Raeleigh felt as though she had just woken up from a deep slumber. In a daze, she looked around her and saw Jepherson in the room.
Jepherson sat in front of her with his legs crossed, a book in one hand and the other hand resting on his cheek. Just like that, he had dozed off.
Raeleigh wondered what was weighing on Jepherson's mind for him to frown while sleeping.
When she shifted in bed, Jepherson woke up immediately. He looked at her and said, "You're awake."
Raeleigh froze for a moment. She wanted to sit up in bed, but before she could, Jepherson had already put down the book in his hand and helped her up. She leaned back obediently as Jepherson covered her legs with the quilt before pouring a glass of water for her.
"Here, drink some water. Doctor's orders," Jepherson said as he sat back down.
Raeleigh had a bad feeling about this. Why was she in the hospital?
Her eyes scanned the room before focusing on Jepherson. "Why am I here?"
"You have a fever. Your pneumonia worsened and you had to be hospitalized. Scarlette brought you here," Jepherson explained briefly. Raeleigh stared at him for a while before asking, "Where is Scarlette?"
"She's outside," Jepherson nodded towards the door. Raeleigh realized that he didn't let Scarlette into the ward.
Raeleigh was silent. She tried to get down from the bed after a while, but Jepherson bent down and picked her up in his arms once again. "Hey..." Raeleigh let out a little cry of surprise.
"I'll carry you there," he said. With Raeleigh in his arms, Jepherson walked to the bathroom, pushed the door open, and placed Raeleigh down on her feet. Then, he turned around and left the bathroom. As the door closed, he called out, "Call me when you're done."
When the door was shut, Raeleigh felt her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her chest any moment.
Jepherson was behaving as he usually did. Wasn't he angry about that night?
After Raeleigh was done, she washed her hands at the sink. Jepherson knocked on the door; Raeleigh took a glance at the door and said, "I can go out by myself."
Without a word of warning, Jepherson barged into the bathroom, walked to Raeleigh's side, and bent down to pick her up.
Blushing, she turned her head to look away.
Even if she didn't mind it, it still felt awkward.
Jepherson carried Raeleigh out of the bathroom and placed her on the bed. They sat across from each other, exchanging glances, before Jepherson broke the ice and said, "Although I didn't do anything wrong that night, I want to apologize. Frankly, I was furious, but I never wanted you to leave. You left before I could explain."
Her eyes widened as she stared at Jepherson, puzzled. The events of that night was clear in her mind. Indeed, Jepherson did not ask her to leave.
Was she mistaken?
Raeleigh lowered her head and took a few deep breaths, collecting her thoughts. She then raised her head to face Jepherson and said, "Since it's not your fault, you don't have to apologize."
"But I was wrong to cause you to misconstrue my words. I should've expressed myself better," Jepherson replied. Raeleigh sensed that he was waiting for something to happen.
What could it be? Raeleigh pondered.
To someone as inexperienced at relationships as her, Jepherson seemed like a beast. But for someone like Jepherson who had no experience with love, wasn't it also difficult for him to face Raeleigh?
"I want to pick up where we left off." Without waiting for Raeleigh to respond, he leaned in and kissed her.
Raeleigh wanted to push him away, but when she raised her head and their eyes met, it was too late.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Cutie, Please Marry Me Again (Jenna and Hansen)