Chapter 29 Too Close
"Here's your breakfast, and here's your medicine," Dante says, putting everything on my nightstand with a smile. I look down at his hands, and there's no second plate of breakfast or anything. Literally empty.
Where's his food? Did he eat already? He said he'll eat with me. This man. Gosh.
"Where's your breakfast?" I ask.
"I have to go back and get it from the kitchen," Dante says. I roll my eyes and sigh at him. He should've told someone to help him bring the breakfast. That way, he doesn't have to go back to the kitchen again to get his food. He definitely could've told one of the maids to bring my breakfast while he brought his own. It's more efficient that way anyway.
"Just tell someone to get them for you. You shouldn't move too much with the wound on your shoulder," I say. Dante stares at me, ready to retort to my order, but ends up sighing, giving up on fighting me.
"Fine," Dante says. With his phone in his hand, Dante immediately texts someone and then puts his phone back into his pants' pocket. He turns to me, cocking his head.
"What are you waiting for? Eat up. You need to take your meds after this. Or would you rather me spoon-feed you?" Dante says. He's definitely just being sarcastic, but I grin at the suggestion. I nod vigorously in agreement, ignoring the dizziness I'm currently feeling.
That's not a bad idea. I could really use some help.
"Actually-"
My phone buzzes. One glance is all it takes for my grin to fall and be replaced with a frown. The notification on display ruins my mood again and causes my heart to pound with anxiety. It's Antonio. Shit. I forgot about him. I should reply to his text right now so I can ignore him later. The quicker I reply to him, the more rest I can get later.
"So?" Dante asks.
"Yes, please. Feed me," I say, grinning widely at him. Dante scoffs out a laugh in response, rolling his eyes at my silliness, but he still takes my breakfast plate full of fresh salad, omelette, sliced chicken, and steamed potatoes anyway.
"I should text Antonio now, or else he might continue to bother me later," I say.
"Just do it. You have me to feed you your breakfast," Dante says, holding up my plate in front of him. I smile at his gesture as I push myself to sit and prop my back against the headboard.
Before Dante gives me a spoonful of salad, Paola comes into the room with Dante's breakfast. He silently thanks the old lady, and she only responds with a smile before leaving my bedroom again and closing the door behind her.
"Alright. Open your mouth," Dante says.
I look down at the spoon. It's full of greens and carrots to the brim. Hell. It's actually a huge pile. I don't say anything and take all of it anyway, chewing it slowly in silence. As I do so, I open Antonio's message and start replying to his text.
Antonio: Hey, are you up for another date tomorrow?
Me: I can't. Sorry. I'm sick right now, so I don't think I can go out this weekend.
Dante shoves a spoonful of potatoes at my face, and my eyes widen at the sight. Does he secretly try to kill me by making me choke on my own food? Those are huge ass potato blocks. How does he expect me to fit two into my damn mouth?
"Dude. That's too much. I can't chew all that at once," I say. Dante sighs and then gives me one huge block of steamed potato instead of two like before.
"Here," Dante says.
"Thank you," I say. I silently eat the potato and check my phone again to see Antonio's reply already. That was quick, so that's good. This should be over soon enough.
Antonio: I'm so sorry about that. How did you get sick? How are you doing now? Are you at the hospital?
Me: I suddenly got a high fever earlier and also feel dizzy. A bit nauseous, too. I'm staying at home, and the doctor told me to rest for the next three days. He said it's just a common fever, but it might be something more serious if the fever doesn't go down by that time.
Antonio: Could I visit you? I want to make sure you're okay.
Antonio wants to come here? Absolutely not. Seeing him right now would definitely only stress me out even more and worsen my fever and sickness, too. However this stupid fever works. So yeah, I'm not taking any chances. Starting today and for the next three days, I must stop thinking about Antonio and forget him for a moment. It's time for me to recollect my thoughts and clear my mind. I should stay focused. I can't let Antonio get to me first.
"What's wrong?" Dante asks.
"Antonio wants to come. I'm saying no, though," I say.
"Good. You should be resting, anyway," Dante says.
"Yeah. Same goes with- ngh!" I groan as Dante shoves some slices of chicken into my mouth, silencing me forcefully. My eyes are shooting daggers at him, but Dante doesn't flinch. He only gives me a shrug, grinning from ear to ear.
"What the fuck?" I say with my mouth full of chicken. Dante smiles innocently, shrugging once again.
"You should finish your food before it gets cold," Dante says. I continue to glare at him while chewing the chicken in my mouth. Hmph. I'll get my revenge on you soon, Dante. You'll see it later.
Ignoring Dante's annoying move, I continue texting with Antonio while Dante puts another spoonful of salad into my mouth.
