Conrad finally picked up on Dustin's odd behavior., I took a sip of water,

"You should probably ask him about that... and well, I'm not really in the mood for anyone right now.

", His expression was indifferent,

"You don't have to keep reminding me.

",

"I'm just stating the facts,

" I said, coughing twice. Conrad patted my back gently.,

"Does Ernest have no clue about your ordeal?

" Conrad's question hit a nerve., Cupping the mug, the warmth of the water chased away the chill in my body, but it couldn't dispel the coldness settled in my heart,

"He came, and then he left.

", Conrad didn't push further. I handed him the cup,

"I'm tired, gonna catch some sleep.

", As I lay down, Conrad just sat there silently. I had a fever, my eyelids felt incredibly heavy, and just before I drifted off, I heard Conrad say,

"You never seemed this hurt when we broke up.

" Why bring that up now?, But what he said was true, breaking up with him didn't tear me up inside like this.,

"Maybe because you were a slow pain, I became numb to it,

" I mumbled, turning over and slipping into a deep sleep., The smell of delicious food woke me up. My eyes fluttered open to see Conrad sitting at the bedside, engrossed in his phone, so much so that he didn't notice I was awake., But I was really hungry, eyeing the food container on the nightstand, I tried to get up., The scrapes and bruises on my body made me gasp in pain, thwarting my attempt to rise., Hearing me, Conrad immediately dropped his phone and rushed over,

"You're awake, why didn't you call me?

",

"I'm hungry,

" I said, cutting to the chase., He chuckled,

"Knew it, you're always hungry when you wake up from being sick, just like old times. Whenever you caught a cold or had a fever, the first thing you'd do after waking up was eat.

" That was true. While most people lost their appetite when sick, I was different; I got hungry., Back then, Jacqueline would joke,

"A cold or fever isn't really being sick; it's just an excuse to eat without moving much.

", As Conrad spoke, he checked my forehead with his hand,

"No fever now.

", He then handed me a wet wipe for my hands and opened the food container., No need to ask, it was all my favorites., Despite the ten years we were, together, where he didn't love me et, much, one thing was clear-he knew, exactly what I liked to eat t and drink., , Chicken noodle soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and apple pie-every item was something I hadn't eaten in a long time but craved., Ever since Ernest and I split, I hadn't had such satisfying meals., Though the restaurant had everything, it lacked that home-cooked flavor, specifically, the flavor of Ernest's cooking., He spoiled me with his cooking, and now he had left me to fend for myself., Just thinking about it made me feel a mix of sourness and irritation.,

"This isn't from the restaurant; my mom made it,

" Conrad's words caught my attention., flood., He knew me well enough to chuckle,

"Don't worry, didn't tell my mom about your near-miss with the She was making pies today, and when you didn't show up to eat, she kept going on about it. So, I asked herto cook some up and said I'd bring them over myself.

" , I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling guilty for not appreciating Jacqueline's care., Conrad could easily see through me,

"Alright, turn that gratitude into appetite, eat all this up and get better soon.

", With that, he handed me the, utensils took them but didn't start, eating, right away, instead, Istat, o drink some water fire,

"I'd, , Maybe it was because I swallowed some dirty water, but my throat felt like something was stuck in it, making it really uncomfortable., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.