A Chance Meeting | Chris Evans

Chapter 48

7.00pm

Chris 🤪
Becs?

Becs📚
Hey

Chris 🤪
How are you feeling now?

Becs📚
Better than I did - I've taken some cold and flu tablets, which have helped. I just have the sore throat and the cough now. Oh, and I still sound like I swallowed a frog 🐸

Chris 🤪
🤣 Glad that you can still laugh about it

Becs📚
Yes well, I'm British - self-deprecation is like breathing for us

Chris 🤪
Have you eaten anything today?

Becs📚
You know, I swear that I had this exact same conversation with my mum earlier on 😉

Chris 🤪
But have you? Eaten much, I mean.

Becs📚
Not much ☹️ I've had some yoghurt and soft fruit, but my throat is too sore for much else ☹️

Chris 🤪
Are you on your own?

Becs📚
Yeah. Viv and Ella have gone out, but I wasn't feeling up to it. So I'm just lazing on the sofa in my pyjamas 🤒

Chris 🤪
I don't like the idea of you being on your own when you're sick

Becs📚
I'm fine, don't worry about me.

Chris 🤪
Nope. I don't like it. I'm coming round to keep you company until they get back

Becs📚
WHAT?! No, that's really not necessary

Chris 🤪
Still coming

Becs📚
They'll only be gone for a few hours. Plus, I'm not that sick - it's only a cold. It's not like I'm breathing my last breath or anything

Chris 🤪
Not listening 🙉

Becs📚
I'm not up to having visitors - the place is a mess and so am I

Chris 🤪
I'm sure you're fine, and I'll just ignore any mess

Becs📚
I might sneeze on you!

Chris 🤪
Relax. My sister's got young kids - I'm used to being sneezed on. And there's no way you can produce as much snot as those kids can

Becs📚
It's really nice of you to offer, but I'm fine

Chris 🤪
Grabbing my jacket and keys now. Be there in about 40 mins

Oh shit.
He probably thought that he was being nice - coming round to keep her company. But she wasn't exactly looking her best - a quick glance in the mirror showed a red nose, glazed eyes and crazy hair from where she'd been laying on the sofa.
That's so not attractive.
And that was even before you considered the coughing, the croaky voice and the all-pervading smell of Olbus oil.
He's really not going to want to date me anymore after he sees me like this.
But it sounded like he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
She considered washing her hair and getting dressed before he got there, but the truth was that she just didn't have the energy for that - she was feeling sicker than she'd let on. In the end, the best she could do was tug a brush through her hair and put all the used tissues in the bin.
If he's coming round without an invitation when I'm sick, then he'll just have to take me as he finds me.
At least I'm wearing my least ratty pyjamas.
Not that that was saying much.