Me: I'll be fine. It's better if you don't come here. I don't want to trouble you. There's still a chance I might have something contagious, so you shouldn't come and see me. I don't want you to get sick, too.
Antonio: Alright. Take all the rest you need. Maybe I'll see you on Monday? We don't have to go out. We can hang out around your house if you want to.
Me: I'm not sure about that. The doctor probably still wants me to rest and do nothing.
Antonio: It's okay. Don't worry. I can wait until next weekend. Oh, and I have something to say to you. Your father probably already told you, but we'll be holding a party of sorts for my father's company. You know, the anniversary function. I was hoping you could come and meet the rest of my family.
So Dante was right. The Ricci will be holding a function in a couple of weeks. This is my chance to dig deeper into the family and their business. This sickness had better not be something serious. I need to get back on track with my health and plan my moves for the party. My plan needs to be flawless. I need to ask the Ricci the right questions at the right time. I can't ruin it and lose my chance of knowing if they are really tied to the Romanos or not.
Me: That would be great. When will this be? My father hasn't told me about it yet.
Antonio: It will be held in two weeks. Hopefully, you'll feel better already by then to attend the party. I don't want you to miss out on the fun.
The fun, huh? Is he planning something bigger? I hope not. Oh gosh, I really hope he didn't plan to propose to me or anything at the party. He and his father already promised they won't take things further before our relationship reaches five months, so I hope that's not the case. I expect them not to pull a stupid stunt like that later at the party. It would be a nightmare if they decided it's the right time for Antonio and me to get engaged this soon.
Me: I hope so too. Anyway, will all your family be there?
Antonio: Yes. You don't have to wait anymore to meet my sister. I'm sure both of you will get along well. She couldn't wait to see you, too.
Me: I really do hope we'll get along with each other.
Antonio: You will. I won't disturb you anymore for now. Get some rest, and I hope you will get well soon.
Me: Thank you, Antonio.
Antonio: Oh, and anyway, expect a gift from me later ;)
A gift? I wonder what that would be. It'll probably be just some flowers, nothing too crazy or anything. Maybe some snacks, too. Nah. That was just my wishful thinking. I suddenly crave something sweet like chocolate and gummies as well as something crunchy, like salty crisps or biscuits. Ugh. They sound so good right now.
Me: You don't have to give me anything, really.
Antonio: It's okay. I love giving gifts. It's nothing much, but hopefully, it'll make you feel a bit better.
Me: Thank you.
Antonio: It's nothing.
Sighing, I put my phone down on the nightstand. Now that Antonio's been dealt with, I should hurry up and finish my breakfast so Dante can eat his food. Dante continues to feed me spoonful after spoonful of food in silence, and I happily take each of them. Once I'm finished with my breakfast, Dante begins to eat his own food.
"Take your meds," Dante says.
"Okay."
After taking my medicine, I rest my head against the wall and stare at Dante while he eats. Feeling my eyes on him, Dante turns to me with a look of confusion on his face.
"What's wrong?" Dante asks.
"Nothing. I'm just staring at you," I say as I keep my gaze on him. Dante looks away from me and continues eating his food. Maybe I am mistaken, but there was a glint of something in his eyes that I can't quite pinpoint. I wonder what that was about. It's not something I usually see in Dante's eyes, which is strange. I'm not really sure, but it almost looks like fear? What is he afraid of? It's probably my father. I mean, my father is his boss, so it's only natural for him to be afraid of his boss, who is also known to be ruthless at times.
"You should go back to sleep. You said you'll sleep off the fever," Dante says, still avoiding my eyes as he eats. Sleep after eating? Yeah, no. Not only is it bad in general, but it might make me throw up if I sleep right away after eating, with how nauseous I've been getting until now.
"I just ate. It's not good to go straight to sleep after eating," I say.
"Alright, then don't do it just yet. You still need to go back to sleep later," Dante says.
Talking about sleeping and resting, Dante should be getting some rest, too. I would've told my father to give him a day off, but knowing Dante, he'll probably refuse to take it. So, my only option for getting him to rest up is by forcing him to sleep with me right now.
"You should, too," I say.
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard you loud and clear for the hundredth time," Dante says.
"Okay, then. I'll at least wait for you to finish your breakfast. You must sleep next to me on this bed, be it sitting or actually lying down. You can't go anywhere before I wake up. No sleeping on the couch because we both know damn well you won't fit in there," I say.
"Fine. I'll do it. Just don't get too close to me. God knows how mad your father will be if he finds us too close to each other when we're alone," Dante says.
"I know. Just don't leave my side," I say.
"I won't."