In the living room, two people sat at opposite ends of the couch, both staring at the TV screen with a forced concentration that betrayed the tension in the air.
Chloe Grace let out a long sigh, stretched her arms above her head, and slumped back onto the couch, her legs stretched out carelessly. She didn't seem to care whether her feet might bump into Blaine Jackson, who was sitting at the other end. Blaine, pretending to keep his focus on the television, occasionally glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his brows furrowed slightly. Finally, he turned toward her.
"Chloe, are you feeling unwell?" he asked, his voice tinged with genuine concern.
"I'm not dying, if that's what you're worried about," Chloe replied lazily, her tone dismissive.
Blaine's eyebrows lifted slightly in disbelief as he shifted closer to her. Ignoring her attempt to dodge his touch, he reached out to feel her forehead.
"Chloe, what's your problem? You've been acting weird since lunch. If you're mad at me, just say it. Stop being so difficult."
"I'm not mad at you," she muttered, turning away. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep, and I'll be better."
But even as she said it, the bitterness in her chest grew. The image of Blaine carefully handling that makeup set earlier and his offhand remark—"She's just my friend's little sister, and I promised to look after her"—kept replaying in her mind.
That's all she was to him: a favor he was repaying. He'd made it clear from the beginning. And yet, over time, he had treated her with more kindness, more warmth. Was she just imagining things? Was she letting herself hope for something that wasn't there?
"That won't do," Blaine said firmly, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I promised Lily I'd take care of you. I'm not going to ignore you if you're unwell." He leaned forward, placing his hand on her forehead again. "You're still a little warm. I'll get some medicine."
"Don't!" Chloe blurted, grabbing his arm as he started toward her bedroom. "I'm fine, really. I don't need medicine."
His lips twitched in amusement. "Are you afraid of taking medicine?" He tried to sound serious, but the teasing smile tugging at his mouth betrayed him.
Chloe glared at him, her lips pursing in defiance. "Is it weird to hate medicine? When I was little, my grandma used to bribe me with candy to get me to take it. Later, when I lived with my sister, she'd let me pick out something I wanted as a reward."
"So, what you're saying is, I need to bribe you to take medicine now?" Blaine's smirk widened, a playful glint in his eyes.
"I didn't say that!"
"Well, we're out of candy. What about the brown sugar for coffee?" He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're like a little kid."
"Excuse me?" Chloe shot him a withering look. "I've been an adult for years now, thank you very much." She released his arm and stomped toward her bedroom.
Blaine followed, still grinning. "Let me guess—you want me to let you buy something you like in exchange for taking your medicine?"
"I'm not that immature," Chloe snapped, refusing to look back at him. "And besides, I have my own money."
He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway as she tried to retreat. "Then what's it going to take to get you to take the medicine? I don't understand why this is such a big deal. It's your body—you're the one who's going to feel miserable if you don't get better."
Chloe paused, her hand resting on the edge of her bed. She turned her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.
"Chloe, can you stop looking at me like that?" Blaine said warily.
Her smile grew brighter—too bright. "I was just wondering… if I take the medicine, will you agree to one condition?"
"No way," Blaine said immediately. "I'm not falling for whatever trick you're planning. Forget it." He turned to leave.
"Coward!" Her taunt stopped him in his tracks.
He spun around, narrowing his eyes at her. "Miss Grace, if you think using reverse psychology will work on me, you're sorely mistaken."
Chloe shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "You're right. I shouldn't have tried to provoke you. I know you wouldn't dare agree to my condition anyway. My mistake." She climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over her head, hiding a sly grin.
Blaine stared at her for a long moment.
"Fine," he sighed at last. "What's your condition?"
Her head peeked out from under the blanket, her face flushed. "If… if you kiss me, I'll take the medicine."
Blaine froze, her words hanging in the air between them.
"Forget it!" Chloe muttered quickly, retreating back under the blanket.
"Chloe Grace," Blaine said slowly, moving closer. "Do you even realize what you just said?"
Of course she did. The words had come out of her own mouth, hadn't they? But now that they were out in the open, she couldn't bring herself to repeat them.
"Chloe!" Blaine yanked the blanket off her, glaring at her with exasperation. "Are you trying to suffocate yourself under there?"
"Leave me alone!" Chloe shouted, glaring back at him with watery eyes.
"Look, I'm trying to take care of you—"
"But I don't want this kind of care!" Chloe cut him off, her voice cracking. "I like you, Blaine! I've liked you for five years! Don't you get it?!"
The room fell into stunned silence.