Chapter 10

Andrew stood there, watching. He had a habit of squinting his eyes, and his thoughts were always a mystery. The fever medication quickly took effect. Melina broke into a sweat, her temperature beginning to drop. In her hazy state, she saw her neighbor, Julian, transform into Andrew. When Melina fully regained consciousness, it was already 1:00 pm the next afternoon. She hadn't slept at all the night before. After her fever broke at dawn, she slept until the afternoon, waking up from hunger. Melina's resilience was remarkable. Despite fainting from a high fever, she was back to normal after a dose of medicine and a good night's sleep. She rolled out of bed and dashed to the garden to check on the orchids. Seeing them properly planted, she scurried back inside. Her stomach growled. Last night's dinner had been cleared away, much to her disappointment. She decided to cook some pasta, though she couldn't bring herself to add an egg. She had to take care of Andrew and pay for the orchids, she couldn't afford to waste a single penny. As Melina prepared her pasta, Wallace called. "Hello, Lina, how have these past couple of days been?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "Has that boy been treating you right? If anything is upsetting you, please don't hesitate to tell me." Melina hesitated, caught off guard by such care. As an orphan, she rarely experienced such concern, and it left her momentarily flustered. She recalled the hazy memories of last night. It was Andrew who had taken care of her when she was sick. She never forgot a favor. If shown even a sliver of kindness, she would remember it forever. "I'm doing very well," Melina replied earnestly. "Andrew is treating me well. He's a very kind person." Wallace's hearty laughter echoed through the phone. "I'm happy to hear that. You're such a sweet child. Thank you for taking care of that boy." Wallace was genuinely delighted; he'd never heard anyone describe his grandson as a kind person before. Wallace was dead set on keeping their marriage a secret from the family, wanting to give the young couple some peace. After chatting with Wallace for a bit, Melina hung up, only to find Andrew standing at the staircase, watching her. She was startled, almost dropping her phone into the pan. "Andrew, I thought you'd be at work." Melina noticed the bruise on Andrew's lip, feeling a pang of guilt. She'd only been in Oakread for two days. Yet she'd managed to hit Andrew on the first day and destroy his garden on the second. Yet, he still took care of her when she fell ill. In Melina's opinion, it was only right to compensate for the damage she'd caused. So even if Andrew's attitude was harsh, she didn't think he was in the wrong. Her biggest gripe with him was probably his wastefulness with food. Andrew remained silent. Melina glanced at her pasta, and considering the time, she asked, "Andrew, I'm making pasta. Would you like some?" She assumed Andrew wouldn't eat, given how he'd said her meal wasn't fit for a dog yesterday. To her surprise, Andrew walked straight to the dining area and sat down at the table. Melina was stunned, wondering if this meant he wanted to eat. So, she cooked some extra pasta and after a moment's thought, fried an egg for Andrew. The simple meal consisted of pasta, some green vegetables, a fried egg, and a sprinkle of parmesan on top. It was a far cry from the gourmet pasta with exotic ingredients Andrew usually ate. Andrew took a bite, paused, and found it unexpectedly delicious. Melina watched him anxiously, only relaxing when she saw him pick up his cutlery and continue eating. She started eating her own portion, which lacked the egg and only had vegetables. Andrew noticed but didn't think much of it, assuming she didn't like eggs. It never crossed his mind that someone would skimp on an egg to save money.