𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 ||| 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐯 (𝟑)

[ 𝟏𝟒 ]

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Ningning emerged from her room, draping her jacket over her shoulders. "I can stay home, we can watch movies, or do whatever you want to do."

I shook my head and put my book, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, aside. My eyes looked at her dressed in black from head to toe.

"Ningning, it's okay, you should go outside. I'll be at home and I'll be fine. Besides, I've got a few books to read. They'll keep me occupied." Ningning raised her eyebrows in worry. "I really appreciate that you've been looking out for me after...well, stuff. But that doesn't mean you bail out on your date with your boyfriend. I don't want you to do that.

She stood there silently and I smiled at her, adding, "I will call you if I need anything. I promise."

Ningning returned a satisfactory smile. I picked up my book again, flipping to the page I left off on. From the corner of my eye, I watched Ningning wear a pair of black platform heels—definitely a better choice than pencil heels, ugh—and open the door. The sound of a scream filled the living room, causing me to jump out of the sofa. Slowly, I walked to Ningning who held her hand over her mouth. My eyes followed her gaze outside the front door and widened in shock.

Ten's back was against the wall next to the door, his knees pulled up to his chest, his hands wrapped around his legs barely able to keep him in position. My eyes stopped at his hands which were curled up into fists, his knuckles as white as the tiles on the floor. No matter how long I stared at him, he didn't move.

"What's your boyfriend doing sleeping next to our door?" Ningning muttered.

I opened my mouth but had no explanation so I closed it. Suddenly, it hit me.

Ten's been outside the whole night.

The whole night.

I squatted in front of him and shook his shoulders aggressively. The unfortunate attempt did not wake him from his slumber, which I hoped was not a coma. I lifted and cupped his face, the ice-cold surface of his skin touching mine grew the worry in my heart.

Thanks to Ningning's help, we carried him to my room and placed him under my blankets. I gestured her to leave for her date and after a bit of bickering back and forth, she reluctantly exited the room.

As I piled blankets upon him and wrapped him in scarves, I scoured my mind for instructions on how to deal with hypothermia. Half of my mind yelled frantically while the other half tried to calm it down.

Mom's special recipe. It works for everything.

I wasted no time in the kitchen and returned to my room with a secret concoction. It was passed down to me from my mom; she made it whenever I fell sick or didn't feel good. Ten had somehow sat up from under the pile of blankets. A dazed look lingered in his eyes, his lips slightly apart. I sat down next to him and fed him with a spoon. He swallowed and then began mumbling what sounded like an apology. I let out a sigh and placed a finger on his lips with a stern look.

"First, eat. Then, you can talk."

This time, Ten did as told. His face slowly warmed up by the last spoon and the dazed look disappeared from his eyes. I set the bowl aside and he began speaking.

"I'm sorry I stood you up, especially on our first month anniversary. Friday was just...ugh." He looked away with a frown on his face. "I was cleaning up after giving Louis and Leon a bath when my phone fell into the water. It wouldn't have been so bad if I realized that I dropped it right away but it hit me after a while. I styled up the babies, then wrote an article for my blog, and then two hours later, I got a last-minute notice for meeting a client. That's when I ran back to the bathroom in search of my phone and pulled it out of the water. I rushed to get it fixed but the phone itself was done for. I bought a new phone and hoped it would work with the old SIM card that somehow survived. But the phone died in the middle of a meeting."