Chapter 20

El"s pov
"El, you must eat; if you do not, you will become considerably weaker."
'That was the first word I heard from Ivan when I woke my eyes and mind.' I have no idea what time it is, and I don't think I've had enough sleep. My eyelids are still too thick, and I can feel my body heat. If I was cold before, I now feel like I'm running a fever. I still have class today and it's a big loss to me when I'm absent. Ivan was also correct in saying that if I didn't eat and didn't force myself to get up, I would become much weaker. I had to force myself to stand up, and he assisted me in sitting down. I leaned against the bed's headboard before turning to face Ivan.
"Can you tell me what time it is?" I asked. I also saw that he was dressed differently than when he drove me here to the apartment.
He answered, "It's 7:00 p.m., and I've been trying to get you up earlier, but you don't wake up."
I was surprised to see that it was already 7:00 p.m. I slept for an excessive amount of time, but I'm still sleepy. I swallowed hard as I realized something else.
My class! I can't be absent! What if I missed a quiz, or recitation?
I was about to get out of bed after removing the blanket from my feet, but Ivan stopped me. He held my shoulder and made it impossible for me to get out of bed.
"Where are you going? You need a break. I'll take care of everything," he added, looking me in the eyes.
"I have a class tonight that I can't skip; I'm fine and can move."
I'm disappointed for being late, but I still want to attend class. Even if I'm late, at least I'll be present. And if there's a quiz that I missed, there's a chance I'll be given another chance to take it.
He was concerned and added, "You can't go to class yet, El. Don't force yourself."
"I can handle myself, Ivan," I tsked, "why do you seem to know more about how I feel?" It's my body, so the only person who can tell if I'm okay or not is myself.
He let go of the hand that was clutching my shoulder. "All right, now get going to school. After all, you only want to be exhausted. Ask the lizard whether there's a quiz when you get there," he continued, not looking at me.
He was looking at the ceiling but he turned to me when I asked about what he said. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you want to exhaust yourself? Go to school to find out," he said, trying not to burst out laughing.
"I'm serious, Ivan!" I screamed, feeling annoyed once more. "Correctly answer my question!"
"Relax, El," he said as he lifted his hand, symbolizing his surrender. "I'll tell you the truth," he said, inhaling before continuing, "we don't have class; the class was canceled owing to severe rain."
"Why didn't you tell me right away?" I asked.
"Please don't be upset; I'm sorry. Now that you already know, calm down and don't think about anything."
I rolled my eyes on him and after a seconds, he said, "I apologize for not asking permission, El, but I used your kitchen and prepared a meal for you."
My eyes was drawn to him. "Why are you doing this? I hope you'll just go home after bringing me here, because I'm not crippled and can take care of myself."
I didn"t say 'that' because I hated him. I appreciate all of his effort for me, but I just don"t want to bother him. He has no position to take care of me and spend time with me. He should not waste his time on things that have nothing to contribute to his life.
"Don't think of me, El. I enjoy what I do and I don't expect anything in return. I did it because I was kind, and that's all there is to it," he replied with a smile. "I'll just get your dinner from the kitchen and leave you here."
I stopped him from turning around. "Wait."
As I got out of bed, he stared at me and approached.
"What will you do?" he asked. "Just rest there."
With a shake of my head, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the situation. "I'm still not getting enough sleep, but I'm feeling quite good."
"How can you say you're fine when you still have a fever?" he wondered, his eyebrows meeting in surprise.
I replied him, laughing, that I simply had a fever and wasn't incapacitated.
He was a little surprised when I laughed at him and realized that I had just done that to him. Because I felt self-conscious about what I did, I shifted my gaze to something else. We were engulfed in silence for a few seconds, and I was the one who decided to break it.
"Come on, let's eat; your food is going to become sour," I said as I began walking.
I passed him almost in disbelief so when I got to the door I called him again. He wasn't moving in his spot, so I called him and he awoke.
"I almost turned to stone because of your smile, El," he said, shaking his head. "Don't repeat that because I might go insane."
What he said made me laugh even harder, but I turned away from him. When I got to the kitchen, I heard him yell.
"I told you not to repeat but you still do! Are you teasing me?" He said as he approaching the kitchen. "Don't try me, El."
"What am I doing to you? You"re too over reacting," i stated.
"It's my body, therefore I'm the only one who can tell if I'm fine or not," he explained. He sat down and took a plate, glasses, and cutlery, saying, "Sit down, I'll make something for you to eat."
Just like what he said, I sat across from the table and he put there the plate he took. He also took the water from the refrigerator before he took the dish and rice he had cooked.
He sat in front of me as I watched what he prepared. Tinula and fried chicken were on the table, although I'm not sure if he prepared them himself.
"Did you prepare everything?" I inquired. "Yes, I made it; were you shocked? Don't be startled; that's just me," he boasted as he took my plate to place rice on it. "You should eat a lot, and I also bought medicine, so you'll take it after you eat."
"It"s already evening, aren"t you home yet? Maybe your parents are worried." I change the topic.
