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As Lada hurried her pace back to her home to escape the brutal cold, she couldn't helped but missed the warm weather of Bangkok. She let out a soft exhale and a puff of vapor came out. As she neared to Earn's apartment, her thoughts wandered to the cheerful ball of sunshine that had dove into her life.
Lada was ignoring the signs at first. She was here to study. Not to fall in love.
But oh Earn Sanithada was such a beauty, both internal and external. How could Lada resist? She shook her head. She could no longer deny it. Lada Thananusak was irrevocably in love with Earn Sanithada.
A momentarily confusion swept over when she saw the girl occupying her mind sitting on the steps of her apartment. Lada's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and she strode over there just to confirm. "Earn?" It really was her. The girl was hugging herself and looked like she was on the verge of dozing off. Lada kneeled down in front of her.
"Hey, why are you sitting out here?" With closer inspection, Lada could see that something was wrong. The usual sparkle and youth in those eyes were dimmed out. She was shaking slightly.
Earn blinked and seemed to only register just now that the doctor was in front of her. "Oh. Hi, P'mor." She tried to smile but it fell flat. She sniffled and hugged herself tighter. "My roommate's boyfriend is here."
Lada held back a frown and kept the judgment to herself. What kind of roommate was this girl living with? Earn sniffled again, Instinctively, Lada reached out and gently pressed the back of her palm against the girl's forehead. Burning. Just what she thought.
"Earn, you have a fever. "
"Oh..right. I was going to go buy some med but too tiring to walk."
"You can't stay like this." Lada took out her phone and booked a cab. "Let's go to my place, okay? I will take care of you."
"My P'mor."
Lada tried to ignore the patter of her heart.
The cab arrived pretty quickly. Lada draped Earn's arm over her shoulder and led the girl to the vehicle. The driver came out to help but Lada politely declined. She could carry Earn by herself.
The sudden warmth of Lada's place was welcoming. Earn's arm was still slung around the doctor as they both stumbled inside. "Your place looks nice. Very cozy," Earn mumbled. Lada nodded a bit distractedly, making sure neither of them tumble to the floor. Earn had already dozed off for a few minutes in the car. She led Earn to her bedroom. She would give her the bed and Lada would just sleep on the couch.
"Earn, change into comfortable clothes." She rummaged through her closet to find her warmest sweatshirt. Before she could hand it to her, Earn suddenly looked alarmed. She grimaced and her hands shot up to her mouth. "Bathroom!"
Earn Sanithada was not having a good day the moment she woke up with a sore throat. She knew things were possibly going to go downhill from there and it did. The headache accompanied the sore throat shortly after. She called in sick for work and forced herself to make instant noodles. She basically passed out in her bed for the entirety of the day and woke up to sounds of loud giggles. Feeling too groggy to care, she tried to go back to sleep. Not a moment later, a loud bang echoed through the entire apartment.
Earn sat up in alarm. Was her roommates okay? She stumbled to the kitchen to see Meena against the counter with her boyfriend pressed over her. She had the decency to look sheepish when she noticed Earn standing at the entrance of the kitchen. "Hey, Earn. You up now?"
Only then the boyfriend stopped kissing Meena's neck and turned around. "Oh, hey. I am Chad."
Earn did not care. She just faked a smile at both of them and marched towards the cabinet to take another dose of medicine—only to find no more tablets for fever. "What the?"
She faced the couple. "Meena, what happened to my medicine?"
"Huh? Oh! Chad said he was feeling a little funny earlier so I gave him the last of it. I mean it's no problem right? There was only like one tablet left."
Earn's patience would have snapped if it weren't for the heavy weariness all over her body. She just felt done.
Her eyes casted downwards to the fallen pot with spilled spaghetti all over the floor.
"Yeah, that's my bad." Chad scratched the back of his head. He did not look sorry.
"We got a bit…distracted," Meena mumbled.
That was it. Earn was going to flee from here. She needed to go to the pharmacy anyways.
Except she felt too sick to even make it to the pharmacy and basically ended up sitting on the stairs. Until Lada came. At first Earn thought she had somehow started hallucinating the doctor. She was yearning for the doctor's presence so much that maybe her brain conjured up fake visions. But the familiar scent of floral perfume greeted her and it really was Lada there.
She felt too sick to even feel happy about it. She recalled the cab arriving and vague remembered the ride. After that things passed by as a blur until Earn felt like hurling her stomach out.
She didn't imagine that the first time she would be in the doctor's bathroom, she would be vomiting into the toilet but here she was.
Lada held Earn's hair and pat her back in worry every time Earn heaved. She could only murmured soothing words as the girl emptied out the contents of her stomach. "It's okay, let it out." She rubbed circles on Earn's back. She did not care if her knees hurt from kneeling on the cold tiles. All she cared was if Earn was okay.
Earn slumped against the wall in exhaustion. She flushed down the vomit."I am sorry…"
"It's okay. It's okay." Lada quickly fetched a glass of water for her.
The girl kept muttering apologies and shivering. Lada reassured her every time.
Soon Earn was bundled up in fresh clothes and dozed off to bed after taking pills.
Lada was initially heading to the couch but seeing the state of Earn, she worried too much to leave her side. Lada was ready to dial the ambulance if more concerning symptoms arise.
At some point Lada found herself dozing off—only stirring from her sleep when she heard Earn's mumbles.
