Athena is sleeping in my room.
I'm sleeping in my guest room, just beside my room.
I can't even sleep right now. To think she was the one who wanted to sleep in my house...
I want to see her sleeping face...
I rolled around the bed for several times and I still can't sleep.
That's it. I will just take a peek on her then return to bed.
I went to my room and carefully opened the door. When I opened the door, I can hear a faint sniffling and whimpering sound.
I approached her and saw her being tearful in her sleep.
I snuck beside her then stared at her face.
I gently wiped her tears using my thumb on her cheek.
How can I make her stop crying?
I moved more closer to her and gently rubbed her back. After a few strokes, she stopped whimpering and eventually she is now sleeping soundly.
I can feel her breath rhythm caressing through my neck. It's not uncomfortable, it makes me feel ensured that she is here with me.
Her presence makes me complete. Ahhh... it's too late to turn back time.
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I woke up and I looked on my left to see if she is still sleeping.
Oh, she's still sleeping but she is facing away while curled up under the comforter.
I looked at my wall clock and it is 6:13 in the morning. I better wake her up since it is still a weekday. We both have work.
I stood up then went over to the other side of the bed.
Wait, is she sick? Her complexion isn't good.
I placed my hand on her forehead and I felt that she's hot. I got worried so I woke her up by tapping her shoulder to ask her if she feels sick.
She slowly opened her eyes and placed one hand on her forehead.
"... I think so..."
I told her to wait so that I could get my contact-less thermometer from my first-aid cabinet in my comfort room.
I hurriedly returned to her and used the thermometer on her.
"38.1 °C. You currently have a fever. I don't think you can go to work," I said.
She suddenly stood up but I grabbed her arm and told her that she should stay put.
"I-I have to go to work. Zilly and I are tasked to do something today..." she said.
I told her that I can tell Zilly that she can do whatever that task is on her own.
"I'm part of that project so no need to worry. Just tell your company that you won't be able to work," I said.
She was reluctant at first but eventually gave in. She called her company that she won't be able to go to work while I called Zilly to make her do the task on her own today.
Zilly was dumbfounded and asked why am I ordering her to do the task on her own today.
I told her that she is capable of doing it on her own since it is just a simple task. That task is just an analysis report so no need to make her do the job with Athena.
"Oh, so you trust my skills than hers. You really admire me, do you?" Ashe said this in a self-conceited tone.
"Hey, the date I am talk-"
I ended the call immediately and returned to Athena.
"...you should have let her finish," she said.
I got nervous and asked her if she heard Zilly's voice. Why am I being nervous all of the sudden.
She nodded and told me that she has a loud voice that made her hear her voice from my phone. I was just a fee feet away from Athena so she eventually heard Zilly's responses.
"Your her boyfriend, right? Zilly will definitely be sad as you did that to her," she said
What's this that I am feeling? I didn't like what she said. It's kind of painful.
I changed the topic and told her to focus on resting and to stay put.
"But I don't think I can stay here. Zilly will go berserk when she hears I slept here. I'm sorry that I impulsively asked to sleep here," she said this with heavy breathing.
I sighed and told her that she should think of recovering first.
"Want to go home having a fever like this? Your parents will get extremely worried," I said.
She paused for a while and changed her mind that she'll recover here.
She already notified her parents yesterday night that she has a sudden company business trip at the neighboring city as an excuse for sleeping here. Now, she notified her parents that she'll be going home late.
She'll probably recover within the day.
She laid down and I helped her to properly place the comforter on her.
"I get fevers like this when I'm really, really stressed," she said.
I suddenly felt guilty as I remembered that I caused her a fever months back.
"I'm sorry."
She asked why am I apologizing and I told her that I made her have a fever before.
"Oh that, yeah. You caused me some fevers. Well, it's probably because of my poor emotional resiliency. Don't mind about it. It's my problem." she said.
"But I can see that you are getting more active with your feelings. Such as confronting Conrad what you saw and heard. You did not choose to hide the fact from him."
