Sick Day (Part 1)

A gentle voice tickles my ear as I switch to the other side of the bed and slowly open my eyes.

“Nozomu, wake up.”

A woman with orange hair lies beside me, her eyes still closed, which makes me wonder if she herself is already awake.

I sit up and turn to the digital clock situated on the small shelf on my side of the bed. Meanwhile, Nozomi sits up, stretches her arms upward, and yawns. She gets out of bed, but, I swear, her eyes are still closed.

She’s not sleepwalking, right?

It’s been a week since Nozomi moved in with me, and she settled in quickly, as if she had been part of my life forever. I expected a bit of awkwardness on her part. We had slept together several times, but living together, I assume, was a completely different experience.

But I guess it’s too early to judge. It has only been a week.

Nozomi goes straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, almost automatically. I follow her and peek into the kitchen and ask,

“How about I make breakfast today? ”

“No. Take a shower. I'll be done in a few minutes,” she responds and yawns softly.

I retreat from the kitchen and go to the bathroom. Arguing with Nozomi this early in the morning is never a good idea, unless I want her to be grumpy all day. It’s terrifying when her sunshine turns into a thunderstorm.

Minutes later, we start to eat breakfast, and I notice how Nozomi seems to look a little pale and is eating slower than usual. She also puts a very small amount of food in her mouth.

“What’s wrong? "I ask.

“I don’t know. My body feels a little heavy.”

“Does your head ache? ”

“No. It’s just a heavy feeling.”

“Cold then? ”

I reach for her forehead to check her temperature, and it seems like she has a slight fever.

“Maybe you should skip work today, just in case,” I suggest.

“But there’s a book signing today. I have been looking forward to it.”

She pouts in disappointment, and her eyes look like they’re on the verge of tears.

Who could this author be? I didn’t even know that she was interested in reading books.

“Maybe you can ask your colleague for a signed book.”

“Somehow, I feel frustrated. I should have been extra careful so I wouldn’t get sick.”

Come to think of it, she was moving a lot in bed last night, as if she couldn’t sleep.

“Have you been feeling sick since yesterday? ”

“Kind of... maybe... I don’t know. I felt tired but restless at the same time.”

“You’re definitely taking a sick day today. Just rest for the day; leave the cleaning to me. I’ll do it later, when I arrive home. I think I still have medicine for fever."

I stand up and go to the entrance. There are three wooden low cabinets with sliding doors aligned at the sides. I open the first cabinet and return to the living room with a medicine box. I keep my medicine box in that low cabinet, along with an emergency backpack that has all of the supplies that I will need in case of any disaster. Although I do hope I will never need it,

I’ll check the canned goods inside the bag later.

“Drink the medicine after eating,” I say as I place the medicine on the table and sit down.

“Wait, do you even have an appetite? I’ll make porridge before I go.”

“I think I can eat this for now. You'll be late if you cook. Don’t worry about me. It’s not like this is the first time I've ever gotten sick.”

But it doesn’t mean it makes the situation any better.

I, myself, had lived alone for quite a while until Nozomi moved in. Getting sick when there was nobody to look after me was somewhat depressing, enough to make me feel like my illness was getting worse. I had to force myself to go out and buy the medicine that I needed, even though my body was too weak to even stand up. I had to cook my own porridge when I couldn’t eat my usual meal. I had to attend to myself and hope that I’d get better soon. Although in my case, I had relatives that I could call in case of a serious emergency,.

She has no one else to turn to.

That thought tugs on my heart.

“What did you do when you got sick? "I ask.

She puts a small piece of scrambled egg in her mouth and chews slowly. After she swallowed, she responded,

“I had food poisoning once, and I thought I was going to die in the toilet. I collapsed at some point, and when I came to, I somehow managed to call for an ambulance. It was embarrassing and terrifying at the same time. I stopped eating sushi after that incident.”

“You make it sound like it was nothing. You could have died from dehydration."

“Well, I thought I was alone anyway. If I died there and then, what else could I do?

