'Sometimes we are expected to do things that we don't even have within ourselves but we still need to go with the flow because our responsibilities require us to do so.'
Driving to the embassy feels dull, I feel like a long ride with windows rolled down, and classic music in the background is what I need at the moment.
After dropping Lucas off at his house and after going from east to west and back in the middle with him drained all my energy for the day. I feel like canceling today's work and just going for a ride or better going to bed, either of them but not this.
For the first time, the sight of the embassy didn't excite me as it usually did, I parked the car and stared at it but it felt dull just like me.
It looks like any other house.
I sigh pick my backpack from the bag and make my way to it.
I first walk to the cafeteria and order an iced mocha mixed with chocolate before walking to Kai's office.
I knock on the door as I always do but I don't get something. I know it's not like Kai at all to ignore me
or someone at the door.
I frown when I realize that maybe he is not here and he could have forgotten to tell me again this time too as he did me last time.
I open the door and sneak my head in, am surprised by what I find in the office.
A tall, big, muscled figure is curled in one of the sofas located in the office.
A small blanket is laid on the body and with perfectly opened eyes, I can see the body shivering.
I put my bag pack on the floor and walked to Kai.
"Hey," I call rushing to him, he has his eyes closed but when he feels my touch he opens them. The usual mysterious blue eyes look pale for the first time since I've known them.
He looks at me and says nothing, I look at him too, and realize that he is sweating.
I pull the sleeves of my cardigan and try to wipe his skin but a gasp escapes from me when I feel how burning his skin is.
I pull the hand away from his face and cover it over my open mouth. 'What happened to him?'
"Oh my God Kai? You have a burning fever. Are you okay? Why haven't you visited any doctor already?" He sniffles as he is trying to sit back properly.
"What time is it?"
He asks and I frown at how his voice isn't sounding with the same deep, masculinity that it's always had.
I look at my watch and look back at him. "It's ten minutes to four." He raises his hands to his face and releases a silent groan. "I need to work."
"Kai, are you serious? Do you even see yourself?" I ask but he ignores me.
He tries to get on his feet but I push him back on the sofa.
"You are not working in this state. For how long have you been laying here like this?"
"Am okay Samantha." He says and I frown not liking how he is acting at all. "Please stop, you are seriously not okay. At least give me a chance a doctor to prove me wrong." He nods lazily and asks for his phone which I hand to him.
He makes a call and I realize it's Miss Smith, my father's secretary he is talking to.
He gives back his phone and I put it on the table beside us.
He lays back in his seat and I frown.
I don't know what he talked about with Miss Smith but not so long there is a knock on the door and when he calls whoever is on the other side of the door Miss Smith and a white man walk in together.
But with the man's equipment, I can easily know that he is a doctor.
"Trenton, the doctor you requested is here." Miss Smith says and I find myself hating and thinking more about how she just addressed Kai.
'Are they close or something? They seem to be at the same age gap but God I hate something being between them by just thinking of it.'
He clutches in his seat trying to sit upright, I walk to him getting ready to help him but he denies my help.
He raises his head and looks at Miss Smith. "Miss Smith, it's Mr Royal for you, please refrain yourself and understand more your office manners."
'Owwwwwwww.'
I feel myself cheering insanely and loudly in my heart.
I never knew Kai had this attitude toward himself, oh but I remember being in the same shoes as her in my case, he wasn't this rough.
After his words, the office is filled with an awkward silence before Miss Smith composes herself and slowly mutters.
"Yes sir,"
He turns to look at the doctor and then to me and Miss Smith.
"May we be excused?"
"Yes Mr Royal," I say and turn to stare at Miss Smith who is nodding her head too.
We walk out leaving Kai and the doctor to their privacy.
I don't say a word to her and she neither. I turn and make my way to the cabin still wondering about the hell of a day I just had.
Am still in my thoughts wondering where to go from here when the office phone rings.
I snap out of my thoughts and pick it up.
