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I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Fuck. The last time I had the flu was in my early twenties. It had been a long ass time, but the body aches, fever, headache, and coughing all pointed to it.
Of course, I’d get sick when I was trying to impress Eugene. Being weak couldn’t have come at a worse time. She was finally letting me touch her. Instead of being sick, I’d rather have her in my arms, yet I needed to put distance between us, so she didn’t get whatever I had.
Why did she keep leaving my bed? What was I doing wrong? I was a greedy man when it came to her. I would beg on my hands and knees to get her to stay in my damn bedafterI got better.
I coughed, and pain filled my chest. Sitting up, a cool washcloth fell off my head. Eugene must have put it there while I was asleep. She was going to end up sick because of me. I rubbed my chest as I coughed a few more times.
Eugene could do whatever she pleased. After all, my home was her home. If she needed a spot away from me or a moment to herself, she could do that there. But the idea terrified me. I was crazy about her. I didn’t know what I’d do if she picked up and left one day.
I didn’t know what made me feel worse—the fever or my thoughts.
“You’re awake.” Eugene stepped into my bedroom carrying a steaming bowl. “I made you some potato soup, but be warned, I’m not a great chef like you.”
I smiled despite the throbbing in my temples. “You didn’t have to make anything. I’d rather you keep your distance until I’m feeling better.” The words felt wrong coming out of my mouth, but I didn’t want Eugene to get sick.
Ignoring me, she sat beside me on the bed, handed the bowl over, and placed her palm on my forehead. “You need to take more medicine after you eat. Even better, you need to go to the doctor. You know Tamiflu has no effectiveness if you wait longer than a day. Or is it two? Regardless, if you wait too long, you’re stuck feeling bad.”
“I’ll be fine, Red.”
“Even if you don’t feel like eating, take a few bites.”
I didn’t have an appetite, but my stomach wasn’t queasy. So, I ate the whole thing for her. The quicker I got better, the quicker I could go back to making her see how perfect we’d be together.
???
“Hudson… Hudson…” Soft hands nudged me. I opened my eyes and saw Eugene sitting on the bed beside me, holding more medicine for me to take.
My head felt like it was going to explode as I sat up. Eugene was so fucking pretty. I wished I didn’t have to keep closing my eyes because of the headache. I wanted to keep staring at her. “Sorry, Hudson. I hate to wake you, but we need to try to keep your fever down. Here.”
I took the Motrin from her. “You need to start calling me something else, baby.”
Her gaze shot to mine. “Huh?”
“I call you baby, even Red, and you still say Hudson—which I don’t fucking m-mind,” I slurred as I gripped my head. “I love my name on your lips, but I want a pet name. Please.”
When I could focus again, her face was slightly red. “Your fever has you talking like this.”
“No. I know what I want, and it’s for you to call me something, anything. I’ll be your baby, too, okay? Or if you want to call m-mehubby,I’ll eat the shit out of that.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t call you that.”
“Why not?”
I knew the answer. We weren’t married. I wasn’t her husband, but that didn’t matter. When I started admitting to myself what I felt for Eugene, my heart got lighter. I wanted her to be a part of my life. I wanted her to remain in my cabin and be mine. I was already hers, even if she didn’t realize it yet.
“We will talk about this when you’re feeling better,” she said.
I swallowed the pills and then said, “What are you going to call me?”
Her red hair swayed as she shook her head. “I need time to think about it.”
“Leave now,” I urged. “Before I decide I don’t care that I’m sick and scoop you up. It doesn’t matter that my brain feels like it’s about to squirt out my ears. I still want to hold you close, so go, baby. I’ll set the timer and take my medicine through the night, okay?”
She pouted. I wanted to lean forward and kiss her. Instead, I laid back and tried not to think of my achy limbs.
“You should have gone to the doctor,” she said.
“It’s okay, beautiful. It’s okay.”
