House Rules

Chapter Five

Ian carefully opened the door of Daniella's room and stepped in. His hands were carefully balancing a tray with a steaming hot bowl of soup, a glass if water and few pills. When he came to the bed, he put the tray down on the bedside table, took the, now warm, towel from her forehead and went to the adjoined bathroom to make it cook and wet again. When he came back, he put it next  to the tray and slightly shook Daniella's shoulders to wake up.

  "Daniella, come on. I  brought a few pills for the fever. You have to wake up and take them." He said gently. Daniella stirred and groaned slightly while opening her eyes. She blinked few times while trying to adjust to the bright lights and yawned.

   "I don't feel so good." She mumbled while holding her head. Then she looked around and spotted  Ian right next to her. "What the hell? What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"then all the events came rushing back to her head which caused her headache to increase even more. "Ow." She whined quietly.

  "Here take the pills" Ian said while handing her the pills along with a glass of water.

   "Thanks." Daniella said while putting them in her mouth and washing them off with water.

   "Do you want to go the doctor?" Ian asked her not sure how to act. He didn't know what to do. The only experience he had with sick people was when he was sick himself. He didn't take care of anyone except on big screens, how was he supposed to take care of this woman he barely knew but seemed to appear constantly in his life in the past few days?

  "No, it's ok. I just want to stay home and rest." Daniella said while putting the glass on the tray and lying back down again.

  "Whatever, I made you some chicken soup. Eat it, I am going out." Ian said while standing up and heading towards the door not even bothering to glance at Daniella again. Insensitive jerk thought Daniella when the door of her room was closed. Insensitive jerk who let you sleep in his house, brought pills to you and apparently made you chicken soup . A small voice in her head reminded her but she pushed it to the back and instead reached aside for the bowl. Holding the spoon, she took a small sip.

  "Ew, this tastes like dishwasher water." Mumbled Daniella in disgust but still continued eating. Looking over at the clock, she spotted that it was already 9 p.m. What is he doing, going out late? She mused but shrugged it off and settled back in her sheets once again drifting to unconsciousness.

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  Stephanie Henney looked like a fairy tale princess: long, wavy blonde hair, mysterious smile, slim body plus good manners and a charming personality. She came from a rich family and was accustomed to being loved. She had never been rejected by anyone and felt content only when everybody around her loved her and gave her their full attention. She always believed that happiness is an objective thing that can be achieved through negotiating.
 
   Every princess needed her fairy tale prince and "happily ever after" ending. In Stephanie's case, she was hoping to find all that and more in the person she was currently sitting at a bar with.

  "I have a magazine launching party next Friday and I would love to see you there Steph." Nicholas said gently while dipping his drink. Yes, Stephanie was hoping to get her fairy tale ending with Nicholas Evans, the person she was crushing on since preschool when she first met him.