"Samantha come back to my office please?" I don't get to reply because I hear the line end in my ear.
I want to scoff at his rudeness but I excuse him for his sickness.
'Maybe he is under medication influence.'
I walk to his office and am about to knock when the doctor opens the door and walks out.
We look at each other as he walks by me passing me a small respective nod which I reply with one of my own.
I walk to Kai's office and somehow he looks a little energized from how I left him earlier.
He is still sitting on the sofa where we left him, he raises his head and looks at me.
"Am sorry but there won't be any work today." He says weakly at me and I shrug.
"It's no problem, Mr Royal, I was worried you would say the opposite." He nods gets on his feet and stops midway to look at me.
"Do you mind offering me a ride?"
I don't question that I just nod my head at him.
He nods his head for a second time for me.
I nod also without saying anything to him and walk back out to my office to retrieve my belongings.
I quickly pick up my phone from the table and my school bag pack before walking back out.
I meet with Kai walking out and I step in his pace as we make our way out of the office.
It's not our first time walking out together or driving in the same car so today it's no different.
We get in my car and as he is putting on a seat belt he says to me. "Radisson Blu Hotel."
I start the car.
"Is that where you live?"
"Just drive Samantha."
I nod my head and just do what like am told to do so. He seems weak and I don't want to add to his weakness or worse get myself a yelling like that Miss Smith just took.
The drive to Radisson Blu Hotel is short because it's not located far from the embassy.
I park at the parking lot of the hotel and when Kai turns to get out from the passenger door, I also get out from my side and walk to him.
He looks at me and I do the same, he raises his hand scratches the back of his head, and asks.
"Samantha?" I nod my head at him encouragingly to keep going.
"Please do not take this the wrong way but I left the meds the doctor prescribed me in my office. Do you mind going back to pick them up for me?"
I try to get why he would be apologizing for making use of his secretary and find none.
I just turn to him and smile a simple smile at him.
"I...I got it." I say and then turn to walk back into the car.
I put the car back on the road and head to the embassy, I don't stop to talk to anyone.
I walk to Kai's office and I find a package of medicine on his table.
I picked them up and walked back to the car and drove to the hotel.
I park in the parking lot and turn off the engine, Kai is gone but it's not like I thought of him waiting for me here.
I make my way out of the parking lot to the lobby as am dial his number.
He picks it up when it's about to stop ringing.
"Come up to floor number 3 then room 10 to your left." He hangs up after that and I scoff at his rude actions.
'Why doesn't he think that maybe I called to ask where he left his medicine." I roll my eyes at him wanting to be stubborn and call him back to ask him where he left his medicine but I know that except for it to look childish. I shouldn't be playing with an ill patient either way.
I walk to where he told me and I find the door unlocked.
I hesitate at first wondering what am doing. 'Am about to enter a hotel room where there is a grown-up man.'
Is it wise that I am here? No.
Am I scared? Yes.
Am I being childish? Of course yes.
'Maybe I should just leave the meds on the door and just go. Being in a hotel room with a man would not be so wise, how do I know he lives alone or not with a bunch of perverted other men?'
I can feel my mind run insane for sure. 'Am I calling Kai a perverted man seriously?'
My phone rings from my hand and I almost drop it from my hands as it scares me.
I answer the call without even checking who it is.
"Get in Samantha I won't murder you."
"Ye…..es Mr Royal," I say stuttering wondering how he knew I was having an inner fight within myself in front of his door.
'Was I loud? Does he have some hidden camera somewhere or something?'
I shake my head before any weird thoughts barge in and walk in.
I take my time to have a look at his room but apart from its comfortable and suite-like decoration provided by the hotel, nothing else is out of the ordinary.
I walk to stand at the opened carters door and am amazed by the view he gets of the small city from here.
The hotel is surrounded by a design of plastic lengthened railings colored in different colors of yellow, red, orange to many more different colors from the first floor to the last one in a vertical way.
Looking at it from the outside looks ridiculously beautiful but being on the inside, God it's so creative and amazing.
