Uproar /PJM FF

Chapter 41

You unboxed the food you had brought her and set it on the wooden table she had in her living room as she had laid back on her couch where her blanket was when you had arrived in it. Elle had briefly explained her condition as you had asked her how come and she got sick so suddenly, letting you know that she too was not expecting to develop a fever out of nowhere and yesterday night she was still planning to come to work today but when she woke up in the morning she found herself unable to stand and after realizing and measuring her temperature, she had called off.

Her fever had varied from 40 degrees to 39 as it currently was and you had shown your worry to her to which she calmly responded that it was not something unusual and she does not need to go to the hospital as whenever she is to get a fever she usually gets this high but it always passes after a day or two of rest.

"Still don't you think that something may be causing this? Maybe a check-up wouldn't be a bad idea." You suggested and she smiled at you for a moment before she changed the subject to the food and commented how delicious it was looking.

"I hope you didn't spend a lot of money buying that." She added and you shook your head in denial, finding the price not that much of an issue in the situation.

"Don't mind about that. What you should be worrying about is your condition. Is there no one that can come look after you?"

"Unfortunately not. I  have always lived alone but I will be just fine, really." She sat up from her lying position and brought her blanket over her shoulders, intending to get up and go bring some plates and glasses so you could both share the food together but as soon as she tried to bring herself on her feet, she got dizzy and plopped back on the couch, making you rush by her side and take hold of her arm.

"Yeah, allow me to have my doubts about that one. Seriously though, no friend you can call to come over for a day or some family member? You don't seem in a condition to be left alone." You spoke your mind sincerely as you surely did not saw her condition as light as she was trying to make it sound nor were buying the strong facade she was trying to pull. It was normal to be weak when you are sick after all, so why did she found the need to cover that? Was she used to hiding or was it just the fact that she did not want to appear weak before you specifically because you did not know each other well yet?

"This may sound bad but I am not on good terms with my family nor do I have any friends. Let's just say that I have been too busy to socialize." She smiled at you trying once more to make her words appear lighter than they were and you just looked at her, unintentionally showing on your face the feeling of pity you felt for her at that moment, which made her smile fade and her head turn away from yours.

"What would you like to drink as we eat? Juice or simple water? I have three kinds of juice if you would like." She changed the subject once again as she forced herself to get up and this time managed to do so just fine, and walked away towards her kitchen, leaving you watching over her figure and how straight her posture was. 

"Water is fine" You replied while in your head you concluded that she surely was not from the people that liked to show weakness and most likely her pride was wounded by the fact that someone had to witness her at this condition so you decided to not bring attention to it anymore, hoping that this won't get awkward again as it felt at that instant.

Elle didn't take long to return with everything that was needed in a tray and you started random conversations in an attempt to make the mood better while you were sharing this meal together. You brought up everything you could, from the interior design of her apartment to the fact that it seemed a bit too spacious for just one person living here alone. She had agreed with you and had added that the rent was also pretty high for just one person to afford it but she thankfully had a well-paying job so she was able to pay well so far. A job she will soon not have so you couldn't help but ask her if she had thought of moving out after she was to officially quit from the office, for economical reasons and she didn't hesitate to admit to that.