A Lover of Rain

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:

The thought of having feelings for someone has always been scary especially when it's for a friend. It wasn't the first time when I got confused on what I feel for Eric since there were moments during the first two years of our friendship where I couldn't get him out of my head. Kylo wasn't in my life during that time since we had a falling out, and I haven't met Julian yet. I didn't want to admit it to myself since the moment you think about these blossoming feelings for someone, the more it would become real. I kept telling myself that I only see him as a friend, and somehow that became my reality. I nipped the bud right before it blossomed into a flower, and yet it didn't stop itself from growing all over again.

After Kylo took me home, I found Maya lying down on the couch with some medicines and a jar of water on the center table. She was comfortably sleeping with her furry blanket which made me walk carefully around the house so I wouldn't disturb her. I knew she wasn't feeling well since last night because of her tonsillitis but I didn't know it would give her the fever two days before Jae's basketball championship tournament this Sunday. I removed the damp small towel from her forehead to wet it with cold water before placing it back in her temple. I stayed for a few hours with Shay to take care of her before I gave in to my exhaustion.

When I woke up the next morning, Maya was still on the couch taking a rest and the other people in the house hadn't woken up yet. I was still tired from traveling to Batangas back and forth on the same day, yet I woke up at seven in the morning to take care of Maya. Her fever had died down but she still needed to continue taking medicine so it wouldn't come back. I put on a headband to avoid strands of my hair from covering my eyes while I was reading one of her cookbooks, trying to figure out how to make a decent soup for her to eat before taking meds. I was focused on reading like I was being graded for it until I heard our doorbell ring. I checked if her eyes opened from the sudden noise coming from the doorbell, but she was still sound asleep.

As I opened the gate, a delivery guy was waiting with a paper bag on his hand before leaving since it was already paid off. I took a glimpse of the delivery man cycling away before closing the gate, my mind was clouded by confusion while my eyes were squinting over the paper bag I was holding. I went back inside the house and put it down on the countertop table, my hand fished out a glass bowl with locking lids that had a sticky note on top. My eyes quickly skimmed over the note and realized whom it came from.

Wonton soup for the sick. After you feel better, make sure to call me. -Yohan

I rubbed the part of the sticky note where the glue was in so it would stick properly on the lid before placing it down with utensils on its side next to her medicines. I'm guessing Yohan was finally ready to have a conversation with Maya after what happened at his party. He kept pretending he didn't care about Maya anymore, yet only a fever could break down his walls that Yohan even cooked for her. I didn't want to wake Maya up all of a sudden from her slumber though, since I wanted her to be well-rested despite having a fever.

I used the time when she was still asleep to take a quick shower before coming back down the stairs after being gone for twenty minutes. My hair was still wet so I used my towel to dry it when I went down, only to find Maya standing up to let Jae inside the house. He held her in her arms as a support when they walked back to the couch where Jae made Maya lay down. His palms were checking her forehead when I walked past them back to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast.

"I'm sorry for getting sick a day before your tournament." Maya uttered, her voice sounded weak and raspy from the tonsillitis.

"I know," Jae pulled her blanket up to her shoulders, so she'd stop from shivering. "Why did you get sick? I'll need my girl there tomorrow." Her hand reached out to hold his, putting a smile on Jae's face after their skin touched. "Don't worry, I'm here to take care of you until you get better."