The Flu

Chapter 1

She dropped her palazzo pants and stared at the mirror for the forth time that evening. She was cheating on Charles again, not that she had planned it but it always happened so easily. He was the silent kind and always out of his way to make her happy but that seemed not enough. It had been happening for months now.

Epy picked the room service tray and pushed it on her bedside and put on his belt.

"You might think of reenergizing before you go home." he said blowing his nose.

"wait, you got cold?" She asked him feeling really pissed now. She was rehearsing for a major speech and didn't want cold anywhere near her. At the thought of it her body got hot and suddenly blood drops came out of the nose. She froze.

Epy walked around with wipes and tried to wipe the blood.

"Seriously Nella? Did you hit your head or something?" he asked as she dropped back on the bed .

She wasn't thinking clearly. Thoughts of her missing her speech came flooding. She also had a class that evening, trying to perfect more on her linguistic. It actually had been her  long time boyfriend's push to get the masters. She felt double guilty now. A supportive boyfriend but yet here she  was cheating.

" Never felt this way. One side of my face feels frozen."

Epy placed a warm towel on that side. He started checking her temperature and doing all his doctory stuff. She never took interest in his moves. He was a surgeon, same time a gynecologist, actually her gyna.

Dont raise all eyebrows on her. Epy is cute, he has a mysterious way around with his hands. He has a son, Tommy from his first marriage who apparently thinks Nella is  going to be his second mom. You see, they met on Tinder. Does that ring a bell? Yes they met there, had several dates with the first being horrible. She almost walked out on him.

His son has this protein allergy and had taken sesame seed balls at school and looked all dotty on the face. His Nanny was late from the stores and so Epy had to tag his son along to our date. Tommy kept interrupting their conversation from time to time until she totally lost track of what  they were talking about.

"His Nanny will be here in a few. He is never like this unless he is unwell."

He had assured her which to her felt like was way too much. She wasn't ready for such responsibilities. Either way she kept seeing him for a few months and then dropped silent on him. Thats when she started working on Charles, concentrated on him since he seemed such a gentleman. Well him too, he was a Tinder sweetheart. They  met there too, 4 years ago.

With the work schedule, traffic in town and getting all tired such that on her resting day she just slept all day, she needed Tinder by her side like everyone else in the century to supply her lonely life.

" Nella your fever is one of a kind. Half your body is frozen." he said dialing his phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked him trying to get out of the bed.

"This is an emergency, i need my doctor's kit! Its in my car am just dialing room service." he said already talking into the phone. Minutes later his kit was there and he was pulling out syringes and sucking out liquids from small glass bottles.

"Fever and injection?? Oh my! I have a speech in 2 days." she told him. He looked frightened for the first time. She had never seen him like this.

"I think i know what this is. I get it from time to time. I just didn't know its transmitted from person to person. Like its just an ordinary fever." he said tying her arm looking for those gushing blood veins. She was now in tears and upset.

What was this guy talking about? Has the fever from time to time? Doesn't know its transmittal? A whole doctor! My goodness! What was she actually doing in this room with a boyfriend waiting to take her to class from a meeting she had lied she was attending ! She didn't feel the injection, but it felt better after a few minutes. She felt all well, like a miracle. She stood, got dressed facing the wall and quickly did her lipstick.

" I can explain!" he said as she took her purse. She had not talked to him after the injection. She had waited for the injection feeling to fade for almost 30 minutes. No words exchanged.

"Explain how you just infected me with a disease i don't understand? Whats this? Will i recover?" She asked him already in tears. He embraced her . She cried even more feeling helpless. More of this crying was from guilt more than the disease itself. She  had just argued with him, he wanted her to get over Charles but she wasn't ready.

" You will get better. Its not that serious." was all he said. She felt guilty for the first time in three months. They had been hanging out for 4 months now. She felt filthy and walked out of his arms into the lift and down the hall to pick an Uber. She must have pinned her address as Charles' as she  noticed she was at his place the moment he stopped hugging her and asking what was wrong. She just stood there staring at him.

"Did you just have a shower? I thought you said you were not at home?" he said.

"Are there no shower closet at work? Like what do you mean?"  self defense just knocked.

" I didn't mean to upset you!" he went on filling wine into a glass.

She left him in the kitchen, dialed an Uber and was out again heading to class through the back door.  She ended up in the wrong one, economics class. Tina had to hold her hand to the right class. She was shaking!! She didn't concentrate at all. She just zombied out on her seat. She didn't even notice the class end and several missed calls from Charlie. She was messed up.

She walked out and took a large gulp of air and leaned on the wall. Why was she  like this? She had to pinch her hand several times to feel the pain.

"Miss Nella? Are you going home? I could drop you there."

Someone called. She didn't know them, well she  didn't know most of her callers since almost everyone knew her in the county. My dad being  a dropout on Senate's last elections had made him famous to an extent she doubted whether her speeches contributed anything to her fame.

"No thank you. Waiting on someone." she said, they nodded and left.

" Honey!" there was Charles again. Last person she wanted to see.

"Charles!" she called out. He frowned.

"Are you okay? Can i take you home?" he asked.

She just raised her eyebrows.

That evening she slept at Charles's place. He didn't bother her about her situation. She knew he would later when she  was done crying and so she kept her tears well supplied. She wasn't ready to talk about it.

Epy had decided to pop up one text after another on her whatsapp which was much better. She never got online all night. She didn't want to see him, she had even deleted his number....

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