It adds a warm touch to the view of the outside.
The door to my right cracks open and I turn to look at Kai as he walks out with a still dripping wet hair from the shower and walks to where am standing.
"May I?" He asks and I frown, my mind running in circles of what he could be referring to.
"You what?" I found the words out of my mouth before I could swallow them. I raise my eyes to look in his and I find some amusement in them if am not confused.
"May I have my medicine please?"
"Oh yeah, you may," I say handing them to him and pulling my hand away quickly before it touched his.
I turn and am captured by the view as Kai walks away from me.
It's not long after I hear him walk back to his room but I don't turn to look at him. I've always been a big fan of adventures but more especially that looked at from the top.
I stand there for a long doing nothing but just staring and thinking.
The sun starts setting and it brightens up the sky beautifully with a color of a dark orange taking over the sky.
I reach for my phone and capture the beautiful sight of the sky adding the lined plastics surrounding the hotel in the picture.
It looks good and today, I don't stop myself from posting it on my story on Instagram.
I share it with a song by Khalid and Normani called Love Lies.
I set the phone back in my bag pack and it's not more than five minutes when my phone starts to ring.
As I reach for it, I realize it's my father this time.
"Hello, Dad."
"Hello, darling."
He greets back and I nod at it.
"Lily Samantha, where are you at?" The question sounds ridiculous because it's not like my father at all to pry in our lives but I think he could be wanting something and not prying.
"I just dropped Kai at his house, he was sick."
"Great, can you come home then?"
"Sure."
"Drive safely."
"Yeah, Dad."
We hang up and I frown.
The last time my mother told me to come home like that she told us she was going back to America and asked me if I wanted to go back with her, now I wonder what is it with my father this time.
I realize that it got late, I pick up my bag pack from the floor and put it on my back as I walk to Kai's room to check on him before I go.
Surprisingly but not so surprising again his room is neat, as I look around I realize he is sleeping in the king-sized bed. He is not snoring but his breath is coming out hard maybe it's due to the flu.
I step in walk to his side and sit down at a small place beside him.
He looks cute and much more handsome than when he is awake.
He is lying facing on my side where am sitting, he has covers clutched tightly in his palm under his neck with his right hand laying under his head in bend form.
I look at him and I don't know why I feel so many emotions run through my body. If I hadn't come to work as I wanted to skip work what would have been of him?
He went to work knowing he was sick and then after getting more sick, he slept in his office without asking for help from anyone.
I suddenly realize maybe he has no one here to ask for help and he plays it cool and fine like he always does. 'Seriously what is it with you Kai?'
I remember him telling me that he moved back to America when his mother got separated from his father leaving his father and sister in Toronto.
'He is here alone.'
I reach forward wanting to touch my hand on his stumble but I freeze midway realizing what am doing. 'What am I doing?'
As if it's electrified I pull it away and turn my head to the side with my heart beating so fast and quickly in my chest. 'Am I crazy?'
I pull myself together and sigh before I stand up to leave but I feel a hand holding me back.
I turn to realize it's Kai's hand gripping my wrist.
I look at him but his eyes are still closed, I look back at his hand on my wrist and I feel something where he is holding it.
His hands are cold but where is holding feels like it's burning.
I look at it again but I realize that he could be dreaming probably so I pull my other hand to free my hand from his grip but he pulls it and inter-twins our hands.
"Don't go." He says and I look at his closed eyes. "Please don't, not you too Samantha."
'Not you two Samantha." Those words come out as a whisper but in my head, they are loud and so clear as they are replayed and replayed so many times over and over again.
I sit back down and use my free hand to caress his cheek.
"Am not leaving Kai," I say to him but he still doesn't free my hand.
He just lays there with my other hand caressing slowly his cheek and running it up in his short and so short blonde hair.
It takes some other time before I hear his hard breaths I know his fallen asleep again.
I slip my hand from his hold and get out of his room and the hotel before I fall asleep with him.
