Chapter 12

I woke up in the middle of the night, my head hurt a lot and I can't stand the heat that rising up inside of me. I can't breath properly and my throat is sore.

I groaned, reaching for my phone. The dim light flickered to life, 3:00 a.m. It's still early, too early. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the discomfort and go back to sleep. But I couldn't, my bedroom feel like spinning away, making me hard to drift back to sleep.

As another wave of dizziness hit me again, I found myself scrolling through my phone, looking for Sui-chan. My thumb hesitated for a moment before I hit send.

Y/N : "Hey, sorry to disturb your sleep, Sui-chan."

Y/N :"Could you tell the teacher that I'm sick and couldn't go to school today."

I didn't expect her to respond at this hour, but it was enough to let her know what happened with me. I tossed the phone aside and close my eyes, hoping sleep would come for me.

The hours crawled by as I lay there in my bed, drifting in and out of restless half-asleep. My body felt worse than before, every breath are heavy, like punching a really heavybag.

When I next opened my eyes, the sunlight was already piercing my curtains, painting the room with a warm glow of the sun. My throat felt worse and my fever seemed to climb up.

I reached for my phone, squinting against the screen light to check the time. 6:58 a.m.

A knock on the door startled me, I dragged myself, shuffled towards the door. Every step I took, remind me of how unwell I am.

As I finally reached the door and open the door, to my surprise, Sui-chan stood in front of me, wearing her uniform. Her usual cheerful smile was now muted by concern. "Sui-chan? What are you doing here?"

She frowned, her face filled with concern and irritated? "What am I doing here? Obviously because you didn't reply my messages!" She then gently push me aside, making her way inside my house.

"You're supposed to go to school."

"And you're supposed to be in bed right now!" She shot back, setting her school bag down on the living room. "I thought something happened to you because you didn't reply my messages, so I rushed here!"

As I opened my phone, I realize that there are more than ten notifications from her alone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

She let out a long sigh. "It's fine, beside skipping a day won't hurt anybody, right?"

"What do you mean by that? Of course it wasn't going to hurt anybody."

"What do you think I came here for?" She replied instantly, her face flat. "I'm not going to leave you alone, not with this high fever you got." She said as she put the palm of her hand into my forehead. "You're burning up, Y/N-kun."

Sui-chan grabbed my hand and dragged me back to my room. "I'll make you something to eat. So, stay here, okay?"

"You don't need to do all of this, Sui-chan." I murmured, feeling a pang of guilt.

"Don't be silly now." She said as she headed outside of my bedroom. "Don't you remember I'm your girlfriend now? Just lie down and let me handle it."

I watched as she made her way to the kitchen, the faint sound of cupboards opening and pans clattering following soon after another.

Not long after that, Sui-chan returned with a tray of food, it was a steaming bowl of porridge, a glass of water and some sliced orange that I didn't know where she found it since I've no stock of fruits.

"Breakfast is served!" She said with a triumphant smile, her face filled with pride as she set the tray on my bedside table.

"You didn't have to go this far." I said, sitting up slowly.

"Stop saying that." She scolded lightly, handing me the spoon. "I already told you, that I'm your girlfriend now. Taking care of you are part of the deal."

Her words made my heart skip a beat, I didn't know how to respond so I just picked the spoon and started to eat. The porridge was simple but delicious, spreading warmth throught my whole body.

"Did you like it?" She asked, sitting on the chair she dragged to the side of the bed.

"It's good." I nodded. "Thank you, Sui-chan."

"You're welcome." She leaned back, a relieved smile can be seen on her face. "Finish that and drink your medicine."

Hearing she mentioned medicine, I make a face in which earned me a chuckle from her. "Don't be a baby now." She teased. "It's just a pills, you'll survive."

After I finished eating, she handed me the medicine along with a glass of water. I swallwod them reluctantly under her gaze, then sank back into bed with a groan.

"See? It's not hard." She said, pulling the blanket into my chest.

"You're enjoying this don't you?" I mumbled.

She smirked, her usual teasing grin form on her face. She lean down to me, our face closer now. "Maybe a little." She admitted. "But only because it means I get to be here for you, to be by your side."

Her words were gentle, her eyes held a warmth that made my chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with my fever.

"Rest now, Y/N-kun." She said as she play with my hair. "I'll stay here and make sure you're okay."

The room fell silent except for the rhytmic sound of my breathing. Sui-chan busied herself tidying up the tray she brought to my room.

"You've should rest too." I murmured.

She just waved me off, setting the tray on my desk. "I'll do it later." She replied firmly.

I wanted to argue but the weight of the exhaustion pinned me down. As I lay there, I noticed Sui-chan looking around at my room. "Y/N-kun..."

I followed her gaze towards the pile of clothes I tossed around, stack of empty water bottle near my desk, and thin layer of dust around the shelves and windowsill.

"When was the last time you cleaned this up?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

She then bent down near the corner of my desk, where I'd shoved a bunch of staff to "clean" my room. Her expression shifted as she uncovered a small mountain of empty noodles cup.

"I know you like noodles...but how many of these have you eaten this week?" Her voice trailed off, disbelief. She held up one of the cups and pointed it to me.

I averted my gaze. "Uh...a few?"

She raised an eyebrow, pulling another cup and another. "A few, huh?"

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle, despite knowing that she would scold me. "They're easy to make, and delicious too."

"And terribly unhealthy!" She replied, glaring at me. "Now, I know the reason why you're sick. I'm surprised you haven't turned into a noodle yourself!"

Her dramatic comment made me laugh, but it turned into a cough that left me winching.

Her frustration melted into concern instantly. She put the cup down and came to my side, her hand brushing against my forehead again. "See, this is why you need someone to take care of you." Her voice loses its sharpness.