She whispers to herself, then starts chewing some rice. It’s a whisper; it’s vague, but I think I heard what she said.

Maybe they’ll finally take the time to see me.

I thought for a moment about whom she was referring to, and I thought of the only people who are directly related to her.

Her brothers.

She hasn’t told me the whole story, but I suppose she really wants to see them.

We continue to eat, and gratefully, Nozomi manages to finish her meal. I clear the table and wash the dishes while Nozomi takes her medicine and retreats to the bedroom. Since she didn’t argue about the dishes, I thought she would be resting in the bedroom. To my surprise, I find her piling throw pillows on one corner of the couch, then unfolding a blanket.

“What are you doing? ”

“Setting up my bed,” she answers flatly.

So, illness turns off her sunshine automatically. This is kind of worrying.

“Why don’t you rest in the bedroom? ”

Without a hint of hesitation, she lies on the couch, hugs her precious sheep, and covers her body with the blanket.

“It’s more convenient to be in the living room. The bed doesn’t feel comfortable to sleep on. It didn’t used to be like that. I think the mattress needs to be changed.”

Is that why she was changing sleep positions a lot last night?

“I guess I can’t delay buying a new mattress now.”

I pick up my bag and hang it on my shoulder. I go behind the couch and put my hand on Nozomi’s forehead. Her temperature seems to be the same as before.

“It’s 38.3 degrees Celsius. I checked it a while ago. It's strange how I seem to start to feel worse when I take the medicine.”

She tucks the blanket tightly and closes her eyes. I notice how she seems to have everything she will need for the entire day on the table, parallel to the couch. Her phone, the medicine box, a bottle of water, tissues, and towel are all conveniently on the table, so she can easily reach them.

“I called my manager as well. He said he'd gladly asked Mariko-sensei to sign a copy of her book for me. Can you pick it up for me? ”

Her voice sounds weak and sleepy.

“I will. Call me if you need anything or if there’s an emergency.”

“Hmm...” is all that she says.

“I’ll go now.”

She manages to nod, then I go on my way. If I didn’t have an exam, I would have stayed at home with her. Unfortunately, I can’t miss this one exam, and I also have some assignments that I need to pass. I will never get another chance if I skip my classes today. I just hope that Nozomi will get better.

At least I can go home early.

***

I have an exam in an hour, so I stay in the student lounge to review for a bit. It is my last class for the day, and I just want to get it over with so I can finally go home.

“This isn't the final exam, you know.”

I look up to find my classmate, Haru, as he pulls out the chair across me and sits.

“I know." I briefly respond and go back to reading my notes on my laptop.

“You look so serious, though.”

“Because I take my life seriously. You should do the same instead of playing around and constantly bothering me.”

That seems like a rude reply, but Haru simply laughs like it's the funniest joke ever.

“Man, you're really funny. Life is too short, as they say. You should have fun sometimes. You'll be single forever if you continue to frown like that.”

I slightly tilt my head to the left and frown at him. He has a carefree smile plastered on his face.

“What? "He asks.

“I guess I haven't told you.”

I don't think it's necessary to tell anyone anyway.

Now, it's Haru who's frowning.

“Hey! What do you mean? You haven't told me what? "

I sigh. “It’s nothing.”

Haru is a playboy, and, to be honest, I don’t want to get involved with him because of his reputation. However, he was the first person that I interacted with when I entered university, and I found myself stuck with him. He is a good person, though, as long as women aren’t involved.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me! Don’t tell me you have a girlfriend now. ’’

What a bother!

“Why does it matter to you? "I reply in annoyance.

He gasps dramatically, but as soon as his questionable shock subsides, Haru crosses his arm and nods.

“I get it if you don’t want to tell me. You haven’t been together for that long, so it’s better to keep things private until you’re both comfortable with each other.”

Suddenly, my phone rings.

It’s a video call from Nozomi.

“Hello? "I answered immediately, worried.

“Hi.”

