Luca opened his eyes to the soft sound of cooking coming from the kitchen.
The comforting aroma of food filled the air, stirring his groggy senses. He slowly sat up, finding a cooling pad on his forehead and some medicine placed neatly on the side table.
Confused, he wondered who had discovered that he was sick. He hadn't told anyone, and when his aunt Larissa found out, she had only said she'd check on him after school. The same thing she did over the past few days.
'She's a bit early,' he thought as he staggered to the door, intending to gently remind her that he'd be fine on his own.
"I said I'll be fine, Aunt—"
His words trailed off in surprise when he saw who was actually in the kitchen.
Harmony glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression stern as she took in his pale face.
"If your fever rises, I'll be blamed for it. Go back to bed," she said flatly.
"What... are you doing here?" Luca asked, still trying to process the situation.
Harmony sighed, clearly exasperated.
"I didn't want to be here either. I was just returning your jacket to Miss Larissa, but she pushed me into coming here instead. She's swamped with paperwork. Now, go back to bed," she ordered.
Luca blinked in confusion but found himself mindlessly obeying her command, retreating to his bed. As he lay back down, his mind raced. His aunt was fiercely protective of him, especially given his unique background.
Knowing that she was the only one who had a key to his place, he couldn't help but wonder why she allowed Harmony to be there.
"Seeing as you managed to walk over there, I presume you can sit and eat properly," Harmony said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Finish this meal so you can take your medicine and then go back to sleep."
Luca's lips twitched as he listened to her. There was no warmth or gentleness in her tone, just a clinical detachment.
"Can't you be a bit more gentle since I'm sick?" he couldn't resist commenting.
Harmony's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You brought this on yourself. You gave me your jacket even though you're prone to getting sick, and you walked me home in the cold when I didn't ask you to. Then, you bought me medicine and vitamins instead of taking care of yourself. Your kindness is more frustrating than anything," she muttered.
Luca was momentarily speechless, not expecting to be scolded for his good intentions.
Before he could find a reply, Harmony placed a steaming bowl of porridge in front of him and said, "Eat."
Luca obediently ate the meal, his mind still spinning from the unexpected reprimand. Harmony stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him closely.
"You can sit down, you know," Luca suggested, gesturing toward a chair.
"I'm fine here," Harmony replied, her tone curt.
"I'm sorry," Luca said softly after finishing the meal.
"For what?" Harmony asked as she handed him his medicine.
"For causing you trouble."
"Then you know what to do in the future," she said, her voice firm.
Luca couldn't help but chuckle, "That stings a bit. I really hoped I could befriend you."
"I have no such plans at the moment. So, give up," Harmony replied bluntly.
Luca shrugged, deciding not to push the matter further.
Instead, he changed the subject, "Was my kindness really that frustrating?"
Harmony looked at him seriously, "It's frustrating that you ended up falling sick because of it."
Luca fell silent, absorbing her words.
"Don't be too kind, Atkinson. Too much kindness can bring pain. Look at you, your kindness brought you physical pain," she added, her tone softening slightly.
Then, without waiting for a response, she instructed him, "Go back to sleep. Reheat the porridge when you wake up and take your medicine."
She placed the spare key on his study table alongside his jacket.
"I'll leave the spare key here, along with your jacket. Now, all our connections are over. Let's not get involved anymore."
Luca watched her leave, the finality of her words sinking in. As the door closed behind her, he sighed deeply.
"She can be cruel with her words," he muttered before lying back down.
It was better not to dwell on it too much.
…
Later that night, Larissa woke Luca up.
"You should eat a bit more so you can take another dose of medicine. It's been four hours since your last one."
Luca noticed that his fever had gone down considerably, and he felt much lighter than earlier. As he got up, Larissa placed a reheated bowl of porridge in front of him.
"I reheated the porridge she made, but I must say... you're quite lucky to have gotten to eat it."
Luca looked at her, confused.
Larissa smiled knowingly, "I tasted it and realized there were herbs in the porridge. As a doctor who also studies traditional medicine, I recognized what she used. It's quite remarkable that she knew about them as well."
Luca blinked in surprise. He hadn't noticed anything special about the porridge, other than its slightly different taste.
"She knows more than what she lets on," Larissa mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Luca's thoughts drifted back to Harmony.
"Why did you let her come here?" he asked seriously.
"Because she was different," Larissa replied honestly.
Luca furrowed his brows, "Different how?"
"She wasn't trying to get close to you with some ulterior motive. She had a very simple and innocent reason for being here."
"She told me she didn't even want to be here," Luca pointed out.
Larissa chuckled, "Yes, she was just returning your jacket. But, my dear nephew, you know how easily you get sick, especially after that performance. Yet, you still gave her your jacket and walked her home?"
Luca looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed, "I noticed she was sneezing a lot and thought she might get sick on her way home since her clothes got wet because of the play. It was late, and it seemed better for her to have someone with her."
"But you ended up getting sick instead," Larissa noted with a sigh.
Luca couldn't argue with that.
"Still, it worked out. I was worried you wouldn't get better quickly, but you've improved much faster than usual. That young lady is a blessing," Larissa said, patting his head gently.
Luca finished the porridge and took his medicine, his thoughts still lingering on Harmony.
"By the way," Larissa added.
"Your parents want you to come home. Your sister's birthday is coming up, and they want you to help with the preparations."
Luca checked his phone, realizing he hadn't touched it since he got sick.
"They could have messaged me… or, maybe they did."
"They almost came here themselves, but I managed to convince them not to," Larissa said, rolling her eyes.
As Luca scrolled through his messages, he saw a few from Kenneth and the others wishing him a speedy recovery, several from his worried family, and one from someone he admired.
The message, sent the day after the school festival, read: 'You were great in your performance. Your partner was even greater. The story was also quite something. Who wrote it?'
After some thought, Luca replied, 'Someone who will reveal themselves when they're ready.'
He understood that Harmony wasn't hiding, but given her words, he decided to respect her wishes and keep her involvement discreet for now.