I would have spent all day in that damned closet if it meant I never had to see the person who caught us in the closet again. Not that we were “caught” doing anything all that salacious! Who wouldn’t sweat in a hot place like that? And with both of us in the closet, there hadn’t been much room to pull out the chair, which is why I was sitting on the copier. And Damon was tired! That was why he leaned on it—and me—for a minute.

Yeah, I’d been playing our defense all night in my head.

Of course, Marianne was the first face I saw at the office the next day.

At least I was wearing the least salacious, most breathable professional outfit in my possession. 

“Hi Marianne! How are you today?”

“Wonderful.” She glanced up with a bland smile as she kept typing away. “Mr. Mae won’t be in today.”

“I wasn’t looking for him!” I asserted. “Although, I was hoping I’d have a project assignment.”

“I’ll message Mr. Mae.”

Was he too humiliated to be seen with or even talk to me after the closet incident?

Marianne paused. “Are you planning to stop by his place later today?”

I crossed my arms. “No, why?”

“We have a lot of high priority challenges, some of which require physical signatures and decisions. I know he’s sick, but if he could get back to me by the end of the day—”

“I’ll do my best.” What else was I going to do today? Sweat in a closet? “What’s his address?”

She looked shocked, but after confirming with Damon via text, she gave it to me.

When I got to his place, Damon sagged against the door like it was the only thing holding him up. “Hey,” he mumbled. His hair stuck up at odd angles like he’d been laying in bed all day, his gray sweatpants and cotton v-neck reminiscent of our high school days.

“I brought you soup!” I held up the bag.

“Did you make it yourself?” he deadpanned, the faint color draining from his face.

“I got it from that sandwich shop by your building.” I had half a mind to dump it at his feet! “I thought you could use some energy while we go over a few things.”

Sighing, he dragged his feet to a pale yellow couch and flopped down. “I’m supposed to be sleeping.”

“I know, I know.” I set my bags down and prepared our lunches. “Running a company can be exhausting. But rewarding, don’t you think?”

“Mmhmm.” He propped his head up on his fist and eyed the work I brought. “You know, most people respect sick days.”

“Really? Usually, I had to go in, but my dad and Todd always brought me my work when I couldn’t.”

Damon raised a brow. “Your team captain?”

I nodded, ripping open the biodegradable silverware.

Damon draped his arm over the back of the couch. “Interesting. Anything going on over there?”

“Nope. Dad’s still processing that I quit. I haven’t heard how Todd’s leading the company. Or the baseball team. Probably not well.”

I figured I’d wait until Damon had a few bites to bring up work again, but he just kept staring at me. We sat in silence as the soup steamed, the delicious smell making my stomach grumble.

Was he not tempted? Or just that annoyed with me?

I drummed my fingers on my knee. “I’m sorry if I crossed a boundary. I thought this was a nice gesture. It’s what you used to do for me when I was out sick or had to work late.”

“We’re not in high school anymore, Alina.” He finally took a spoonful of soup. “Mmm, not bad. Not as good as my parents’, but—”

“Is anything?”

Chuckling, he brought the bowl closer and took another big gulp. “Okay, what did you bring me?”

We went over some contracts and samples while he ate. But I could tell his eyelids were heavy, and despite the air conditioning, he was still coated in a fine sheen.

“You’re still pretty sick, huh?” I asked. “Do you have a fever?”

“I don’t know.” He set aside the mostly-empty bowl. “I’ll be better after I get some rest.” Yawning behind a closed fist, he picked up his phone. “We can get back to it. Just have a few more emails…”

Hesitating, I set our work aside. “Do you have a thermometer?”

“In the bathroom, maybe?” He gestured to a door on the left.

I braced myself for gym clothes on the floor and facial hair in the sink, things his parents were always getting on his case about, but was pleasantly surprised by the soft mat under my feet and spot-free mirror. The medicine cabinet had some cold/flu medicine, band-aids, ibuprofen, and… tampons?

Of course he’d had girls over between high school and our current arrangement, but my stomach rolled, nonetheless. I hoped I hadn’t caught his mystery illness.

By the time I got back to the couch, armed with a wet washcloth, a thermometer, medicine, and questions, Damon was passed out. He really needed his rest.

I brushed the curl from his forehead and laid a wet washcloth across his forehead, careful to catch the drip so it didn’t spill onto his couch. He stirred, the corner of his mouth curling up.

Aw, he was still kind of cute after all these years.

“I didn’t think you’d come back,” he murmured.

“I was getting the medicine,” I whispered.

After a few more garbled words, he rolled over. Should I hover? No, he’d probably think that was too affectionate or something. He was the opposite of Todd, not wanting or needing to be babied.

I settled into his armchair and got back to work.

About an hour later, Damon woke up looking refreshed, though he flinched and nearly flung the washcloth across the room when he saw me.

“No, I’m not a dream.” I tilted my head sideways and smiled to be more on his level. “I was just finishing up these acquisition contracts.”

Rubbing his face, he frowned. “You shouldn’t be doing that.”

“Why not?” I curled up, ready to protect them.

“Because they’re my responsibility.”

I blinked and set my feet back on the ground. “You can trust your projects with me. I’m looking for work to do, and I’ve already signed our contract, so I won’t leak anything.”

“Alina, you’re more than capable. But I don’t want you bearing my burden,” he said. “If anything, I should be helping you out. And I will, once I catch up on everything.”

After a few moments of silence, I stood up. “It’s not a burden. We’ll help each other, won’t we?”

His eyes widened, his tone earnest in a way that almost hurt. “Absolutely.”