Page 42 of Saved By the CEO

“I’m not letting you leave like this. You can barely stand.”

Fuck.

I reach into my back pocket and pull out my phone.

“You’re not ordering a car,” he says, making a grab for it.

I press the phone to my chest, holding it out of his reach. “I’m not. I’m sending a text.”

“Who are you texting?”

I start typing.

fever just hit

The response comes almost instantly.

Send me your address

“Carly?”

I look up at Josh. He looks so concerned. So genuinely worried. I hate that I’m about to say something that will hurt him.

“I have the virus.”

He blinks at me. “What?”

“I have RHV,” I say, forcing the words out. “The virus that’s going around. And I need to leave right now.”

His expression goes blank.

“This is not how I wanted to tell you,” I continue, standing on wobbly legs. “I wish we had time to sit down so I could explain it properly, but we don’t. If I don’t leave soon, I might die.”

My phone starts buzzing with a call. Josh’s gaze drops to the screen.

“Is that him?”

I nod and press the phone to my ear.

“Where are you?” Mr. Bennett’s voice comes through the phone. I hear the distant sound of a car door closing.

“I’m at Josh’s apartment.”

A pause.

“Send me the address.”

The line goes dead.

Josh’s face changes. “Who is it?”

“Josh, you need to understand that I didn’t choose this. It just happened to me, okay? Please don’t freak out right now.”

I text Mr. Bennett the address and tell him to call when he’s outside, then make my way over to Josh’s breakfast bar. I sit down on one of the stools and put my head in my hands.

“Could you get me a glass of water?” I mumble.

A few seconds later, a glass is placed next to my arm. I sit up and gulp half of it down.