Diiing… Dong!

Evangeline kept roaming her eyes on the apartment building she was in. She could not say that the building was new, but it was not old either. It was just . . .

How do you put it?

Simple.

Just a two story apartment with modern minimalistic designs. Open metal stairs leading to the second floor. Metal doors decorating the façade and a narrow open pathway leading to the line of doors with only the steel railings as protection from falling to her death.

She secretly sighed in relief seeing that the apartment was better from what she imagined. Though the rotting, old materials and the smell of dirt and dump grass stung her nose.

She rang the doorbell again and again.

It took a whole minute and the door opened. Her eyes tapered at the sight of Eric's groggy face, rosy and dump.

He was wearing his pajamas in adorable light blue stripes. He didn't have his glasses and his face was red and sweaty while his hair was a mess.

It appeared he just woke up!

Eric too was surprised when he found that Evangeline was standing in front of his door. He thought that he was hallucinating due to fever, and was about to close the door when the woman spoke.

"Hello Eric, the teacher asked me to deliver today's lessons to you." Evangeline maintained her smile, not one-bit intimidated from the way Eric was looking at her.

Though Eric was having a headache and was weak, he could still somewhat think. It was lunch time, and it was apparent that Evangeline cut classes to go to his apartment on the pretense it was the teacher's orders. If it was the teacher, she was not about to ask her student to cut classes to deliver handouts. At least, she would wait until the end of the class in the afternoon.

Even so, he didn't argue as he was not feeling well. He just wanted to go back to sleep. His head was drowning in pain and his throat was sore. He felt weak –– really weak.

"Thank you . . ."

Eric's voice was gruff and frail, evident that he was not feeling well. This confirmed Evangeline's suspicion that he was indeed sick.

He extended his hand, asking for the notes. But Evangeline remained rooted on her spot, not moving an inch as she continued to smile as she looked at his face.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" she asked.

". . ."

". . ."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Eric said. "I'm sick right now. You might get infected."

He tried to chase her away so he could go back to sleep.

But Evangeline didn't mind his blatant refusal to let her in.

"Nonsense, Eric. Because of me, you got wet and stayed under the rain for hours. Allow me to take care of you as a sign of my thanks." Evangeline lift her shoulder in an elegant shrug. "If you're that concerned, I'll take my medicines so I won't catch your cold."

Tightening his lips, a line creased on Eric's forehead. But he was too weak to argue with her. He quietly stood aside and let her in.

The soonest this is over, the better.

Evangeline held a triumphant smile and swayed inside the room. And the first thing she noticed . . . how clean it was.

Like literally.

There were not much furniture and appliances, only the extremely necessary ones. The foyer only had two shoes. One, an old leather shoe that Eric wore to school and the other was a simple tennis shoe. After the foyer, there was a narrow pathway and a single cabinet with a phone on top. In the left of the pathway was an opening, leading to what to be the kitchen and living area. At the right was a door that appeared to be the bedroom. And at the end of the corridor was a door that she deducted was the bathroom.

She didn't move in the foyer and stayed motionless on her spot while looking at Eric who was so fragile at the moment with his rosy face, panting breaths, misty eyes and sweaty skin.  He was reaching for something from the shoe rack, and before she knew what it was, he laid a clean rubber sleeper in front of her.

She smiled when he bent down and laid the sleepers before her. She giggled to herself, thinking that he was submitting to her at the sight of him bowing.

Eric didn't notice all of it. He rose after he placed the sleeper on the ground. Because of the sudden movement, lightheadedness attacked his brain and for a moment, he was on the berg of collapse. For a short time, he saw burnt spots before he regained his vision.

"I've brought you food," Evangeline dangled the bags in her hand. "Surely you didn't eat lunch yet, right?"

Evangeline handed the bags to Eric. The bags were full of fruits and a bowl of black bone chicken porridge she ordered be made by Burberry's world-renowned chef. A nutritional food for the sick!

"Mmm . . . Thanks . . ." With difficulty, Eric grabbed the bags and walk in the direction of the kitchen.

Evangeline removed her cashmere coat, exposing her one of a kind José Carter designer dress. A tantalizing above the knee black lacy strap dress, more fitting to wear on a red carpet rather than visiting a sick person. (She secretly changed her outfit before coming here.)

She removed her six inches pump shoes, and put on the sleepers Eric gave her.

Thud!

Her attention flickered to Eric, panting and leaning against the wall in the narrow pathway while the bags scattered on the floor.

"Eric!"

All pretense and coolness flew out of the window when she saw that he was leaning against the wall for support, eyes closed, and panting as hard as he could. She was afraid that he might slump unconscious on the wooden floor if she dallied a second longer.

"Eric!"

She called, voice thick with worry as she helped him to his feet.

Eric was too dazed and weak to bother about Evangeline's soft breasts pressing against him. He just let her when she guided his hand over her shoulders while her arm curled around his waist.

"Eric, I think we should go to the hospital." Evangeline didn't hide the panic in her voice when she felt how hot Eric's skin was.

It was burning!

"N-no . . . I'm fine . . . I just need . . . some rest . . ."

With Evangeline's help, Eric managed to get inside his bedroom and laid on the comfort of his bed. Evangeline sealed her lips throughout. She watched as Eric closed his eyes the moment his body fell on the mattress. All thoughts and schemes disappeared from her head when she saw his weak state.

She then scrambled to her feet and ransacked his closet for towels and hurried to the kitchen. Despite being pampered from young, she knew how to take care of the sick from the experience of taking care of her mother years ago. The only thing was, all the materials needed were ready before handing to her.

She knew that she had to regulate his temperature by basking his forehead with a cold towel and wrap his elevated foot with a warm cloth. But where and how to get the equipment for that –– she had no idea.

She knew that she had to boil water, but how . . . This question vexed her.

Should have paid more attention to home education class.

She was not exactly ignorant. She knew that the weird looking machine called a stove would emit fire once she turned on that handle thingy. And then she would place a pot with water, and it would boil!

She sighed.

Too much hassle.

And an idea clicked in her mind.