Second Chances

thirteen

a l e x

"Oh my gosh, Luke, you're really hot," I exclaimed, sitting beside him on the sofa as we ate the food I made for dinner and watched some TV.

"Thanks," he winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Not like that. I think you have a fever."

"Not possible," he scrunched his eyebrows together. "I rarely get sick."

"Okay, let me feel your forehead," I motioned for him to bring his head closer.

"Just so you'll see that I'm not sick."

He followed my order, and I put my hand on his forehead. "Definitely a fever. You're burning up."

"I'm fine," he insisted, removing my hand from his forehead.

"No. I'm going to get you some medicine," I argued, getting up from the couch and placing my plate on the coffee table.

I went into my bedroom to look for some paracetamol. Luckily, I had a few left.

"Here, drink this," I handed Luke the medicine.

"I don't need it," he denied.

I groaned. "Please, Luke. You need to drink it so you get better."

"Fine," he reluctantly drank the medicine I gave him.

"Since you're done eating anyway, I think you should go home and rest," I advised Luke.

He looked at me, annoyed. "But I wanna stay with you."

I took his hand and pulled him up from the sofa. "We can do this again when you get better."

He hugged me and wouldn't let go when I tried to make him go home.

"Please?"

"Fine, but we'll continue this when I'm not sick anymore," he gave in.

"Promise," I vowed just as he finally let go of me.

"Call me when you get home and don't forget to take your medicine," I reminded him before I kissed his cheek.

"That's all I get?" he whined. "It sucks being sick."

I walked him out. "I don't want to get sick right now, Luke."

"Fine."

He left and went home after that, and about five or ten minutes after he left, he called me just like I asked him to.

The last few hours of my day were pretty uneventful aside from having to text Luke every so often to make sure he was resting and reminding him that it was best if he called in sick the next day.

Before I knew it, I was already in bed, giving myself a pep talk for the new week coming.

~~~~~

"Janet, what time is my last meeting today?" I inquired, walking out of the meeting room after finishing our contract signing with a new model.

"It starts at two and should be done by around three or three thirty," she spoke, looking at the planner in her hand. "Your mother will be there, along with the rest of the board."

I stopped walking. "Is it time for the quarterly business meeting already?"

"It was supposed to happen last week, but your mother had an emergency to handle in one of the New York stores," Janet confirmed my suspicions.

"Oh God, they're going to roast me alive again in there," I groaned.

Janet sighed at my nervousness. "One day, they will realize how capable you are and why your mother put you in the position you have."