Chapter 36
Natalie had slept soundly, only to be startled by a knock on the door the next morning. Groggy, she stumbled to the door and pulled it open, coming face to face with Shawn, who looked just as surprised.
Shawn had hoped a cold shower would help him relax last night, but it had the opposite effect–he’d woken up with a cold. His head was pounding, and he’d had to take the day off from work.
Standing in front of him was Natalie, fresh from sleep with her hair in disarray, wearing his white shirt. The shirt skimmed her hips, showcasing her long legs, and a few undone buttons hinted at her figure.
Shawn quickly averted his gaze and coughed, handing her a bag. “Here, get dressed. I had these clothes delivered this morning. The dress you wore yesterday isn’t really practical for running around in.”
Natalie blushed deeply as she took the bag. “Thanks,” she mumbled and then closed the door.
In the bathroom, she noticed her shirt was unbuttoned. She cringed, recalling how she’d answered the door to Shawn like that.
‘He must have seen it all. Oh no, just let me melt into the floor. That’s why he wouldn’t look me in the eye when he handed over the clothes,‘ Natalie thought, her face burning with embarrassment.
Then she found a soft, flowing dress in the bag, changed, and took her time freshening up before leaving the room. Silence greeted her outside, and she figured Shawn had gone to work.
As she descended the stairs, she saw her bag on the sofa. Just as she rushed over, a voice from behind nearly made her heart leap out of her chest.
“All set? Come have breakfast,” Shawn said, dressed in casual gray clothes and slippers and carrying breakfast from the kitchen. His cool vibe was straight out of a graphic novel.
Natalie was genuinely startled. “N–No, I’ll skip breakfast. I should get going,” she said, her heart still racing.
“Taxis are scarce this early. Eat first. My driver will take you home,” Shawn offered.
“Uh… okay, thanks,” Natalie replied, still a bit flustered.
Shawn didn’t say anything. He just went back to eating.
Natalie sat across from him. The table was set with risotto and eggs.
ན ད ད ཧ ཎ ༀ ཙ རྒྱུ ན ལྔ
She served herself some risotto and peeled an egg. “Why aren’t you at the office today?”
“Not feeling great,” Shawn croaked.
“Huh, what’s wrong? Need a doctor?” Natalie asked, instantly worried, even putting down her spoon.
Shawn just looked at her and then shook his head.
Natalie realized she was being overly dramatic. “I mean, if you’re sick, you should see a doctor. Don’t delay. It could get serious.” She then picked up her spoon and resumed eating.
Shawn pushed his bowl away. “Just a cold. I’m done. The driver will be here in 20. He’ll drop you off. Close the door on your way out. I’m going back to bed,” he said, then turned and went upstairs.
At that moment, Natalie noticed his voice was hoarse, his face pale.
She watched him go, quickly finished her breakfast, and cleared the table.
As she left the kitchen, the doorbell rang. She grabbed her bag, glanced upstairs one last time, and left.
Shawn felt dizzy, probably feverish. Since going upstairs, he’d been lying in bed, unable to sleep, listening to the sounds from downstairs.
The noises from the kitchen brought back memories from four years ago, before their divorce, when she used to cook for him every day. After she left, the only dish he mastered was risotto.
Then the sound of the door closing told Shawn she was gone.
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Chapter 36
Later, Shawn was almost asleep when the ring of his phone jolted him awake. “Yeah? What is it?” he barked, his voice rough with irritation.
“S–Shawn, it’s Charles,” came the hesitant voice on the other end. “We’re all kinda wondering why you didn’t come into the office today. Did you… uh… maybe forget you had a meeting set with us?” Charles’s tone was shaky, and even through the phone, Shawn’s frustration was palpable.
“I’m sick. Got a cold,” Shawn muttered before abruptly ending the call.
“Shawn, wait,” Charles shouted, but it was too late. He was left staring at his phone, his unspoken concern for Shawn’s health hanging in the air.
The crew in the office exchanged puzzled looks as they waited. Shawn had given them a heads–up about the meeting, but now even Charles, the guy who was always late, had shown up and Shawn was M.I.A.
The executive staff was in the dark about Shawn’s whereabouts, so they asked Charles to give Shawn a ring, but from the sound of it, the meeting
was a no–go.
“Is Shawn alright?” Hayden asked Charles, his voice tinged with curiosity. Shawn was the picture of discipline, not the type to let a sniffle derail his work.
“No kidding. How’d he forget a meeting?” Fred chimed in, his brow furrowed with concern.
Charles looked around to see even the usually aloof Aaron showing interest. But he had no inside information to share.
“Shawn’s just down with a cold. He sounded pretty congested,” Charles said, palms up in a gesture of helplessness.
“Shawn’s sick? Seriously? I didn’t think our workhorse would ever call in sick,” Fred said, his voice filled with disbelief. It was a first; Shawn had never missed work due to illness in all the years they’d known him.
Hayden was puzzled too. “The weather’s been pretty mild. How’d he catch a cold?”
Aaron, though, kept his cool. “Shawn’s human, not a robot. He’s bound to get sick sometimes.”
Turning to Charles, Aaron added, “You should go check on him later. He’s home alone, and if he’s got a fever, he’ll need someone to take care of
him.”
“But I don’t know anything about taking care of sick people!” Charles protested. Visiting was one thing, but caregiving was out of his depth.
“Take Sabrina with you,” Aaron advised, figuring Charles could use the help. Sabrina might not be a nurse, but as a woman, she could probably manage to prepare some food, maybe whip up a pot of risotto or something.
“Guess I’m the lucky one,” Charles said, pushing himself up with a resigned sigh, like a soldier mustering for an unwelcome mission.
The others barely acknowledged him. With Shawn out sick and the meeting scrapped, they figured they might as well get back to what they did best–working.
Charles pulled out his phone and dialed Sabrina’s number. She was swamped with work on the twentieth floor, but when she heard Shawn was under the weather and they needed to check in on him, she quickly got clearance from her supervisor and hurried upstairs to join Charles.
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