She suddenly gave a bright smile and asked me if I'm telling the truth.
Wow, she's beautiful. It's been a while I've seen her smile like that.
"Yes, I'm not joking."
I cooked breakfast and gave her some fever medicine. I let her eat on the bed so that she will not exert herself.
Since I have to go to work, I took a bath, ate my breakfast, and bid goodbye to Athena who is lying on my bed.
When I got into my car, the scene where Athena saying take care and goodluck to me before I get out of my house earlier, replayed to my mind.
Not to mention she said that while in my house lying on my bed... I feel like she's my wife back there.
Oh god no.
I shook my head and head on to work.
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"Sir Charles, you keep on checking your phone. I know that you're lonely since Zilly is out to do some work. Zilly will reply to you soon." said Henry.
I sneered at Henry and told him that he got it all wrong and I'm just checking the time.
The truth is I'm just waiting for Athena's message and she haven't answered my message.
My message contains asking her how she is feeling right now and if she has taken again the fever medicine since the medicine should be taken every four hours.
I'm kind of worried but she's probably sleeping.
Henry and I are at lunch at the canteen eating our lunches. Three other colleagues, including Heathrow-Lewis, are also with us.
Heathrow-Lewis asked about Zilly and I, specifically if I am riding along well with Zilly's personality.
"Yeah, somehow." I said.
"Did you get plenty of dates with her?" Henry asked.
"Just a few. It's hard to say yes to everything as she would always ask for a date almost everyday."
The other two colleagues asked me which is better, my ex or Zilly.
"Which ex?" I asked.
"Athena, of course. She's your latest ex," said the female colleague.
I paused for a while and told them why they keep asking about my love life. I shut them down by saying to mind their own business.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Okay then, speaking of Athena, how is she right now? Reese is close to her. How is she now, Reese?"
"She's doing good at her current company. Her love life is smooth sailing too," said Reese.
Nuh-uh. She got a fight with her boyfriend.
My cellphone is ringing and brought out my phone from my pocket.
Athena's calling.
I stood up and excused myself to answer the call.
I jogged towards the mezzanine and answered her call.
She apologized that she was not able to reply my messages as she was sleeping deeply to the point that she didn't heard the sound of her message tone.
"It's alright. So, how are you feeling? Feeling better somehow?" I asked.
"Yes, but I still feel feverish but better than this morning," she said in reply.
Thank goodness, she somehow feels more better.
"Rest more and I'll see you later."
She agreed and I ended the call.
I turned around then returned to the canteen.
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I'm now fixing my things to go home.
I plan to buy some hearty dinner for Athena. Should I buy chicken soup? Or buy tortellini spinach sou-
"Sir Charles, I still have to give you this before going home."
My train of thought was derailed by Heathrow-Lewis.
"Oh, thank you."
I placed the folder she gave to me on my table. When I was to grab my bag, she suddenly mentioned that I look excited going home.
"That look... I've seen that a couple of times when you were still together with Athena," she said this with a doubtful tone.
I grabbed my bag and told her to stop in being so observant towards me.
She gasped and said "What?! Are you meeting with Athena?!"
"What? No!", I lied.
"Oh... then why are you excited like an idiot just now? It was the same during lunch after answering a call. My instincts don't lie, you know," she said.
"... My nephew is coming over to my house and will be staying over night. Don't assume that whenever I am excited, it's always Athena this, Athena that. It's not like that."
"Really?" she the raised an eyebrow, "if you say so."
Finally she left. That Heathrow-Lewis, she's sharp. Am I really that obvious? Anyways, I should buy dinner for Athena."
I went to a best shop in town that sells delicious homemade meals. I eventually chose the tortellini spinach soup. I've eaten that before so I totally recommend this to a sick person.
When I entered my house, I heard the TV is on and I saw Athena walking towards me.
"Oh, you're back. Welcome home," she said this with a smile.
