Chapter 97
Sweet Subterfuge
âI have no appetite,â Kevan replied.
âWhat about a little water?â She eyed his parched lips.
âOkay.â
There was an unopened bottle of mineral water in the room. Larissa twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to him, but Kevan did not take it.
âI donât have the strength to take it.â He stared at her unblinkingly.
Defeated, Larissa sat at the head of his bed, âIâll help you sit up then?â
Kevanâs eyes lit up. âSure.â
Her arms slung around the back of his neck, holding onto it carefully as she supported his upper body.
Kevan sipped the water sheâd brought him, finding an unexpected hint of sweetness lingering on the tip of his tongue.
When she helped him lie down after he was done, Larissa asked, âDo you still want to sleep?â
Kevan was exhausted, and his eyelids were so heavy that he knew he wouldnât be able to open them again. once he closed them.
And yet, he didnât want to waste the precious time he got to spend with her alone, especially when he could play the patient card and have her do all sorts of things for him. It was nice to have her usual defenses down for onceâthe way she treated him now was a lot gentler than before.
It was almost like they were in the past again.
It had been such a long time ago.
âI donât want to sleep anymore,â he told her. âTalk to me.â
His request caught Larissa off guard.
She was rather nervous. âWhat should I talk about?â
âAnything.â Anything she said, he would listen to willingly.
Larissa had never chatted casually with Kevan before.
She felt around her pockets for her phone, wondering if she should contact Dylan for help.
Kevan sensed her hesitation and fought to keep the wave of disappointment in his heart at bay. âWhat time is it now?â he asked.
Larissa glanced at the time. â8.43 pm.â
It was already so late.
Kevan felt like heâd completely lost track of time since he last closed his eyes.
âHave you eaten?â
âYeah,â she lied instinctively.
âWhat did you eat?â
âFried rice.â
âWas it good?â
âIt wasnât bad.â
For a while, it was all mindless chitâchat, though surprisingly, the two of them managed to keep the conversation going without feeling awkward.
After that, Larissa covered her mouth as she yawned. âTired?â Kevan asked.
âNo.â She flapped her arms for emphasis.
Kevan was unusually considerate. âIf youâre tired, you should go to sleep. Thereâs still more than one hour left anyway.â
âItâs fine.â Larissa forced her eyes open. âIâm afraid that if I go to sleep, I wonât be able to wake up in time.â
âDoesnât matter.â Kevan patted the empty space beside him with his left hand. âThis bed is spacious enough.
You can sleep here. Iâll wake you up later.â
Larissaâs sleepiness evaporated at once.
It wasnât like sheâd never slept with him in the same bed before. Still, the last two times had been under special circumstances, and she had been completely unaware.
Unlike what they were doing nowâshe was still wide awake enough to differentiate between what was appropriate and what wasnât, and this very evidently wasnât.
âI really am not tired.â She straightened her back.
âSure.â Kevan didnât press her any further. âIâm a little tired though. Iâll sleep first then.â
He shut his eyes. Instantly, the room fell into silence.
Not long after, he felt the bed sink right next to him.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a head, resting by his arm.