Days After You's

Chapter 35 - Not Wanting to Give Up

'Cynthia, I—'

"Achuu!"

The voice of the male protagonist who was about to reveal feelings to the female protagonist on tv suddenly cut off the sound of Stella sneezing. Stella, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa to keep her distance from me, pulled the tissue on her thigh to clear her nose. Even though he had no fever or felt his body warm again, the cold that attacked him was still not completely gone, and therefore he still did not allow me to approach him less than two meters away.

Though I've tried to convince Stella that my endurance is not that weak, but she continues to assume that if I just touch her a little, I will definitely get infected. It sucks 'cause I want to help, but he's the one that's stopping me from doing that.

I saw the cup in front of him was empty and just wanted to get off the sofa to get Stella warm water or tea in the teapot again, but he immediately nodded and put his hands in front of his chest as if he wanted to fend me off.

"Luiz, don't come any closer!" Stella Excited. His eyes bulged and he raised the mask he had dropped so he could wipe his nose to cover his mouth and nose again. Yeah, he wears a mask at home, like that.

"...I just want to get some more warm water or tea for you" I replied.

Stella formed a cross emblem with both hands, "No need, Luiz. I'll take it myself when I want to. Sit down again."

"Stella.." I said, exhaling, "When it goes on like this, I feel like the germs or bacteria you're avoiding, not the ones you're trying to protect from your cold. Stop being paranoid."

Stella's two eyebrows were tied behind her strands of bangs, "I just don't want you to get infected. You don't want to get infected, do you, Luiz?"

"I told you, I wouldn't get it just from touching you. Even if we get infected, we just take care of each other."

I walk around the couch to go to the kitchen, "I'll get you some warm water and then I'll sit next to you whether you want to or not."

"Luiz wait—"

Without stopping, I continued walking towards the kitchen and picked up the hot water pot. I went back to the tv room and poured a cup of Stella's.

"It's a drink—what are you doing?"

My eyes grew as soon as I saw Stella had crossed her fill half of the elongated sofa I was sitting on. His head rested on the arm of the sofa while his legs were extended to almost reach where I was sitting.

"Luiz, I want to watch while lying down, sit where you were."

So that's how he plays. Okay, but he's wrong if I'm just gonna take his wish for granted. My eyelids dropped while putting the teapot on the table, my eyes could not be separated from him.

"OK, if that's what you want. But I also won't change my mind from what I said just now," following that, I raised my calf in Stella's pajamas, sitting in the middle of the sofa where she tried to block me from sitting and landed her two slender legs on my thighs.

Stella gasps, "Luiz—"

My hands held his feet from moving down. I glanced at him from the corner of the eye, "Why? You said you wanted to lie down? Lie down, I'll sit here."

"Luiz! Lower my legs! Stop messing around..." Both of Stella's legs wriggled from constantly trying to get down. And I'd be lying if it didn't cause a 'reaction' from me.

I tried to divert my mind by imagining Grandpa's face rubbing my beard or whatever it was that could make me not aroused, all of it while still holding Stella's leg, "Uh...relax and go back to watching."

"Luiz..."

"If you don't act, you know you won't be in this position, so don't put on a face like you're the victim here" I said when I found Stella singing her lips while staring at the television screen. His two pupils moved down to glance at me but he did not say anything.

"Would you like a drink?"

Stella shakes.

"How about the aromatherapy candle I bought for you, do you like the smell? I hear that's good for relaxation and headaches."

Stella nodded.

I sighed, "Now you don't want to talk to me?"

"...I want to watch," muttered Stella as she pointed at the television.

Knowing that there would not be much response from Stella who was slightly cranky, I chose not to continue the conversation again. I then screamed to focus on the tv and not on the presence of Stella's foot on my thigh. I always realized that Stella had a lean posture but I never really noticed that she had such beautiful legs. Her toenails are so neat and beautiful, her calves are small but slightly full. Not to mention, as a result of him wriggling earlier, my hand became in direct contact with the smooth skin of his feet—

What was I thinking? No, focus Luiz. Watch tv and don't be a freak. Focus on.

"Pulse...Luiz," Stella's voice brought me back to reality, I looked at her and pointed to her feet, "That's not squeezing my legs."

"Ah sorry."

Both of my cheeks instantly warmed up but I acted as if nothing was strange. I relaxed my body and looked back at the tv screen. Stella and I were in the same position until the drama ended and she was about to go to bed. Now, he didn't protest anymore when I followed him to the room to bring him the cup of warm water.

Putting the cup on the nightstand, I saw the medicines the doctor gave were neatly arranged there.

"Your medicine lives on this?" I asked while lifting one of the drug strips whose contents stayed two pieces.

Stella who laid her body between the dolls and pulled the blanket nodded slowly, "Yes, but I'm better, so there's no need to ask the doctor for more medicine."

"Okay, but if it's still not completely cured, too, I'll call the doctor again," I put the medicine back and turned to Stella, "Sleep. Call me if you need anything. No need to hesitate."

"Yes.thank you Luiz. I'm sorry if I made you upset" Stella said softly from under the blanket she had now pulled back to cover her entire body to her chin. His round eyes looked at me.

Heart warms. I told the hand to shuffle her hair, "It's okay. I understand you're well-intentioned. Sleep on."

Stella nodded and closed her eyes. I tidied up some dolls that looked too crowded in the area of his head to make him more comfortable.

"Remember to call me if you need anything" I said before turning off the lights and going outside.

Outside I remained silent for a moment. Never once did I imagine that I would be able to show care and affection to a woman who was not my mother or sister. Stella actually managed to bring the meek side that I never even realized was inside me to stick out to the surface.

If the woman I married was not Stella but someone else, would I at one point also stand here and give equal attention and treatment to that woman?

Maybe yes, maybe not. I'll never know because I don't want to imagine that either, but one thing for sure is that there is something in Stella— her whole person— that gets me tied up and I'm sure no other woman can trigger that feeling from me other than her.