Just like what I said, I don"t want to disturb his life. I don't want to be a reason for her parents to scold him because of me. I asked that" not to let him go home because I didn"t want to see him anymore; I said that" because I just wanted to make sure I wouldn"t be a hindrance to him
"Don"t think about it, El. Dad wasn't at our house and mom knew I was at my friend's house. Don't worry either because all my friends are on my side," he explained.
"OK," I said with a nod. "Eat well."
I began eating after saying those words. I can't deny that his cuisine was delicious, and it was something I wasn't expecting. I assumed he understood nothing about work because he was the son of a wealthy couple.
I didn't think this day would come. Because of the help he has provided, I appear to be relieved of him. I used to believe that no matter how much aid he provided, I would never lose my annoyance with him, but now I am reconsidering. Despite all of his help, my conscience would not allow me to despise him.
He ate the food as well and remained silent. I wasn't used to him acting like way, so I asked him to break the eerie silence between us.
"Did you come home earlier?" I asked, observing his clothing was different from what he wore previously.
Before speaking, he nodded and took a gulp. "I did come home earlier, and I told Mom I was going to be back the night."
I drank some water and nodded. "Are you done? You didn't even finish what I put on your plate, despite knowing that I told you to eat a lot," he said. "Isn't what I made delicious?" he questioned.
I shook my head, refusing to accept what he had said. He did a good job cooking, but I'm not hungry. This is exactly what happens when a person has a fever as well as loses their appetite.
"Your cooking is great, Ivan, but I'm not in the mood to eat right now."
She let out a gasp. "I can't blame you; I'm the same when I have a fever," he said as he stood up and reached for something on the refrigerator's top shelf. He placed it in front of me when he returned to the table. He said, "Take the medicine, and what time is your class tomorrow?"
I replied, "I have a night class tomorrow." Because tomorrow is Friday, I'll be attending night classes.
"That's great; you still need to rest. If you're sick tomorrow, don't come to school; I'll just ask the subject teachers to excuse you."
"That's unjust, Ivan," I said, "but don't worry, I'll be OK tomorrow." I took the medicine he placed on the table right away. I took the pill after opening it.
I'm confident I'll be well tomorrow because I get better quickly when I have a fever. All I need is a good night's sleep.
"You are now free to enter your bedroom. I'll take care of this," he remarked, as he began to reassemble the eating utensils.
"Place it in the sink I'll just wash it the next day. Your mother will be waiting for you when you return home."
He didn't follow me since he was already doing his washing in the sink
"You don't have to be concerned about my mother. She is a lovely person. She won't be angry even if I tell him I'm at your house. She will undoubtedly inquire as to your identity and will conduct a background check on you. Mom is like that; if someone is close to me, she wants to be close to them as well."
I couldn't help but feel homesick when he said those things. His life was ideal; he grew up with loving parents who were wealthy. I'm not sure whether there's anything else missing from him.
He sat down in front of me again after swiftly finishing the dishes. "Are you not going to sleep yet?" he inquired.
"How about you, aren't you going home?"
He let out a sigh. "I'm leaving; please rest well and contact me if you need it."
Suddenly it came back to my mind that I declined his friend request and I couldn't help but feel guilty. I"ll just make a friend request to him when i am fully healed. I wasn't mistaken in thinking he was absolutely nice at the time, but it does mean I like him now. I'd like him to be my friend, and I'm hoping he gets it.
He has a crush on me, and I'm not sure if his Facebook post is true. It's also possible that in that post, he wasn't referring to me. But I could tell he had a thing for me because why would he help me if he didn't care about me? Crush isn't a powerful feeling, but I need to make it clear to him that we don't share it. I don't think now is the perfect moment to tell him everything because I haven't heard from him about how he actually feels about me. I didn't mean to hurt him; I simply don't want his admiration for me to grow; I just want him to think of me as a friend.
We both got up and made our way to the living room at the same moment. We heard a knock on the door and when I looked at Ivan, he just shrugged.
He inquired, "Shall I open the door?"
I also asked, "Are you sending anyone here?"
He replied, "I have nothing; no one knew I was here."
"Who is that?" I questioned once more.
"We won't know if we don't open the door," he said and went to the doorway to open the door.He slid the door open slightly to see who was knocking.
He asked, "Who are you looking for?"
I approached their direction because I didn't hear the person he was talking to respond.
"He's looking for you," Ivan stated as he turned to face me.
I went even quicker to the door, and when I saw who was looking for me, my breathing came to a halt for a few seconds. What brings him here?
"Do you know who he is, El?" Ivan asked.
I couldn't respond, and all I could do was stare at Jas, who was frowning as he eyed me. He was wearing a hoodie jacket and his hands were inside the pocket of his shorts, as he usually did.
Ivan repeatedly asked, "El, do you know this man?" I did nothing but nod.
This is a big problem. I'm not sure what the underlying reason for Jas and I's previous misunderstandings is, and now there's another issue. I don't know which of them I'll persuade to return to their home. Was it Jas who had crushed me, or Ivan, who had come to save me from my breakdown?