Really? Why make me feel like this way, Athena? I felt heat going up to my face.
I really feel like I have a wife standing in front of me.
"You okay? Do you still have a fever?" I asked as I placed the takeout on the dining table.
"My current temperature is 37.4 °C. It's getting lower gradually and I feel much better now," she said.
I told her that she should sit down and bought her some takeout for dinner.
She suddenly felt reserved and said that I shouldn't have bought dinner as she is already imposing in my house.
I reassured her that she's not imposing me and eventually she said thanks.
Together, we ate the dinner I bought.
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Charles dropped me to my house after my temperature went down to 36.6 °C. It's 10:30 in the evening and took a shower and laid myself on the bed.
I still feel sad about what happened between me and Conrad. He hasn't sent a message today. He's really serious about wanting me to reflect things.
Couples fight and it's pretty normal.
However, I really feel uncomfortable with his junior after hearing she likes him not as a fan.
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Was I too harsh on her?
"Cut! Conrad, you are not yourself today again. Let's have a break for 30 minutes and we'll redo the scene," said the director.
I apologized again to the director. It's my 4th retake after this 30 minute break.
This is getting out of hand. I'm not focused with my work. Good thing the director is kind.
Naoya approached me and asked if something happened that made me not act from my usual self.
I keep telling him that nothing has happened and that I just find it hard to portray what the director wanted out from me.
"Why don't you have a short call with Athena. Maybe she can give you some advice," he said.
I paused and told him that I can't do that.
"Did you guys have a fight?" he asked.
I discretely nodded.
"So that's why. Whatever your fight was about, don't let your work be affected by your personal problems. It will be a problem, as you can see what happened a while ago," he seriously said.
He's right. I better set aside my personal problems and do my work properly.
I went back to the van to rest a little bit. When I settled myself on my seat, my phone received a message.
I received a message from Eliana.
"Hi Conrad! I got an offer to voice a major role for a cartoon show! Thanks to you, I landed my first big role! If it's okay, I'm inviting you for a dinner! My treat!"
Oh, good for her. Her exposure with our previous work had made her catch a big role. That's amazing.
Flashback where Athena and I had a fight flashed into my mind.
Eliana likes me? It can't be. Maybe Athena just misheard it. I didn't feel anything from Eliana that hints that she has a thing from me.
If she does like me, I will definitely put a boundary.
I can see my struggling past from Eliana so I defended her from Athena.
I'm still a bit angry about what she said about Eliana.
I agreed to her invitation so that I could know if Athena's wrong or right.
I will apologize to Athena if she's correct but if she is wrong, I will still apologize since I said something that js not good to her.
After 30 minutes of resting, I went back to work.
"Yes! That's it! Keep it up like that, Conrad!" said the overly hyped director.
We were replaying the scene that was recorded earlier on the screen.
Phew, I'm glad I went back to my usual self.
The director told me that we might be able to finish early today for today's portion of work since we've been doing all in one take in most of the scenes.
I brought out my phone from my pocket and immediately messaged Eliana that I can meet her tonight.
I should confirm things from Eliana if she really do have something on me. The earlier I confirm things, the earlier I will apologize to Athena.
After a few hours of the remaining work, I was able to meet Eliana at the restaurant she suggested not far from the hotel I am staying.
The restaurant is causal and therr are only a few people dining in.
As we settled on our seats while waiting for our food, I got to the main point.
"Do you have feelings for me? Romantically, I mean?" I said.
Her eyes widened and noticed she began to look flushed then acted shy.
Oh no, Athena might be right.
"Yes!" she said this in a loud voice with a desperate look.
Athena is definitely right.
"You do know I have a girlfriend. You saw her with me a while back, right?" I said this in a serious tone.
"I know but I can't shake off these feelings ever since before I entered to GT!" she said.
I added that she might feel infatuated like a fan and I apologize for showing actions that she might have misunderstood that I have something on her.