****

45 minutes later the doorbell rang, sending Becca's nervous butterflies into free fall.
'I thought about just ignoring the doorbell.' She croaked at Chris, after she'd opened the door.
He grinned at her. 'I'd just have just carried on pressing it until it drove you crazy and you'd have opened the door just to make it stop.'
'Still like a frog, I hear.' He teased, walking in.
'Yeah.'
'So I brought a couple of things - pizza.' He said, showing her the boxes he carried.
She smiled a little. 'That's very thoughtful of you, but I don't think I can really eat pizza.'
'Really? It's ham and mushroom.'
He remembered what I like on my pizza.
She shook her head, declining.
'Oh.' He said, looking so much like a kicked puppy that she almost laughed. 'I thought pizza would be okay. My mom said soft food would be good, and pizza's soft.'
'Your mom?'
'Yeah, I called her on the way over and asked what was the best thing for sore throats. She raised three kids, so she's had to deal with pretty much everything. She also suggested ice cream, so I stopped by the store on my way over and got some.'
'Hmm, ice cream actually sounds good. What sort did you get?'
'Well I didn't know what you'd like, so I got a few.' He said, pulling tubs of Ben & Jerry's out of his rucksack and putting them on the kitchen worktop.
'Jeez, how many did you get?' Becca asked after he'd put the fourth one down.
'Just these four - Vanilla, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Cookie Dough. I hope that you like one of those?'
'I like all of them.' She croaked.
'Okay then Kermit, which one do you want?' He teased.
'That's not funny. Plus, Kermit doesn't sound like that.' She grumbled.
'True. So what's it gonna to be?'
'This one, please.' She said, tapping the Cookie Dough tub.
'Good choice. I'll put the rest in the freezer for you to eat another time. Where is it? And spoons?'
She pointed out the freezer and the cutlery drawer.
It seemed so weird to see him making himself at home in her kitchen.
'So what's the plan for the evening?' He asked. 'Veg on the sofa and watch tv?'
'Yeah - Netflix and chill.' Becca said.
Chris's stared at her.
'What?' She asked.
Why's he looking at me like that?
'Um...Netflix and chill?' Chris echoed.
'Yeah. I was going to start watching a new show called 'Bones'. It's about a bone scientist who helps the FBI solve crimes. It's meant to be very good but I think it's quite gruesome - lots of dead bodies. What'd ya think?'
'Just to clarify - you mean literally watch Netflix and relax?'
Becca frowned at him. 'Yes, of course. What else would I mean?'
Chris rubbed his neck awkwardly. 'Well, um...there's another meaning.'
'Is there?'
'Yes, it's umm...slang for...sex.'
'What?!' Becca said too sharply and set herself off on a coughing fit.
'Are you okay?' Chris asked, looking concerned.
'Yes.' She replied once she'd got herself under control. 'But it really means that?'
'Yeah.'
'I didn't know that!'
'I figured.'
Her eyes widened. 'Oh God, I didn't mean...I wasn't suggesting...'
Chris put his hands up to stop her. 'I know you weren't.'
'Well, that's embarrassing.' She said. 'You know, I've used that phrase a lot. I'm always telling people at work that I've got a weekend of Netflix and chilling planned. Bloody hell - what must they think of me?'
Chris threw back his head and started to laugh.
'That's not funny.' Becca said. 'They'll think I'm some sort of floozy. I'm sure it doesn't mean that back home.'
Chris just laughed more.
'It's not funny Christopher!' She said and smacked him on the shoulder.
'No, of course not, sorry.' He said, wiping his eyes, but he was still grinning. 'Come on, Kermit, let's go through and see all the dead bodies.'
'Stop calling me Kermit.' She muttered as she followed him through.

****

The ice cream had actually been a really good idea because even though she couldn't taste it, the cold had soothed her throat. The show was good too, but she found her eyes starting to get heavy.
'Becs.' She heard Chris say and felt him give her shoulder a little shake.
She'd fallen asleep and had ended up with her head resting on his shoulder.
'Sorry.' She said, sitting up. 'I didn't mean to use you as a pillow.'
'I didn't mind.' He said. 'I only woke you because you were all twisted up and it didn't look very comfortable.'
'No, it wasn't.' She said, rubbing her neck.
He twisted a fraction and then held his arm out. 'This would be more comfortable.'
Is he asking me to cuddle up to him?
She hesitated. On the one hand, she'd love to cuddle up to him, but on the other hand, she didn't want to put herself in an awkward position. How many guys would she trust not to get the wrong idea about this situation - the two of them alone, on the sofa, cuddling up... But Chris didn't seem like the kind of guy who would try to take advantage.
'No need to look so worried.' He said gently. 'I just thought as you're sick, it'd feel nice to cuddle up. Nothing else.'
'You can totally trust me, you know.' He added when she didn't move.
She took a deep breath. 'Okay.'
She scooted next to him and laid her head against his chest and he put his arm around her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the warmth of his body and the sound of his heart beating. She felt so comfortable and safe like this.
'How's that?' He asked quietly.
'It's nice.'
'Good. Go to sleep if you need to.' He said. 'I'll stay here until your friends come back.'
'Thank you.' She said after a minute. 'For the ice cream and pizza and keeping me company.'
'Anytime.'
She wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible, but it wasn't long until her eyes started to droop again.

*****