41
LEXI
The next morning, I woke up to Evie prodding me awake. It felt like my head was on fire. My body had the worst chills, and I just wanted to snuggle under the covers.
“Mom, I’m hungry,” she whined, pulling my blanket to the floor and making me feel worse.
“Ten minutes, please,” I begged, reaching out painfully to pull my blanket back on.
She continued in the same whiny voice, “Mom, we’re late.”
Shit. It was a weekday, wasn’t it?
“I’m coming,” I managed to say when I began to cough uncontrollably. After a minute, my coughing fit subsided, but it felt like my lungs were going to explode.
Evie started crying, and I sat up, filled with concern.
“I’ll get you something to eat,” I promised, even though I felt like crap, and forced myself to stand and walk down to the kitchen.
My eyes stung, and my feet ached like I’d been walking over a desert barefoot, but I found cups of water for the two of us, and we drank in silence.
Now that I could see the sunlight streaming in, I realized it was after nine in the morning. The time I would usually be at work.
I felt miserable and sat down on the couch, running my hand over my face. I was hot, definitely running a fever and pulled out my phone to email Rafael to let him know I wouldn’t be working today.
I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep on the couch, but I woke to the sound of the doorbell. I lifted my head in a daze. How long had it been since I’d emailed Rafael?
I heard the doorbell again, this time more urgently, and suddenly wondered about Evie. Where was she? Who was at our door?
I managed to get to the door, dragging a throw blanket around my shoulders, feeling like I could fall down at any moment.
I turned the handle, and the door swung open.
“J-Jonah,” I stammered when I saw the towering hulk of his frame on my doorstep, complete with his unreadable expression. “What are you doing here?”
Jonah’s eyes met mine. There was an intensity in his look that wasn’t there before. He didn’t speak, but his eyes shifted, taking me in as I leaned against the doorframe, feeling feverish and delirious.
“Are. You. Okay?” he bit out.
“Jonah …” I closed my eyes. “It’s nine in the morning. Why aren’t you at work?”
He came closer, his voice sounding strangled while Evie walked up to us. “It’s one p.m., Lexi, not nine in the morning. Are you okay?”
I crossed my arms, closing my eyes as I drew on my strength. “Well, it doesn’t matter, Jonah. I still don’t want to see you afterour fight last night. And speaking of which, you didn’t get my pizza right. I told you I wanted the crusts cut off.”
In the background, Evie wailed, “I’m hungry, Mama.”
“You just ate,” I began deliriously, then paused, frowning. “Or … was that yesterday? Did we already have breakfast?”
Jonah stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Lexi,” he said slowly, reaching out to feel my forehead, “you’re burning up.”
“Bye, Jonah. I need to leave,” I said, forgetting that I was at my own home.
I turned, and walked to the kitchen. I heard Jonah’s feet follow me in, but I didn’t have the energy to tell him off.
My chin trembled when I spotted something on my dining table.
Our order from Panera Bread last night. The boxes were unopened.