"You reminded me of myself when I was struggling with my career so I was really sensitive when it comes to you. However, I was giving off the wrong vibe that you got the wrong idea, " I said.
She suddenly in tears and told me that she feels genuine.
I panicked and looked around us. Oh no, people are looking at us.
I pushed the napkin holder on the table for her to wipe her tears.
I whispered to her saying that she should stop crying as we are getting attention from the public.
She pulled one napkin and wiped her tears.
"I'm sorry, I made a scene," she said while sniffling.
The waiter came and asked if we should bring the food later as we looked like we are in a serious discussion.
Eliana told the waiter that the food can now be served.
The staff were also looking at us with concern. The staff... I hope they would not misunderstand.
When the waiter was serving the food, I apologized to the waiter and told him that both of us were just rehearsing for a certain scene for a shoot.
"It looks real to me, though," the waiter is in disbelief on what I said.
Shoot, how can I convince him that it's not what he is thinking. It might be a problem if they would misunderstand.
"It's true."
Eliana supported my statement.
"It's true that we were just rehearsing. I had a hard time expressing those lines for our shoot. I finally did a genuine acting," she said to the waiter.
"Really? Then you were amazing. It feels like it was real! Well then, enjoy your meal," said the waiter.
I thanked her for supporting my claim. If she did not help me, it will cause problems.
"Y-yeah" she said.
As we were eating our food, we did not have a conversation so I initiated the conversation.
"I'm sorry. You might be uncomfortable from the excuse I used to the waiter," I said.
Her face is not that disappointed just like earlier but there is still a hint of disappointment on her.
She smiled at me and told me that I should not apologize because we can't do anything because people might misunderstand if I didn't use any excuse.
"But I'm still happy that you actually noticed that-" she minimized her voice, "that I have feelings for you."
I did not tell her that Athena told me so I just told her that I had a feeling.
"Uhmm... Conrad?" she said.
"Yes?"
"I hope things would not change..."
I told her that things would not change. Our relationship stays as colleagues.
"You're a good guy. You did not hesitate to reject me. You're so devoted to your girlfriend," she said.
"Of course, I love my girlfriend and I am not interested with other girls aside from her."
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I went back to the hotel and entered my room. I sat dow on the sofa and pulled out my phone to call Athena but I was interrupted by hearing Naoya's voice as he was knocking my door frantically.
When I opened the door, Naoya showed his phone at me playing a certain video.
What?! That's me and Eliana at the restaurant earlier!
I grabbed Naoya's phone to have a good look on the video. I also read the comments that we're both bluffing about our conversation was just a rehearsal and the people who wrote the comments believed that it was real and not acting.
"You both are currently trending in the the internet! The fans are currently saying that it was like watching a drama! But how did this came about? Did she confessed to you?" he asked.
I told him the whole story and he also did not notice that she had a thing for me.
"You're now a popular guy, it is no wonder that you are trending. But hey, good job on rejecting her. Athena would be happy. Your fans praised you for being a devoted boyfriend," he said.
The comments were full of praises for me but for Eliana, there are several negative comments about her such as slut, bitch, and boyfriend snatcher.
Oh no, this doesn't look good for Eliana.
Naoya suddenly received a call and it is apparently the casting director of Eliana's new project.
"What? You don't want to cast Eliana anymore?" Naoya said this with a shocked expression.
No way, Eliana was excited for her first major role.
I shouldn't have been too rash about confronting Eliana. I'm too selfish.
This will be a big blow on her.
I immediately called Eliana and she doesn't pick her phone up. Now I'm getting worried.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have directly confronted her directly in public," I said this in worry.
Naoya sighed and told me that it was both our fault for not thinking carefully that Eliana and I are both celebrities.
"You still don't realize that your already famous, do you? You should always think that many eyes are now watching you," he added.
He has a point. It still doesn't sink in that many already recognize me in public.
What should I do? I ruined her first break in her career.
»»»»»End of Chapter 90«««««