Odel, who was caught in the rain, started to develop a fever. Her body trembled, making her three fiancés panic. As Daffin and Emilio added to the chaos, Clayton arrived, offering a warm drink and medicine. Odel took it with a slight sense of guilt; after being harsh to Clayton earlier, the usually quiet vampire ended up helping her.
"Thank you," Odel said.
"It's no problem. After all, I'm the one who caused you to get wet in the rain," Clayton replied as he stood up and sat a bit further away in the corner of the room.
"What do you mean? Did you take Odel out in the rain?" Daffin asked, misunderstanding the situation.
"Hey, you should know that a human's body is weaker than ours. Why did you let her get drenched when you had an umbrella?" Emilio asked in confusion.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for not taking better care of her," Clayton responded, unusually apologetic.
He apologized, and even his two fellow vampires shivered at his words.
"Is he sick too?" Emilio whispered to Daffin.
"I don't know. Ever since yesterday's incident, he's been acting weird!" Daffin replied.
Clayton sat quietly on the sofa, while Emilio and Daffin remained in the same room. Odel observed Clayton, realizing that he was secretly watching her too. His expression looked sad, unlike his usual self.
The next morning, Odel woke up feeling much better. Her fever had gone down, but she had already taken the day off from college. The house felt empty; she didn't see the three vampires in the living room. They might have gone to class.
Feeling hungry, Odel walked slowly to the kitchen. Her eyes landed on a bowl placed on the dining table, along with a small note.
"Eat up. I cooked this according to an online recipe. It's good for the flu. - Clayton."
Odel was surprised to find a bowl of warm porridge, with fish protein cooked together with a few vegetables. A warm drink was also prepared, along with medicine for the morning.
She took a bite; the porridge tasted delicious. Although it didn't look aesthetically pleasing, it seemed like Clayton had followed the recipe correctly. Despite her bitter taste buds from being sick, Odel found the meal palatable and finished it all.
Guilt crept in again; she had been so rude to Clayton yesterday. However, on the other hand, she felt happy when a normal human man like Adrian was sweet to her. Still, Odel was certain that her three vampire fiancés would never let any man get close to her.
Sighing, Odel returned to the living room. The long sofa where she had slept last night was surprisingly comfortable, although she knew that Clayton had been watching over her all night.
Beep!
A notification popped up on Odel's phone. She quickly picked it up to check. It seemed that Fiona had added her number to the student group chat. Odel scrolled through the list of members and was surprised to see that the three vampires had joined the group before she did.
"Wow, they're pretty social after all!" Odel muttered.
She scrolled up through the chat, noticing many girls were excited about the vampires joining. Odel scoffed when she saw several questions about her relationship with them. Even though the vampires didn't respond, Odel now knew that many girls in her class were interested in them.
"I wish those girls would ask them out and take them away from me! That would be the best!" Odel said.
But after saying that, she reconsidered. She remembered the strange, zombie-like humans around the vampire castle where she had once been held captive. Most likely, they were humans who had been bitten by vampires. Odel still didn't understand how they ended up like that. Could it be that her three vampire fiancés were responsible? Was it really safe for them to be around humans with warm blood that they liked so much? Odel started to feel worried.
Beep!
Another message came in, this time outside the group chat. Odel was quite surprised to see that it was from Adrian. He had gotten her number from Fiona and added her immediately. Upon learning that Odel was sick, Adrian sent her a message.
"Odel, are you okay? Do you need anything?" Adrian asked.
Excitedly, Odel quickly replied to his message.
"I have the flu, I have a slight cold, but the fever has subsided. I've taken my medicine, thank you," Odel replied. "Can I come to your house this afternoon? I'll bring you some food, is that okay?" Adrian asked with concern.Odel hesitated upon receiving the message. She felt unsure about inviting Adrian to the apartment she shared with three men. First, she didn't want Adrian to think she was an easy woman living freely with three men. Second, she was afraid Adrian might get into trouble if her three vampire fiancés found out that another man was approaching her.
