“Okay, you don't have to care what others think. Just lie down while I get you some medicine.” Sophie assumed there was cold medicine at home.
However, before she could walk away, Tristan grabbed her hand from behind and pulled her back to him.
“That won't be necessary. I just need some rest,” said Tristan because he did not like taking medicine.
Standing beside the man, Sophie looked down at him and questioned, “You're not telling me that you're afraid of taking some meds, are you?” Of course, he has to take medicine since he's sick, not to mention that he has a fever.
“Cold medicine is useless. Whether I take it or not, I'll still need two or three days to recover.”
Tristan understood that he would have to depend on medicines if he suffered from other illnesses, but he only caught a cold. It's completely unnecessary to take medications for something so trivial.
Being someone who had studied under Barney for some time in Horington and was about to study medicine, Sophie knew Tristan had a point, so she let him have his way.
“Fine. You don't have to take any medicines if you don't want to.” Sophie then returned to the couch.
Maybe it was because of his cold that Tristan lazily rested his head on Sophie's thighs and made himself comfortable.
In response, Sophie embraced the man so he could lie down more comfortably.
“Are you sure you don't want to go to bed instead? I think you should just go to bed!”
“Will you go with me?” Tristan would be more than happy to do as suggested if Sophie were to join him.
“Sure, let's go together!”
“Forget it. I'll just stay here. I don't want to move!” After thinking about how he would start getting ideas in bed, Tristan quickly changed his mind. That's a bad idea because I'll have a hard time trying to control myself.
“Are you sure? I'm worried you won't be comfortable here.” Sophie thought that the couch was too small for the one-hundred-and-eighty-centimeter-tall man.
“It's fine. As long as I have you by my side, nothing else matters.”
Sophie could not help but wonder when Tristan became such a sweet-talker.
“Then close your eyes and rest.” Sophie would have Tristan take medicine if he did not get better by evening.
“But I don't want to close my eyes. I want to keep looking at you like this.” The sick Tristan was acting somewhat wilful.
However, there was something charming about his stubbornness.
“I told you I'd stay with you, didn't I? You need to rest if you're unwell.”
“Fine!” Seeing how serious Sophie was, Tristan decided to listen to her and shut his eyes.
With her hand in his, the man did not take long before falling asleep, and just like that, he was out for more than an hour.
Even though her legs had gone numb, Sophie did not want to wake Tristan.
To others, Tristan was a highly respected man who could do whatever he wanted in Jipsdale. However, to Sophie, he was just an ordinary man who was also susceptible to fatigue and illness.
She wanted nothing more than to care for the unwell Tristan then.
Only after sunset did the man finally awake. He was somewhat embarrassed to have slept for such a long time.
“I thought I wouldn't fall asleep.” Tristan, being the disciplined person he was, had never expected himself to doze off like that since he usually worked at that time of day.
No matter how sick he got in the past, he would never fall asleep.
“It's okay. You needed the rest,” reassured Sophie, who thought it was only normal that Tristan slept for so long. He doesn't have to be strong all the time. Sometimes, he just needs to unwind.
When Tristan sat up and noticed that Sophie's legs had gone numb, he was heartbroken.
“I'm sorry. I should've woken up sooner.” Tristan immediately began rubbing Sophie's legs for her. “You probably can't feel your legs right now.”
“You don't have to apologize to me. Whatever I do, I do it because I want to.” Remembering how much Tristan had done for her, Sophie did not think what she did was even worth mentioning.
Tristan could no longer control himself when he saw how understanding Sophie was. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers.
Sophie was stunned by the sudden kiss at first. But slowly, she learned to enjoy it.
“Don't do that again. You'll only break my heart.” Tristan could not bear to see the young woman uncomfortable in any way.
Since Tristan was unwell, Sophie decided to make some soft food for dinner.
“What do you want for tonight?” Even though Tristan was ill then, he was not about to neglect Sophie.
“I'll make some risotto so we can have dinner at home together.” Sophie knew she could not rely on Susan since the housekeeper was still on leave. Now that school's out, I probably won't need her. Besides, I'm still not used to having other people in the house.
“Do you know how to cook? I don't want you to hurt yourself. Maybe I should just order a delivery from The Crown.” Although Tristan did not have much of an appetite because of his illness, he wanted his skinny girlfriend to have proper food.
“Don't you underestimate me? I know a thing or two about making risotto.”
Tristan hugged Sophie as he said, “That's not what I meant. I just think it's dangerous for you to be in the kitchen. What if you get burned?”
It was not Tristan's intention to look down on Sophie. He was sincerely worried about her getting hurt.
“Am I really that dumb to you?”
Tristan immediately shook his head.
“What kind of question is that? That word doesn't even apply to you.” Tristan did not think anyone could claim to be clever if Sophie was considered dumb.
“Then stop worrying and wait here patiently.” With that, Sophie rose from the couch to fetch Tristan a glass of water before heading into the kitchen. How hard can it be to make risotto? I have the internet.
After referring to a recipe, Sophie prepared some rice and cooked it with just the right amount of water.
The young woman had always been precise in everything she did, and cooking was no exception. She ensured that she followed the recipe to a T.
Only after turning on the stove did Sophie walk out of the kitchen. “It's almost done, so get ready for dinner.”
“Really? Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to it.” Tristan got excited since that was the first time Sophie had cooked for him. Even though it was just risotto, he could not wait to try it.
“Mr. Tristan, do you wish I could cook?” Sophie thought that was what every man wanted—a wife who knew their way around the kitchen.
At that moment, Tristan had Sophie resting her head on his thighs. “No. I just want you to be yourself.” Why would I need her to cook? There are so many people in this world who can do that. We have chefs, don't we?
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