The Cinderella Bride (NaNoWriMo14)

Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Once again, unedited. So, excuse the mistakes.

Let me tell you something, being sick sucks.

I honestly don’t know why I’m supposed to be the one infected because Carter and I visited the children’s orphanage together. There was this one kid that was sick and I don’t understand how I caught a cold but I did and what’s worse is the fact that it isn’t a mere cold, I also have this pounding headache and the urge to vomit my guts out.

Yes, it’s a shudder worthy image.

And where is my husband at the time I need him most?--Work. It disappoints me a little that Carter isn’t here but he did try to get out of work, Sean didn’t let him, not after Carter’s little stunt where he just called and said he wasn’t coming and brought me all the way to Alabama to meet his uncle and his wife. So, yeah, he did tell me he’ll try to be home soon but in the mean time, he’d ask Caleb to come over to take care of me.

I told him I didn’t want Caleb here because, well, I’ve realized that Caleb and I have become a little too close recently, (Carter of course is oblivious to this, he just thinks we’re really good friends.) and it’s not that I don’t want to be friends with Caleb, it’s just that recently, the way he speaks and the way he acts, feels a little too friendly to me.

And as much as I think it’s ridiculous, I think he might have feelings for me. I would look incredibly stupid if that were false but I just think that till I know for sure, I should keep a fair distance from Caleb, even though he is a really good friend. I just don’t want to lead him on.

There’s a knock on the door, “Go away, Anita. Leave me to die alone.” I say, my voice a little raspy, I then proceed to cough my soul out of my body.

Nobody answers but the door creaks open, Caleb’s head pops in and he chuckles, “Man, the bloke wasn’t joking when he said you looked terrible.”

Looks like my attempts to keep a safe distance from Caleb isn’t really working out at all. I curse inwardly and then cough again, “Yeah, which bloke are we talking about again?” I ask, feeling a little dizzy.

“Carter, he called me a while ago, said something about his wife sick and saying she’s dying, so he asked me to go pick up some hot soup from Joe’s and give it to you.”

I feel a little warm inside when Caleb says that. I did tell Carter once that I love the soup from Joe’s and it’s something I always take when I’m sick and it makes me happy that Carter remembered that.

“Thanks,” I cough, “I think it’s best if you leave now, I don’t want you to get sick, god knows I didn’t want to get sick.” I say sitting up.

He shakes his head, “Ain’t happening sweetheart, your husband put me in charge to take care of you while he tried to find a way to get back in time.”

I chuckle but it sounds a lot like a dying woman’s dry laugh, “I’m not going to die, don’t worry.”

“Well, you sound like you are,” I shoot him a glare, “Calm down, love, I’m just joking.”

I groan as another pounding headache attacks my head, I lay my head down on my pillow, “Stay if you want but I won’t talk much, I’m too busy dying.” I say melodramatically.

Caleb walks into the room fully and close the door behind him, he then proceeds to sit on the bed, “Well, step one to getting better is to get something to eat, have you eaten yet?”

I shake my head no, “Ain’t happening, I’m tired of vomiting my food out.” I shudder at the image of last night’s contents in the toilet bowl this morning, “I hate the feeling of vomiting out food, it just leaves a weird after taste in your mouth and this burn in your throat.”

“Well, I can’t very well let your starve yourself now can I?” He asks, placing the soup in the take out bag on the top of the small drawer next to my side of the bed.

I shrug, “You could, I’m not really your wife now am I?” I say yawning.

He looks slightly hurt, he then proceeds to run his hand through his brown hair, “Right.” He chuckles, “You aren’t my wife.” he mumbles. He then tries shaking off my comment which I can see bothered him by changing the subject, “Despite that, you really need to eat, I wouldn’t be fulfilling my promise to Carter if I starved his wife, now, would I?” He then takes the soup take out container slowly out of the bag and retrieve a spoon thats wrapped in it’s own little plastic bag, which he tears away.

He then places the spoon into the soup after he’s opened the container, he raises the spoon with a little soup in it, “Get up, you don’t want to ruin the sheets, now do you?” He urges.

I sigh and try to lift my weak body up, I then try to reach for the soup container but he pulls it away from me, “I’ll feed you, you don’t look like you can hold this without spilling it over yourself.”

I sigh, he’s right, I feel light headed and my body feels like it’s made of paper, if I take that container and proceed to feed myself, I’ll only end up dropping it clumsily and dirtying up the sheets and myself, “Fine.”

He smiles and I lean into him, he places the spoon in my mouth, tilting it a few degrees to the front so it drops into my mouth slowly, when the liquid comes in contact with my tongue, I swallow it hurriedly and wince at the burning sensation it leaves on my tongue, “That was effing hot, did you even check to make sure you weren’t feeding me food that would scald me from the inside?”

“Sorry, love. Won’t happen again.” He apologises and proceeds to blow at the second spoonful of soup and does the same thing, I drink it this time and it burns my tongue less, “Better now?”

I nod, “Yeah.”

He smiles but something in his pocket starts beeping, he places the container on the drawer and retrieves his phone from his pocket, he reads whatever message he receives and his expression changes, “Shit.” he curses. He stands up, “I am so sorry, Ava. I forgot I had somewhere to be and if I could get out, I would but I can’t, so I’ll tell Carter I stopped by but I couldn’t stay longer.”

I smile, “It’s alright,” I sigh inwardly, I’m a little thankful he does have somewhere to be, because I don’t think I could be here with Caleb alone without reading too much into every little thing he does because of the stupid conclusion my brain had come up with.

He smiles and leans in and kisses me unconsciously on the forehead, my eyes widen in horror and so does he, he stands up hurriedly, “Sorry, I didn’t...uh...sorry.” He apologises and leaves the room immediately.

I raise my hand and unconsciously brush my fingers over the area of my forehead Caleb’s lips were a few seconds ago. Looks like I have confirmed he has feelings for me and it looks like it’s not best if I ever end up alone with him like this again.



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