However... Odel didn't want to waste Adrian's kindness. She started thinking, her finger hovering over the phone screen, but each time she typed a word, she deleted it again.
Since Odel didn't reply right away, Adrian sent another message. "Or, we can meet at the park near your neighborhood. Can you go out?" Adrian asked.
Feeling enlightened, Odel immediately agreed. "Alright, at the east park of Velmore Park, near the Boston Shopping Center. Do you know that area?"
"I know! I'll be there at one in the afternoon," Adrian replied.
"Okay!" Odel answered cheerfully.
Her heart fluttered. Even though Adrian just wanted to check on her, for Odel, it felt like her first date with a man.That afternoon, wrapped in a thick jacket, Odel walked towards the city park. She smiled when she saw Adrian already waiting on a park bench with a food box on his lap.
"Hey, you came!" Adrian greeted her, standing up and approaching Odel.
"Of course, I didn't want to keep you waiting too long," Odel replied with a small smile, though her face still looked pale.
They sat on the park bench, and Adrian immediately opened the food box he had brought.
"I brought you cereal, fruit, and some vitamins. You need to take care of your health, Odel."
Odel looked at the food with gratitude. "Thank you, Adrian. You didn't have to go through all this trouble."
"I want to make sure you're okay," Adrian said sincerely.
They chatted for quite some time. Odel laughed softly on several occasions, enjoying the moment despite still feeling weak. However, not long after, her face paled further, and her eyelids grew heavy.
Adrian noticed with concern. "You look even more tired. Should I take you home?"
Odel shook her head weakly. "I can go home by myself. I don't want to trouble you."
"Are you sure? It's fine, I can take you home, Odel. Don't push yourself," Adrian said, worried.
"I'll go home by myself, I can do it!" Odel insisted.
"Alright! Just call me when you get home," Adrian requested.
Odel nodded and walked home slowly, her eyes watery and her head spinning. Upon arriving at the apartment, her eyes immediately fell on Clayton, who was standing in front of the door with a serious expression.
"Where have you been?" Clayton asked in a cold yet worried tone.
Odel paused for a moment, then answered softly, "I just went out for a bit..."
Clayton sighed deeply, noticing the food bag. He assumed Odel had gone out to shop.
With a sigh, Clayton took the food bag from Odel, carried it inside, and opened the door for her.
"You're sick, Odel. Why are you wandering around? I prepared a healthy lunch for you, but you went out without telling me."
Odel lowered her head, feeling a little guilty. "I just wanted... some fresh air."
Clayton stared at her for a moment before suddenly reaching out to touch her forehead. His expression turned serious. "Your temperature is rising again! Why are you so stubborn?!"
Without another word, Clayton bent down and carried Odel in his arms.
"Hey! I can walk on my own!" Odel protested, but her body was too weak to resist.
"Just be quiet. You're sick! You should realize that you shouldn't be exerting yourself!" Clayton said firmly.
Clayton carried her to the bedroom, carefully laying her on the bed before quickly grabbing a warm compress. He sat beside Odel, gazing at her with a softer expression. "Get some rest. I'll take care of everything you need," he said while gently covering her with the blanket.Odel remained silent, staring at Clayton's face, which looked so serious yet full of concern. He prepared warm porridge and a drink on the bedside table. "Do you want me to feed you?" Clayton asked. "No, I can do it myself." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I can!" Odel replied, feeling flustered as she sat up against the bed.
Before she could take a bite of the porridge, her phone rang.
Odel swallowed hard—it could be a call from Adrian. She didn't dare to answer it and let it keep ringing. "You're getting a call. Why don't you answer it?" Clayton asked. "No need! I'll answer it later," Odel replied.
But the persistent ringing made Clayton curious. He picked up Odel's phone and saw Adrian's name on the incoming call. Without saying a word, Clayton accepted the call.
"Hello, Odel! Have you arrived home? Are you okay? Why aren't you answering my calls?" Adrian asked.
Beep!
Clayton ended the call and handed the phone back to Odel, his face filled with disappointment and anger.
"Clayton, I..." Odel tried to explain.
But instead of listening, Clayton walked out of the house and left.