...
...
The day when I first saw you,
Your bright smile full of shyness,
I knew that we'll get closer after today
Every day, I have heart-fluttering expectations
Of what to say to you
And of how to get you to laugh
I fear it'll get awkward when I try to hold your hand,
All I can do is smile shyly.
-For First Time Lovers
...
Musa stared at her cellphone, and clenched her teeth.
She really didn't want to do this.
She turned gazes, and looked at her little child. "Oh, Rhythm, I'm so sorry," she said. She didn't know how to take care of his fever-it seemed that it was rising rapidly, no matter how much ice she put on his forehead. Pulling the blanket closer to his chin, and grabbing another cold washcloth to wipe down his face, she worried that something would happen to her baby. His eyes were closed and his breaths were coming out in deep puffs, while his head was sweaty. Bangs plastered to his face, she bit her lip in nervousness, and closed her eyes. She had to do this for Rhythm, or else he would get even worse. Pressing the numbers quickly, she took a deep breath. "Hello?" She asked into the phone, hoping that she got the right number.
"Hello. May I ask who this is?"
"Um. Hi. Uh, this is Musa-"
"Oh! Hi! What's up?"
"I'm really sorry, Kale, I-I just-Rhythm's having a fever and I don't know what to do-"
"I'll be right there. Where's your address?"
His strong, calm voice made Musa feel safe. She quickly told him her address, and waited in nervousness. She felt completely disappointed in herself that she couldn't heal Rhythm by herself, especially since her former friend Flora was an amazing healer, but she knew that she'd done the right thing. She didn't have many friends in Gardenia, and was mostly known as a strict boss in her production studio, so the first person she thought of help from was him. When she heard a knock at the door, she breathed in deeply, and opened it. Grinning, she welcomed him in, and gasped at the sight of all the first aid equipment that he'd brought in.
"Thank you so much, Kale."
He smiled, and went into the room.
"First thing is, don't put too many covers on him. He has a fever and he's burning up already, so we need to keep him a bit cooler."
Pulling off the covers, he poured a glass of water and propped Rhythm's head up.
"Drink up, kid. It'll make you feel better."
Rhythm didn't whine as he did with Musa. Instead, he instantly took a sip of the glass. Musa was unsure as to whether it was because his tone of voice was so professional, or because it was as if Kale had become a sudden father figure. "He needs lots of liquids, and he probably can't eat anything solid. Do you mind cooking some soup for him? He's going to feel grouchy and cranky when he wakes up, and he's probably also going to get a bit thinner, since he's fighting the virus by himself." Musa nodded, running to the kitchen and turning on the stove, began to cook. As she fished around for a can of chicken soup, she heard another knock on the door. Strange,she thought to herself. Checking the time, she saw that it was still very early into the night, and she frowned. No one else knows we live here…
"I'll get it," Kale said, heading to the door.
Musa nodded gratefully at him while she stirred the soup. Shrugging, she poured it into a bowl, and placed it onto a tray. Holding it tightly between her arms, she began walking over to Rhythm's room when Kale interrupted her. "Riven?" He asked the stranger, while staring at her. Musa peered out, and dropped the tray on to the floor as she saw him. That magenta hair wasn't gelled up into the style he had when he was younger, as it was laying flat on his forehead, but his eyes were still cold as ever.
Riven.
"Musa?" Kale asked, staring at her.
"It's been a while," Riven said angrily, his eyes locked with Kale's.