I looked away. "I'm fine, Sui-chan. I'm used to it."

"That's not the point, Y/N-kun." She kneeled down beside the bed to met my eyes. "Just because you've managed yourself on your own, doesn't mean it's okay to neglect yourself like this."

I wanted to argue, but her gaze firm, leaving no room to debate.

She then stood up, placing both of her hands on her hips. "I've decided something." She announced. "Once you're better, we'll clean this place together. And I'm going to teach you how to cook, other than those instant noodles."

"Is this part of the 'girlfriend package' too?" I teased, though my voice is weak.

"It's the deluxe edition." She said with a smirk. "So, you better get well soon." Her teasing tone lightened the atmosphere, and for a moment, I forgot about the fever, the exhaustion and everything else that weighing me down.

The afternoon sun poured through the windows, casting a soft glow inside my house. My fever had finally subsided, and I'm feeling better now, though I still felt groggy.

Sui-chan on the other hand is busy doing something in my kitchen, I have no idea what is she doing there, since all I have in the kitchen is just egg.

"Look who is up now." She said to me, her warm smile comforting me. "Feeling better now?"

"Better than I was in the morning." I replied, walking closer to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, at first I was going to make an egg fried rice for you." She paused, tying an apron around her waist. "But, since you're here, I'm going to teach you how to cook now!"

Oh my god, I started to imagining things of her wearing that apron.

"No more instant noodles for you." Her voice determined. "You hear that?"

Her voice tracked me down to reality as she laid out the ingredients : rice, eggs, some vegetables and a couple of sausages. "Where do you get this from?" I asked.

"I bought it of course , but thankfully I found some leftover rice and eggs at your fridge." She replied as she gestured me to stand side by side with her. "And...I also made a spare key to your house!"

My stomach dropped. "You what?"

"Huh? I made a spare key to your house, is something wrong?" Sui-chan replied casually, at the same time cracking eggs into a bowl. "Don't look so surprised. It's just in case. You know, emergencies." Her tone sweet, too sweet, but the edge of her grin sent a chill to my spine.

I opened my mouth to protest but shut it again. I feel like I'm going to put myself in danger if I reply.

"Now, pay attention, Y/N-kun." She continued, her voice and tone sounded more normal than before. "The first rule of cooking is : don't overthink it!"

She handed me the knife she was grabbing before. "First things first, chop these vegetables."

I took the knife hesitantly, eyeing the bok choy and garlic in front of me. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! Just hold the knife like this." She moved behind me, her hands guiding mine as she adjust my grip.

With how close she is, I found my heart race. But I focused on the task at hand. Slowly, I began chopping garlics and bok choy in front of me. Though my uneven slice earned a laugh from her.

"It's fine." She said covering her mouth with her hands, trying to not laugh. "They don't have to be perfect. Just keep your fingers out of the way."

After what felt like an eternity, Sui-chan handed me and spatula. "Now, we wait untill the pan started to smoking. Though it would be better if we use a wok." After a while, white smoke started to appear. "Pour the oil now, but not too much, just enough."

I followed her instruction, watching as the oil shimmered in the pan.

"Good, now put the garlics and stir untill it get slightly brown."

"Shouldn't you be the one doing this?" I asked nervously as the hot oil splatter around.

"Nope. You're the one learning." She smirked, satisfied grin formed on her lips.

After stirring for seconds, the garlics slowly turned brown and it smells really good.

"It's time for the eggs. Pour it inside the pan and scramble it and put the bok choy right after that."

With a deep breath, I follow every instruction she gave me. While constantly moving around, trying to dodge every splatter of hot oil. Sui-chan laughed at me for doing that. "What seems so funny?" I asked, looking at her.

"Nothing." She keep laughing beside my best effort. "It's enough, put the leftover rice now."

I continued to follow her instruction, stirring the rice untill it mixed with the garlics, eggs, and bok choy. And seasoning the fried rice with, salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hot sauce (optional).

"Now stir it untill it mixed with each other, keep stirring and let it cook for a minutes." She said with a tone that now sound like a teacher.

The smell of the fried rice filled my house, making my stomach growl despite myself.

"Okay, taste test time!" She announced, handing me a spoon.

I took a bite, surprised by how good it was. "It's good!"

"It's amazing, Y/N-kun!" She congratulated me. "I practically made it for you!"

"Hey, I did most of the work!" I argued playfully.

Sui-chan grinned. "Sure sure, let's eat now."

We sat down together on the kitchen table, sharing the fried rice from the pan. It wasn't perfect, there's some part that burn and under seasoned. But, it was the best things I'd eaten beside her cooking of course.

As we ate, she leaned against the chair, a satisfied smile on her face. "See, cooking isn't so hard, right?"

"I guess not." I said, scratching the back of my head. "But, it's a lot of work."

"That's because you're new to it." She said, her tone softening. "You'll get used to it soon. And you won't rely on instant noodles again."

"Thanks, Sui-chan." I said, her gaze met mine.

"For what?"

"For teaching me...for today, and for being here."

Her expression soften further and she reached across the table to take my hand. "I'll always be here, Y/N-kun. You're not alone."

Her words hit me harder than I expected, but I smiled back at her, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the food.

"Now." She said, breaking the silence with her usual teasing grin. "How about we clean the kitchen before I ended up doing it all by myself?"

I groaned, but I couldn't help to laugh. "Fine. But next time, you'll be the one doing the chopping."

"We'll see that." She teased, standing up and grabbing a dish towel.

Despite my illness, I feel so energetic without a reason. Her presence brings a peace into my mind. Even though our relationship has only been going for a few days, I couldn't help but to hope, day like this would continue forever. And for the first time in a long while, my house didn't feel so empty.