Chapter 5
1072 Words
MARA'S POV
Denver struggled to rise to his feet. He took a cigarette box and a lighter from his bedside table drawer and made his way to the door. As I followed him, he led me into the living room.
He lit the cigarette and took a series of puffs. His actions revealed a side of him I rarely saw. He only smoked when under extreme stress or pressure, such as the time when my sister Bella ended up in the hospital due to an accident.
Bella at that time had been rushed to the ICU with a head injury that required immediate attention. She remained unconscious, and we anxiously waited outside the Intensive Care Unit. Only one person was allowed inside at a time, and it was my father who had volunteered to go first.
Outside the hospital, I spotted Denver seated on a bench, smoking. He looked visibly stressed, with cigarette butts scattered around the pavement. His concern for Bella was clearly overwhelming him.
The next day, Bella regained consciousness. She had spent only two days in the ICU before being moved to a private room. It was then that I saw Denver calming down.
When Denver noticed the smoke from his cigarette wafting toward me, he immediately stubbed it in the ashtray.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I completely forgot there's a child here."
"I'm not a child!" I retorted, slightly offended.
"But for me and your sister, you're still a baby."
I decided not to argue further and changed the subject. "It would be better, Professor—"
"Denver," he corrected me. "We're not at the university."
"It would be even better, Denver, if you rested. You've only had less than two hours of sleep. You're still drunk and running a fever."
"I don't think I can go back to sleep," he replied, throwing his body onto the sofa. He lay down and used the armrest as a makeshift pillow. Then, he closed his eyes.
I fetched a throw pillow and gently placed it under his head, to prevent him getting a stiff neck. After a few minutes of observing him, I was taken aback when he suddenly jolted awake.
"Damn! I can't sleep!"
"You should try to sleep. Bella is really worried about you, which is why she sent me here. Also, don't let your relationship get ruined over something simple."
"The postponement of our wedding isn't something simple."
"Then, go visit Ate Bella. Bring her back here."
He fell into deep thought before nodding. "Yeah, why not."
"The problem is resolved now, so go to sleep."
Denver wiped his face with his hands. "I can't sleep. You'd better go home, Mara. I'll get you a taxi or I can give you a ride."
"Wait! Just relax for a moment." I stopped him from getting up and gently guided him back to the sofa. "I can go home by myself. Besides, I thought of a solution to help you sleep."
Denver frowned.
With a smile, I took out my cellphone and earpiece from my sling bag. I selected a soothing song that was downloaded on my phone and placed the earpiece in both of Denver's ears. This was my personal trick to fall asleep quickly, and I hoped it might work for him as well.
I saw him close his eyes and relax. I remained by his side for a few minutes. I thought he had fallen asleep, but then he raised a hand and removed one of the earpieces from his ear, placing it in mine.
"Your favorite song," he said.
Barry Manilow's "Somewhere Down the Road" began to play. It was one of my favourite songs. The song itself held no significant meaning in my life, but I liked it for its smooth melody.
We both listened to the song. I was still kneeling while he reclined on the sofa. Around the eighth song, I noticed Denver wasn't moving anymore, and when I removed the earpiece, I heard his soft snoring.
To be certain, I lightly tapped his cheek. He didn't react. He was truly asleep. I stood up, stretched my body since I had been kneeling for a while. Then I went to the windows to ensure they were locked. Satisfied, I returned to the living room.
I slowly removed the cellphone and earpiece from his ears. Instead of standing up, I found myself transfixed, gazing at Denver's face from such a close distance. I marveled at his striking physique, wondering if he was descended from a Greek god. Who wouldn't be mesmerized by him?
My lips curved into a smile as I remembered the day I fell in love with him.
It happened during my sophomore year. I was leaving the university's laboratory. It was already dark and almost all of the students were already left. I was the only one walking on the street as the bus stop was far across the road.
Walking alone at night was dangerous due to groups of young delinquents who often harassed passersby, especially students. I unfortunately became their target that night. They surrounded me, and one of them even dared to touch my arms and hair.
Though terrified, I kept walking while looking for someone who could help me. But to my terror, they pulled out my bag that contained the formula for my precious experiment.
As I screamed for help, they began to yank my hair and hit me. I felt hopeless and wanted to give up my bag. But suddenly, a car honked loudly and stopped.
The delinquent men ran, but one was caught by the man who got out of the car. The man was Denver, who happened to be on his first day as a professor at the university.
Funny how, despite the dangerous situation, I found myself stunned not just by his handsome looks, but also by his act of saving me. That marked the beginning of my attraction to him.
I shook my head, washing those memories away from my head. My eyes went to Denver once again. I raised my hand to touch his cheek, hesitating to continue, fearing I might wake him.
I stood up, but kneeled back down again, grabbing the opportunity to stare at his handsome face longer. Unconsciously, I moved my face closer to his lips. When our lips were inches apart, I quickly pulled back, my eyes wide with disbelief at my own audacity.
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