Juho was sitting outside, while the doctor examined Kamou in her office. After some time, he was called inside. He sat there beside Kamou facing the doctor.
"It's nothing to worry. I have prescribed some iron supplements for the blood lost. However, you need to be cautious. Any kind of stress or nutritional deficiency can make things worse. You already are under medications. I know it's tough for you but you need to take care of your diet. Make sure you eat well." the gynecologist concluded.
She turned towards Juho, "I hope you take care of her. It seems fine for now, but this could be severe in the long term. Every healthy woman needs to have a regular cycle. I have also mentioned some painkillers she can take if the pain is unbearable. But it would take some time for it to get normal."
Juho was hearing every word she said attentively, mentally retaining everything she said.
"I understand. I will make sure she follows your instructions doctor. Thank you very much." With this Juho and Kamou got up, ready to exit the doctor's office.
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"Do you want to go somewhere and eat?" Juho asked Kamou. It was already dinner time and he knew she was hungry.
"I just want to go home and sleep."
"You haven't eaten. Remember what the doctor said, you have to eat well." He tried explaining.
After much persuasion she finally gave up, "Fine, let's order. I don't want to stay outside anymore. I want to go home."
Kamou ordered for food delivery while on the way. The restaurant was near her apartment and they had healthy food options available. They reached her apartment in couple of minutes and it didn't take long for the food to arrive.
It was Juho who collected the order as Kamou was in her room changing. When she came out in a fresh set of clothes, the food was already laid out on the table. Juho was sitting there waiting for her, so they could have dinner together.
The scene aroused different kinds of emotions within Kamou. A deep longing in her heart, she couldn't explain it. He left all his work for her, took care of her, saved her from the embarrassment, it made her happy. But soon her stubbornness took over her and she shrugged off these thoughts, unwilling to accept that her heart was melting for him.
Kamou went ahead and sat on the chair opposite to Juho, while he served her some ox bone soup. Slowly, they both were getting comfortable around each other. Not sure what they were, they were not in a relationship yet. Juho didn't confess his feelings and Kamou was having a hard time suppressing her new found emotions.
While eating, none of them bothered to start a conversation, there was peaceful silence. After dinner, Juho got up to leave, it was already nearing midnight. He had to start working early tomorrow to make up for all the work he rescheduled today.
Seeing his movement, Kamou held his arm, "It's late, you can sleep here."
All this time in his head, Juho was praying for this to happen. He wanted to stay and take care of her, but it would be too shameless of him to directly say that. Now that she offered him to stay, obviously he wasn't going anywhere.
"Are you sure?" He said trying to show some courtesy, hiding his eagerness.
"Yes. You helped me so much today. Also, you must be tired, I can't let you go like this. You should stay."
Juho nodded in agreement, while she went towards the guest room. "I'll prepare the guest room for you."
Soon they both got settled in their respective rooms. Kamou was peacefully sleeping in her room, where as poor Juho was wide awake. After sometime he got out of bed to check on her. He quietly went inside her room, making sure not to wake her up. She was deep into slumber, unaware of the presence in her room. Juho took a seat at her bedside, looking at her delicate features. It reminded him of the first night they spent together. Things were a lot different now, they were better, their relationship developed from one-night stand to maybe dating. Whatever was between them he wanted to give it a name. He wanted to express his love for her, no matter what she felt, he needed to get it out.
'I'll confess my feelings once you are back from London. I won't hold back this time.' He decided.
He sat there for a while before finally going back to the guest room.
********************************
Next morning, Kamou was in the kitchen busy preparing breakfast for them both. She was feeling a lot better from yesterday. Unsure of what he liked to eat; she decided to cook classic breakfast. She was making banana pancakes with home-made strawberry sauce, accompanied with coffee. At least she knew he liked coffee.
Hearing all the commotion outside, Juho woke up. He barely opened his eyes, when the sweet scent of pancakes filled his nose. Excited he got out of bed and reached the kitchen rubbing his eyes. He stood there at a distance, quietly watching her work. She was so engrossed in cooking; she didn't notice he was standing there. Moving around the kitchen, tasting the strawberry sauce whether it was ready while keeping an eye on the pancakes. Juho stood there smiling, capturing the scene deep in his memory.
"Good morning" He greeted after some while.
Kamou was taken aback by the sudden noise, but soon she collected herself. 'How long was he here?' she thought
"Morning", she said with a smile. "Go freshen up fast, food is almost done. I have placed everything you'll need in the guest washroom."
Soon they both were seated in the dining area, food laid in front of them on the table. Kamou eagerly waited for him to start eating first. The fact that Juho knew how to cook made her more insecure about her cooking. After a long time, she cooked for someone else and was eager for reviews.
Juho understood what she was thinking and was deliberately cutting the pancake slowly. He knew she was growing impatient, but he liked teasing her. He slowly took the first bite after what seemed like forever. Kamou eyes not leaving his face, studying his expressions carefully.
"It's good." he said maintaining a straight face, giving a small reply to annoy her further.
"Just good? Nothing else?" Kamou asked frustrated.
"The strawberry sauce is also well cooked." He replied casually.
At this point Kamou was burning inside. 'I cook him breakfast and that's all he has to say. I should have burned his pancakes.'
Not bothering to ask anything further she concentrated on her plate and started to eat. Juho on the other hand was completely enjoying his meal, his smile never leaving his face. The pancakes were indeed delicious and he would eat them every day, if only she cooked them for him.
After breakfast Juho was ready to leave, Kamou walked him to the apartment door. Still annoyed by the breakfast incident she casually said 'bye' to him without looking at him. Juho chuckled softly amused by the way she was acting up. He extended his arm and patted her head gently. Sensing the touch, Kamou immediately looked up at him.
"I'll drop you at the airport on Sunday, till then take care." With a wide smile on his face Juho said, affectionately, his hand still rested on her head.
Kamou was completely awestruck not sure what to say. Juho knew this woman was too stubborn, unbothered he turned around and left smiling. It was a great start for his day, he won the breakfast battle, she acted up, things were indeed going great.
Juho left and after a couple of minutes after processing what happened Kamou came back to senses. It made her heart flutter and she was blushing uncontrollably. She came inside closing the door, smiling like a fanatic.
'Get it together Kamou. You shouldn't fall for him so quickly. Not yet, it's not the right time. What if it ends just like it did for Taehee? You have to be sure before taking any step further.' She reasoned herself.