Oblivion

7| Obstacle

JOSEPHINE

The curtains were still closed when I woke up, but the room began to be lit by the sun. "I'm warm," flashed through my mind. Confused, I needed a moment to return from whatever world I had just woken up from. But it was real; I actually felt warm.

"Domenico?" I whispered quietly so as not to disturb him while he was typing. To my surprise, he looked straight up and put his phone in his bag. I couldn't believe he stayed there all night. He must be terribly tired! But nothing about him gave away the long night that lay behind us, except for his hair, which was a bit disheveled. That was all. I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried to get rid of the dry feeling.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, handing me the glass on the nightstand without waiting for an answer. Then why did he even ask? I thanked him and had to pull myself together not to gulp it down immediately. "How are you doing?"

"Good, really good. I'm a little warm, but otherwise good." And it was true; I felt really good. "How long did I sleep?"

Domenico looked at his watch. "Three hours. Are you hungry? Breakfast has already been served, but I asked them to wait until you were awake again." It was hard for me to imagine him asking for something politely. Until now, he had always been quite the opposite. He looked me over. "Is there anything you want to say, Tiny?"

Oh. I felt my cheeks getting warmer as the rest of my body and my heart briefly stumbled. "No. But food would be nice! Have you eaten yet?" I tried to distract him. That being said, I was really hungry.

"Josephine." My attempt was unsuccessful, but I couldn't tell him he was impolite! That would be totally rude. And besides, I wasn't even there, so maybe he had really asked nicely. I made the mistake of looking at him, but immediately looked away when I saw his piercing gaze. If at all possible, I blushed even redder. "I'm waiting."

"How do you ask someone for a favor?" I asked cautiously.

"Nicely." He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "And then my request will be fulfilled. Just like I would have nicely asked you if you hadn't stayed with us voluntarily." I swallowed, and for the second time since we met, he laughed. "Don't worry. Luckily it didn't come to that. So how about you ring the bell so someone comes over, and I'll text Vito that you're awake. Please," he added with a grin. I hesitated. The bell was only for emergencies, and eating breakfast really didn't count as one; the staff certainly had enough to do. Someone would definitely come soon, so I could wait until then to eat. But what about Domenico? He was probably hungry too, and after all, he had already missed out on enough sleep! I looked from the doorbell to the door, hoping that someone would magically walk in and save me from having to make a decision. "Is there a problem with the button that just has to be pressed?"

"It's not an emergency. I can't ring the bell if it's not an emergency!" I doubted he could understand my inner conflict. Domenico didn't strike me as the type of person who cared about what others thought of him. He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, but then turned away and walked to the door. "What are you doing?" I asked uncertainly.

"I'll go to the front desk and get our breakfast and maybe a nurse to free you from all the cables. Is that okay, or will this also cause an apocalypse?" He looked at me annoyed, and I cursed myself for my insecurity.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, but he waved me off and disappeared.

It wasn't long before he came back with a nurse. Both carried a tray; he had a cup and some fruit, while the woman had a bowl on top. The bowl seemed to be for me since she came to my bed with it and placed it on the nightstand. Maybe there would be pudding again! "Good morning, Miss Marini. How are you?" What had she said?