As the morning arrived, Solanne was still in bed, rotting away. She looked at the time. It's already 10. She woke at 4 in the morning; she didn't sleep afraid of the nightmare because every time she closed her eyes, the image was still there. It was vivid. And it's haunting her.
Her eyes were puffy, and her body did not want to do anything.
She feels tired. Her body is heavy. She felt like everything was spinning.
'What is it now?' She mumbled, annoyed. Her mood wasn't good, and everything was just so annoying to her.
Her head felt heavy, and her throat was dry.
Water. She needs water.
Gathering all of her strength to stand up, Solanne made it out of her bed. Still, everything feels too overwhelming, and she's dizzy. She can feel her warm breath, and it's cold. It's too cold for summer.
'Damn it! Fever? At times like this?' She whispered in a hoarse voice. Still, no one will save her if she acts weak and fragile like this.
Solanne started to walk using the walls as her support.
One step… two steps.
Her breathing becomes too heavy. She was coughing so badly.
Still, she needs water.
With her heavy steps, she struggled to go downstairs. Thankfully, through her persistence, she managed to arrive at the kitchen. She saw the two cats, and without hesitation, still feeling her body ache, she crouched down, afraid to cough, thinking that the cats would catch her cold.
Solanne grabbed the food bowls and made some food for them. She then replaced their water. When she put down the bowl, Solanne aggressively turned her head away from her food and covered her mouth.
She was coughing again. It hurts. It burns. And her eyes were watering.
Water. She needs water.
Without any hesitation, and because of her desperation, Solanne crawled to the kitchen sink and used it to stand up; grabbing a pitcher, she transferred the water only to half of the container.
She needs it, and she can't always come down and drink, isn't she?
Solanne heard the door upstairs open, and she could hear his footsteps.
She ignored him. She can't cook right now. She's still annoyed. Besides, they do not talk to each other anyway.
She tried to lift the pitcher with trembling hands, yet even that was a struggle for her. She's almost near her limit.
The sound of Yael's footsteps was becoming clearer and more apparent, yet she was still focused on lifting the pitcher up.
"One… two," She mumbled repeatedly, trying to connect her brain to her limbs that seemed to yell at her, wanting to give up.
She can't.
"Hey!" it's Yael's voice. He was standing at the end of the stairs. It seemed that he just woke up; his hair was still messy.
Solanne was annoyed. She doesn't want to hear anything.
"Hey?" Yael asked again. Solanne, who was occupied, tried her best to lift the pitcher. Through her desperation, she managed to raise it, only to see it flying out of her hands.
Her eyes widened; she thought the pitcher of water fell to the floor, yet she felt a cold hand touching her forehead as if it were only natural.
She was breathing heavily as she looked up. Yael towered over her, hands on her forehead, and the other held the pitcher.
Close… he's too close that Solanne can smell his scent.
She bit her lips and took a step backward.
"He-"
'Slap!'
She slapped his hand off her forehead. 'Do not touch me!'
Ah… it's annoying. Everything was. Why can't people just leave her alone?
"You dare to say that when you're burning with fever?" Yael eyed her as if she had gone insane.
Does he even care?
Perhaps she was really insane experiencing those nightmares. Are the heavens punishing her? Is this her karma?
These are all unnecessary thoughts.
Solanne sarcastically scoffed. She can feel her body trembling as she feels cold. "Since when did you care?"
"Wha-"
"I'm loud and annoying, right?" Solanne can still feel the bitterness. Although she knew that he was not accountable for whatever Yael said in her dreams because that was part of her mind, Solanne didn't have the ability to think rationally now that she was burning like this.
She wanted to rest.
She wanted to sleep.
She just wants everything to stop.
"What?" Yael grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. He was glaring at her. "When and where did you hear that?" He said, his voice sounding like he was accusing her of a crime.
"Ouch!" Solanne was nearing her limits.
"Answer me." He hissed.
"Stop!" Solanne shouted to the top of her lungs that her throat burned. "I was so kind to you! I treated you nicely!" Something inside her snapped. After that dream last night, she felt like she was on the edge of the cliff and no one could save her. And when Yael's voice pierced through her heart, that was the last straw. She can't do this anymore.
She can feel her tears rolling through her cheeks.
Ah, she doesn't care anymore.
"What crime did I ever do to you to treat me like this?" Cough. "I just met you last week. I was trying my best. I was trying… my… best," Solanne cried like a child. She cried and called as if she was telling her mom all of the harsh things the world had done to her.
"I'm sorry," She mumbled. Yael was surprised by the sudden outburst. Solanne turned away and went straight to her room. She didn't know when she found the energy to do so, yet what she wanted right now was to rest.
Sleep.
Perhaps everything will be okay if she sleeps.
--
When Yael heard the loud sound of the door being closed, he snapped back to his reality.
"What the fuck did I just do?" He asked himself. He was also stressed by his dreams; besides, he only thought that he was the one experiencing them.
He never told her his thoughts, so why?
Still, despite any reason, he was the one at fault here. She has a fever. It's a very terrible one at that. Looking at the pitcher he was holding, she seemed to want to drink some water, yet because of him, she abandoned the idea.
He sighed and put the pitcher down. He glanced down, seeing the two cats looking at him like he had done something heinous.
"Yes, I know," He sighed, defeated. Still, they did not change their disappointed look.
Heaving his breath, he grabbed a small cup and the pitcher and headed upstairs.
He summoned all of his courage to knock at Solanne's door, thinking of ways to apologize, yet after 5 minutes of knocking, there was no answer.
'Is she asleep?'
Trying his luck, he twists the door knob. His brows perked up, seeing that it was unlocked. 'Perhaps she's really asleep.'
Yael slowly pushed the door open, only to see Solanne lying in bed without any blanket. It looks like she just laid in bed without any care and fell asleep fast. He sighed and put down the pitcher.
He then grabbed her blanket and covered her. Her eyes were still red, and there were still traces of tears. Even her cheeks were pink.
Right, he's definitely the one at fault here.
He touched her forehead. 'She's definitely burning.' He thought as he looked around the room.
His room and hers are similar. This room has more feminine vibes because of her things. From her desk, he can see her laptop and phone. She also has some books, and her care products were there.
This room also smells like her. The longer Yael stays, the more he can smell the comforting waves of vanilla. There was something different: his senses were drawn to this room. It's warm and inviting, like the soft embrace of pastries after they finish baking.
He sighed and went towards his room. He knew that he had packed some medicines, so he went and grabbed them. It didn't take him a while to return, only to see Solanne's eyes wide open.
She blinks, eyes staring at Yael at her door's entrance. There was silence between them, and Yael felt like he was caught red-handed. What to say?
She softly laughs. She still feels drowsy. Everything was spinning to her.
"What a hallucination," she mumbled enough for him to hear.
He felt like the load lifted off his chest. He enters the room. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"No," Solanne's voice was soft and hoarse.
"I have meds here. Have you eaten?" Yael put down the meds beside the pitcher of water. He then shifted his gaze to her.
"No."
"…."
"Well, I do not know how to cook." He admitted.
A chuckle. "I know."
Yael can feel his ears heat up. "Is it okay for you if I can only cook noodles?"
"Yes."
There was silence between them again. "I want to apologize." He said almost like a whisper. "It's just that I've been dreaming of some ridiculous thing."
"Well,"
Before Solanne could answer back, he turned around. This time, he's the one who needs to cook.
--