My dad would kill me if I spent the night out without telling him or Mom.
It's getting to seven, I get in my car and drive home.
As I reach there the house is quiet as if there isn't anybody home but I know they are.
Dad's and Sav and Yarrow's car are parked here so I know everyone is here.
'Funny how am the one getting home late here most of the time while in America I was the one not leaving my room.'
The world does change and so do its people for sure.
The living room and the kitchen are empty so I know everyone must be in their rooms, going upstairs music is blasting from Sav's room.
I walk to mine and go for a hot bath before anything else.
I put on my Bluetooth in my ear and go in the bath playing my favorite artist's songs Shawn Mendes thinking again on 'Not You Too Samantha.'
The water runs cold when am still in there and when it starts sneezing me, I get out and walk to my closet for a pair of clean pajamas.
I plug my phone and walk downstairs, am met with Yarrow with his friend Omar.
I smile at his friend and pass him a hi before walking into the kitchen.
Mom is in there cooking for us dinner, I walk to her and kiss her on the cheek. "Ei ma."
"Good evening Lily Samantha." I nod to her greeting. "What are you making for us?"
"Pasta."
"Ow." I moan out in pleasure just thinking of the pasta that Mom makes. "I just got a hundred times hungrier than I already was," I say and she laughs.
My mom is a great cook, she told us she learned most of it from grandma who in her early years was a chef but I can say mom would be a chef too due to her skills if she wanted.
Maybe she should think of opening up an American restaurant here if being here becomes a long run.
"Where is Dad?"
"In his home office."
I nod as I pat my mother on her back slowly. "Am going to go and check on him." She just nods and I make my way to his home office located in the hallway beside Yarrow's room.
I knock twice before I get a come-on-in, I smile at how familiar this gesture has become with me.
I walk in and walk to where he is sitting and gulf him in a crash-bearing hug.
"Daddy I missed you." He touches his hands over my arms on him.
"I missed you too darling." I kiss him on the cheek and pull my hands away.
"Why are you working, didn't you finish the emergency work?"
He nods. "We did, me and your boss worked on it but this is my pending work." I nod understandingly.
"Yeah you worked on it, he got a cold from it and what you got is being here all energetic still doing your work." He chuckles before turning to face me. "Is that a complaint Lily Samantha that your boss is sick and your father isn't?" He asks and I frown. 'Did I sound like that? Am I complaining about my boss who is sick to my dad who is healthy?'
I shake my head and purse my lips.
"No, no Dad it's nothing like that."
He nods and goes back to work.
"I thought so." I don't know if he is being sarcastic or serious but I just shrug it off either way.
"Mom is making pasta, hurry before we finish it off," I say and storm out of his office.
I lean on his door and breathe out.
'Am I crazy?' I walk back to the kitchen and set the dining table for my mother.
We call the others and we get to enjoy a simple supper as a family again before we call it a night.
I walk to my room but Sav comes following.
"Hey, are you busy?" I turn to look at her and shake my head. "No am just going to bed."
She walks into my room. "Okay, I will be quick." I nod.
"I wanted to ask you about the picture you posted on your Instagram story."
"What is it?" I walk and sit on my bed and turn to face her. "Could you take me there?" She asks and I nod thinking of taking her to the restaurant there because it has an amazing menu.
"I know it's not in the embassy of America tho." She says again and I turn to look at her in the eyes.
Somehow those words from her sound like they are accusing.
Before I have a chance to answer her, she quickly adds. "Anyway let's go this weekend, Goodnight Sam."
She rushes out of my room. I stay behind muttering her back a Goodnight when she is nowhere to be found. "Night sav."
I get in bed but knowing why I get a weird bad feeling from what my sister just said.
I don't get to dwell on it much, I just shrug it off thinking that maybe am being ironic for nothing, and get to bed.
In the morning after my morning jog, before I get into the shower, a text comes through on my screen phone.
Kai: Good morning Samantha.
Thank you for yesterday!
May I count a ride to work from you?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~