Page 55 of Game of Revenge

“You need to sleep, Amelia. You were clearly exhausted.”

“You should have woken me up so I could have taken you to the bathroom.”

“No, I’m fine. I can handle it.”

He was back, I accepted, rolling my eyes, but his pride was getting in the way of his recuperation. But he didn’t have a fever, and he had a decent appetite, so I couldn’t bring myself to scold him for long, even if he deserved it. He smelled great, and it was nice to see him look more normal.

“Did you make this?” He looked impressed.

“I did. My nana taught me how to make it. When she realized I was ordering food all the time in New York, she basically flew there for a month to give me lessons. She knew I didn’t enjoy cooking, but she claimed every human needed to have that basic skill. There was no way to argue with that logic.”

Alejandro smiled. He didn’t give me one of his “you're a spoiled brat” responses this time.

“It's delicious,” he complimented.

“Thanks.”

“I haven’t seen you eat,” he said with a frown.

“I have,” I lied, “in the kitchen.”

The truth was that I had completely forgotten to eat. I had a knot in my stomach that didn’t seem like it wanted to go away, and it killed my appetite. The idea of swallowing anything right now made me want to throw up.

“I’d rather we eat together next time,” he insisted, looking at me with suspicious eyes.

I ignored him and brought the dishes back to the kitchen when he was done. I filled two big glasses with water, putting one in my room and bringing him the other.

“You look tired, Amelia. You need to sleep. I am fine, and I can take care of myself.”

I was hurt to have my assistance be so aggressively rejected.

“Fine. I can see that you feel much better,” I said.

“Yes, you saved my life. And I won't let you put your health in danger for mine any further,” he insisted.

I looked away flushed, trying to hide from his gaze.

“Okay, I will go to bed in the bedroom next door to you. Please, if you need anything, wake me up.”

“You can sleep here,” he offered.

“I think it’s best if I sleep there,” I said, not wanting to be tempted. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he replied.

I exited his room as fast as I could, realizing I was feeling an overwhelming need to feel his warmth over my skin. I desperately wanted to lock my door, but I had to leave it unlocked in case he needed me.

Something told me that I should run away as far and as fast as possible before it was too late, before he stole my heart.

I got into bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about him and had millions of questions making their way back to my now less-exhausted self. Why would a cop try to kill me? Why was Alejandro literally protecting me with his life? Where was my stepfather in all this? This place might be my opportunity to escape. But nothing mattered, not even my freedom, until he was fully recovered.

Later in the night, after tossing and turning in bed for hours, I decided to go check on him. I opened the door very quietly, got to his side, and gently touched his forehead. He was okay. There was no way I was going to sleep if I didn’t have my eyes on him at all times, I admitted to myself. So I put my pride aside, went to his closet, and looked for the most pajama-like clothing that I could find, which amounted to gym shorts. I changed and, ignoring my pounding heart, got in bed with the devil.

The sunlight was coming through the curtains, gently warming up the room when I woke up. Alejandro was peacefully sleeping next to me, still with no fever. I knew he was a bit sedated, because one of the medications the doctor prescribed was meant to calm him down and get him to sleep, and it was doing him a lot of good. I spent the day making sure he ate, took his medication, and stayed hydrated, taking his temperature every two hours.

I dared to walk outside of the house when he was asleep, my bare feet enjoying the feeling of the warm, soft sand for an hour, relishing the saltwater breeze caressing my skin.

The ocean was quite tempting, but I didn’t have the appropriate attire to take a dip. I roamed the house a little more when I got back inside, happy to have found a TV in the living room. So, for the first time in weeks, I managed to curl up on a couch with chips to watch a telenovela as Alejandro slept away in peace.