Chapter 16

Phoenix Sterling I woke up with a really bad headache and I ran to the bathroom to throw up. I sat down on the ground and sighed. I guess Angelo brought me home instead of bringing me to his place. I got up and walked to the kitchen to drink water when I found a chicken soup on the kitchen table with a note. You look wasted, eat this and stop being a pain in the ass. - Lana I smiled seeing it and decided to heat it up. I looked out the window and it's still raining. The sky was so dark and it was raining cats and dogs. I checked the time and it's 11 in the afternoon. I grabbed my phone on the living room table and called my secretary telling her that I won't be going to work today. As I'm waiting for the soup to boil, I walked to the glass window and looked at the rain outside. Suddenly my apartment door opened revealing Lana completely soaked. "What happened?" I asked as I ran to the nearest guest room to get a towel. I ran towards her and gave her the towel. She's shivering and I quickly grabbed a warm water so she can warm up. "Thanks." She said as she drank the water slowly. I turned off the stove and turned to her. "You just woke up?" She asked and I nodded. "What happened? You didn't bring your umbrella?" I asked and she sighed. "Yeah, I was just running some errands near here and suddenly it rained." She said. "Go take a hot bath or a hot shower, you'll get sick." I said and she nodded. She put down the glass and ran upstairs. I helped her put her bag on the kitchen table and decided to eat the soup. I left a bowl for her incase she wants it. I made a hot honey and lemon tea for her so she won't get cold. I heard her coming out from her room. "Lana, come here." I called her and she walked down from the stairs. She's was wearing a grey baggy tee with her hair still wet. I was speechless looking at her like this. "Huh?" "Drink this." I said as I pushed the tea cup towards her. I even gave her the chicken soup that she made. "You're not working today?" She asked as she picked the cup up. She's blowing it so it won't burn her mouth. "No, I need a rest. I think I might have overworked myself." I said and she nodded. "How about you? You're not working too?" "Yeah, I ditched. I prefer to stay at home when it's raining and gloomy outside. I prefer watching Netflix and snuggle under the blanket." She said and I chuckled. "Netflix and chill?" I raised my eyebrows. "Alone." She said and she took a sip. "Thank you for.. making me this." She said pointing at the tea. "Thank you too for the soup." I said and she smiled. "I'm going back to my room, you should rest too. You were.. so drunk last night." She said as she walked towards the stairs. She walked up and I couldn't help but check her out. I decided to wash up myself and maybe take a rest. When I was taking a shower, I suddenly remembered that I have a small projector to watch a movie. I can give it to Lana later on. After washing up, I grabbed the projector from my office and walked toward Lana's room. I knocked on the door and Lana told me to come in. I opened the door and the lights were off already. She was laying on the bed looking at her laptop watching movies. "I have this.." I said showing her the projector. Her face lit up and she gestured to me to come to her. "You can use it, I'm not really using it." I said as I gave her the projector. "Can you help me connecting it?" She asked and I nodded. I sat on her bed and she gave me her laptop. I noticed that she was watching One Day. I helped her connect her laptop with the projector. "You want to watch it too?" She asked and I turned to her. She was already looking at me and I found myself nodding. I turned on the projector and it worked. I faced it to the wall and she gestured me to come to her bed. "You're cold?" I asked when I noticed her rubbing her hands. "A little bit.." She said and I turned to find the AC remote to turn on the heater. I got into the bed with her and she kept trying to warm herself. I made her side between my legs and hugged her from behind. "It's warm." She said and I leaned my head to hers. We're watching the movie together without one of us trying to move. "I'm a firm believer that.. the right person that you've been looking for is in front of you. How about you?" Lana asked. "I don't know. I never.. feel love for some reason. I had a rough life." I said and she sat up straight turning her body around facing me. "Tell me." She said as she grabbed my hand. I looked down to our hands and sighed. "We should watch the movie.." I tried to change the subject and I looked up to her. She shook her head and waited for me to tell my story. "I was born poor. So poor that I couldn't even eat once a day. If I'm lucky, I could eat once in two days but if I'm not lucky.. I couldn't eat for days. We lived in a really small room with my parents constantly fighting because of our financial crisis." Lana sat closer to me and she never took her eyes off me. She was holding my hand tightly giving me warmth all over my body. "I grew up sneaking into school. When I got caught, I moved to another school. Thankfully, I was blessed with a really good brain. Even though I couldn't go to school, I can learn little by little from all the kids at the playground." "I grew up in poverty and I always dream of being a billionaire. I want to be rich and have everything that I want in this world. I started working at a local ice cream shop when I was 14, I worked multiple jobs until I'm 16. I helped a man who happened to be a billionaire in Greece. I saved his life and he told me that I could ask for anything and he will grant it." "I asked him for education and money of course. He saw a potential in me and decided to support me in starting my own business. Here I am.." I said and I didn't even tell her all of it. It was more deeper than that but I don't want her to pity me. "And you did it.. you worked hard and you have everything you want now." She said and I nodded. She cupped my face and caressed it slowly. She leaned her face to me and kissed my lips slowly. She was being gentle and I pulled her to sit on my lap. We kissed slowly but it was an intense tension between us. She wrapped her arms around my neck closing the gap between us and I put my hands on her waist. "It's time for you to.. enjoy life, Phoenix. Live your life to the fullest." She said and I couldn't help but smile.