"P'mor…where are you?"
Lada leaned forward and pressed a palm against Earn's forehead. Her temperature hadn't spiked up. That was a good sign at least. "Earn, what's wrong? I am here."
"It's cold," Earn murmured, her eyes still cold and her lips still pale.
"Cold?" Lada glanced at the temperature of her room. The heater was on maximum. "Let me go grab some more blankets." She was about to get up but a gentle grasp from Earn stopped her.
"Don't leave," Earn whispered. "Oh, your skin is so warm. P'mor, lie down next to me."
"Earn—"
"Please, I need your warmth." Even in her state, the girl managed to pout and gave her puppy eyes. Lada's resolve melted. She hesitantly lied down next to the girl and put a respectable amount of space between them. But Earn immediately latched onto her and pressed her face against the crook of Lada's neck.
The doctor stiffened. She wasn't uncomfortable. Her heart was thumping widely. The room suddenly felt hotter.
"Are you okay?" Earn mumbled.
"Why do you ask?" the doctor rasped.
"You are stiff as a board. Relax, P'mor."
Lada slowed down her breathing and let the tension leave her body. This was no stranger. This was Earn. The girl who was sunshine and brought more sunbeams into her life. Maybe that was why Fahlada was so nervous. Because Earn meant so much to her now. What would she do without Earn?
Just relax. Just be in the moment with her.
Lada turned to her side and hugged the girl back.
"This is more effective than a blanket," Earn said.
"Okay," Lada chuckled.
Lada was a light sleeper in general. So when the young girl started shivering in her arms, Lada was immediately up.
"Earn, your fever."
Lada grabbed the tablets she had kept ready on bed and made the girl take it. "I will call an ambulance."
"P'mor, I am fine."
"You are literally shivering."
"I took med. Just give it time."
"Earn, you are being stubborn," the doctor said exasperatedly.
"I am not," Earn protested stubbornly.
Lada sighed. The girl was out in the cold earlier for who knew how long. Could it be hypothermia? Earn just stayed shivering under the blanket instead of accepting to go to the hospital. Lada sighed again.
"Earn, it might be hypothermia. How long were you outside?"
"I don't remember," she replied weakly.
Lada bit the inside of her lip, contemplating her next action. She could…
"Need body warmth," Earn said.
Lada flinched. For a second, she crazily thought Earn had somehow read her mind. She mentally palmed her forehead. Lada, you're being ridiculous now.
"Do you know co-warming?" Blush coated her cheeks the moment she even suggested that. "It's because you might have hypothermia and—"
"I need it."
"W-what?"
"Your heat."
Lada might die from blushing.
She took off the tank top. Only the sport bra left and a pair of gray pants. Earn discarded her own shirt too.
This is just to ward off hypothermia.
Lada inhaled sharply and went back to bed. Once again, Earn immediately clung to her. Her face found home against Lada's neck. The temperature was definitely hotter now and Lada's heart felt like it was going to crash out of her chest.
Earn hummed in approval and Lada felt the slight vibration. "Warm, I like it." Earn hugged the doctor more tightly.
Lada tried to calm herself and just kept hugging the girl. Sleep took over as they both stayed entangled in their arms.
Earn blinked the sleepiness away. For a few seconds, confusion took place. This wasn't her bedroom. Then realization swept over and Earn let out a big groan of embarrassment. She couldn't believe how clingy she got with the doctor. And that skin to skin contact? Did Earn dream that part or did they really—
Earn looked down. Only a bra and pants. Earn groaned into hands. It wasn't that she didn't like the doctor or found her attractive. She did. And if Earn really thought about it, she was falling for the doctor.
But they weren't even dating yet. What if she scared the doctor away?
The source of her overthinking arrived in a casual white fit and a small table "Morning. Feeling better?"
Earn felt a rush of affection at how much care the doctor was showing. "Morning, P'mor." Earn put on the shirt she discarded before and prepared to get up. Lada motioned her to keep staying on the bed. "You keep resting."
She placed the foldable table in front of Earn. Array of fruits, toast and porridge filled the surface. "Eat as much as you can." She checked Earn's temperature. "Hmm, fever definitely reduced. Do you still feel cold?"
"I feel better now, P'mor." The usual brightness coming back to her eyes. "You made so much food. You shouldn't have. In fact, I feel so bad to intrude."
"You aren't intruding. I am more than glad I got to take care of you. Although try not to get sick again, Earn. You worried me so much."
"Next time I will come straight to you when I feel the slightest ounce of a cold," she joked.
"You should." Lada replied with so much seriousness that it even left Earn a little flustered. She looked down at the porridge instead.
"Looks good," Earn said, trying the first bite. "Yum."
"I am serious though, Earn. Don't stay outside like that again. I am here for you."
Earn looked up again and saw nothing but sincerity in the doctor's eyes. "I will," she whispered, a little overwhelmed with the amount of care she was being provided with.
Lada smiled gently and patted the girl's head. "I will go get your med now. Keep eating."
The doctor strode back out to the kitchen. She had an epiphany this morning. Earn Sanithada was the person she wanted the future. She wanted Earn when the girl was bringing chaotic and optimistic energy into her life. She wanted Earn when she was having to clean up Earn's vomit.
Lada took out her phone to check if the bouquet she ordered was out for delivery yet. She had an important question to ask to Earn when it arrived.