At first, I thought there is a problem with the signal because my screen is black, but when I squint, I realize that all the lights in the living room, where Nozomi is resting, are simply turned off.

“Why is it so dark? ”

“It was too bright, so I turned off the lights.”

I mean, it’s light, so I suppose it is supposed to be bright.

I’d say that if she wasn’t sick, but right now, I think it would be rude to point it out.

“Anyway, why did you call? Do you need anything? ”

“I feel sad.”

It is difficult to see her expression in the dark living room, but I can somewhat sense the loneliness in her voice. I wonder if she’s only saying that because she’s sick.

“I still have one last class. I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay. By the way, can I ask something? ”

“What is it? ”

“Can we have a pet bird? ”

“No.” My response is quick, brief, and stern. I don’t know where she got this idea, but I’m not down for it.

“You didn’t even hesitate. At least pretend that you’re thinking about it.”

She sounds adorably upset. I almost reconsidered her idea, but I can’t have this kind of conversation and rush a decision.

“Let’s talk about it when you’re not sick. How’s your fever? "

“It’s not getting better. I can’t sleep either.”

“Just close your eyes and relax. I’ll send a message when I’m on my way home."

She replies with a "Hmm" and then ends the call.

“Is that your girlfriend? "Haru asks with an unreadable expression.

I forgot he is here.

“She is.”

I clear out the table and stand up to leave. Haru follows me, saying, “Wait, I still have questions."

***

I bought some takeout on my way home and passed by the bookstore where Nozomi works. I thought her usual female colleague would meet me, but a tall, good-looking man who seemed to be in his mid-20's came out of the office to give me Nozomi’s signed book.

Tell her that she can take a day off tomorrow and that she shouldn’t worry about work. That girl works too hard and barely takes a day off. Take this box of chocolate. She loves these.

He said that with a bright, charming smile, and I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Apparently, he was the manager, and he was good-looking. That smile of his could definitely make any woman swoon, although I’m not sure about Nozomi.

I send a quick message to Nozomi as I arrive at the apartment building and make my way upstairs, but as I reach the hallway, I see a man standing in front of our apartment. He isn't familiar to me, and I am sure that he doesn't live in our apartment building. It's quite odd, but I don't feel a sense of urgency to confront the man, so I walk slowly towards our apartment—until Nozomi opens the door and the man takes a step towards her and embraces her.

My eyes widen at the scene, and I run towards them, but before I can reach them, the man steps back. However, he steps back a little too late because Nozomi has already soiled his shoulder with her vomit. He stands there in silence, his mouth ajar.

I can't believe I'm seeing this right now.

It's an anticlimactic but quite of a comical scene to witness. I sigh and walk towards Nozomi. I rub her back as she wipes her mouth with the sleeves of her shirt.

“You okay? "I ask.

“I’m sorry for the mess."

“Don't worry about it. You have to change your clothes. I'll clean this up. You can go inside.”

She nods and walks back in slowly. The way she walks with her hands on the wall for support makes me worry, but I can't go inside yet. I put down the paper bags that I have been carrying and turn back to the unknown man who's still standing in front of my door.

“I don't know what you want, but I don't plan on inviting you inside my apartment. I'll call the police if you don't leave.”

I glare at him, making sure that he understands me very well.

“I need to talk to Nocchi,” he responds, even though he still looks confused.

Nocchi? Is he Nozomi's friend?

I remember when I first met Nozomi; she told me that her friends call her Nocchi. I’m still suspicious, though.

“If you can't tell, she's sick right now. You can go now, but I can't say that I want you to come back. I'll call the police if you stay here, so leave."

I slam the door shut and sigh again.

This is quite an exhausting day.

***

Writer's note:

If you made it this far, I want to say thank you very much for reading Orange and Blues. I originally wrote this story for the contest but the pressure got the better of me so I stopped for a while. I had considered abandoning this story but I realized that I loved my babies too much to abandon them. XD I want to give them the ending that they deserve. <3

Anyway, have a nice day ^^