reina said coolly as she put the warmed pot on the table. "Snow went astray and happened to wander in Daniel's bedroom. I was about to feed him when he went off and disappeared. The next I saw he was in Daniel's arms. Daniel returned Snow to me. We chatted for a while but he continuously coughed—"
"He caught it yesterday afternoon," Alex explained interjecting.
"Yeah. He said that." Reina agreed. "Anyway, he just kept on coughing as he talked to me and I asked him if I could help him at all."
"You massaged his back."
Alex passively said.
"I massaged his back while he was coughing to help him ease up. And told him to change his clothes."
Reina said finishing her long explanation.
As if to prove a point, coincidentally, Daniel started coughing again.
Alex opened the warmed soup pot and scooped the soup and put it in the bowl. When his coughing stopped, Daniel sat down and started on his soup.
Alex looked at Reina gratefully who looked back at her with understanding eyes.
"I should be going." Reina said and picked Snow from the floor. "I told him he should check himself with a doctor."
Alex smiled at Reina.
"Thanks for the suggestion, Reina. I'll accompany him."
Reina grinned at her. Then, smiled really wide and embarrassed.
"I'm sorry about the misunderstanding."
Alex smiled back at her and shook her head.
"No worries. Just an initial misunderstanding." She looked sternly at her boyfriend. "And you should have changed into your shirt in your room."
"Sorry, I got distracted." He said in a hoarse voice. "The drop of the pan clanging on the floor startled me, I hurried from my bedroom."
Reina grinned at his admission.
"Scared I was going to make a mess of your kitchen?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm quite helpless in the kitchen, to be honest," she admitted. "But I can warm food and fry some."
Reina said grinning at them.
Daniel understanding this helplessness in the kitchen grinned back at her.
"I'm going." She said and bid them goodbye.
As Reina walked out of the kitchen to her house, Alex just looked suspiciously at Daniel.
"You were grinning with her."
"I didn't expect to find a comrade enforce. Another helpless in the kitchen."
Daniel told her.
"So, you feel with her."
Daniel started in his pancakes.
"Don't be jealous, Alex. She doesn't make great pancakes like you do." He said enjoying his late breakfast.
"Mom made these pancakes." Alex informed him.
"No, wonder they're tastier."
Alex hit his arm.
"No, kidding. I love your pancakes more." He said and took another bite. "But these are tastier."
Alex glared at him.