Chapter Twenty – Plans Dissolved

Unfortunately for Olivia she wasn't going to get the chance to talk to Ben about the fundraiser Saturday like she'd thought. She wasn't going to be doing anything besides lying on the couch and trying not to feel too miserable. The last thing she'd expected was her mild exhaustion and achiness from the last few days to turn into a full-fledged cold. There was no way she'd be able to pull it together enough to go out. She was going to need to call Ben and let him know. Groaning softly she fumbled around on the coffee table for her cell. Suvi glanced up at her questioningly.

"I got it, Su," she told him weakly.

Normally she would have texted Ben to let him know what was going on so she didn't interrupt his work. With how she was feeling she wasn't sure texting would be a good idea. She didn't think her fingers were listening well enough, and her brain definitely wasn't at a point where she would notice if she made a mistake. Calling was simply easier at the moment. If it wasn't a good time for him to take the call she would leave a voicemail. Her fingers closed around the phone and she clicked on Ben's contact number. As it rang she tried to organize her thoughts through the fog of her cold. The sudden sound of Ben's voice caught her off guard.

"Couldn't wait until tonight, huh?"

"If tonight were going to happen I could have."

"Olivia? What's wrong?"

He'd immediately noticed the weakness in her voice and couldn't help thinking something was really wrong. She wasn't just cancelling because she was having second thoughts. That was for sure. Was she hurt? Had she had a bad seizure?

"I'm really not feeling well, Ben. There's no way I'm going to be getting off the couch."

"The seizures?"

"No. Just a cold or the flu or something."

Relief flooded through Ben. A cold he could deal with; a cold he could help with. Even more important to him was the fact that the flu wasn't all that scary. Really bad seizures and what could come along with them didn't qualify as scary either. They were terrifying. As bad as this cold might be, it was definitely better than the other possibilities.

"Then I'll bring you some chicken soup or something."

"Ben…"

"Suvi can't look after you all the time. Come on, Liv."

He was willing to come over to her place and help take care of her, but was she willing to let him? If she was wrong about him she wasn't exactly in the best condition to defend herself. In fact, she doubted she would even be able to kick him out if she needed to. She'd had a lot of men over to her place before though and she had to hope that her judgment was better now than it had been when she was younger. He was just going to be bringing soup over, not trying to jump into bed with her. This would be just like any other visit only at her apartment. (Of course that was the problem. It was her apartment. If he came over now he would have her address from then on out.) Her worries were probably completely over-the-top. Besides, Suvi really liked Ben. That was a major vote of confidence in Ben's favor. She rubbed at her head and tried to decide what to do. Finally she sighed and gave him her address.

"If the door doesn't open the first time ring again. Suvi's aim isn't always perfect."

Ben didn't end up needing to call up to her apartment a second time. Suvi had hit the security door release button on his first try and had happily unlocked her main door and opened it with the pull towel on the knob and a little help from Ben. It wasn't the best system since Suvi couldn't turn the knob, but it was the best she could do without changing the entire knob. Ben rubbed Suvi's head as he passed and moved toward Olivia.

"Who gets a cold in the middle of the summer?" he teased as he knelt next to her and set the bag he'd brought on the coffee table.

Olivia smiled weakly at him but didn't bother to sit up.

"Me apparently. Now be nice or I'll have Suvi throw you out."

"Sorry." He kissed her hairline and then stroked her hair back from her sweaty forehead.

"If you get sick now don't blame me."

"I won't. I have a stronger immune system than that." Ben flashed her a bright smile and continued stroking her hair. "How high is your fever?"

"High enough to make me feel miserable."

Suvi had wandered over and sat down beside her. Olivia let her arm drop off the couch so she could rub his ears. The last time she'd checked how high her fever was it had been hovering right under 103.

"Well, it's a good thing I brought some things that will make you feel better." He started pulling supplies out of his bag and setting them on the coffee table in a row. "Chicken soup. Ice cream. Tea. A flower."

A smile flickered across Olivia's face.

"You brought me a plastic flower?"

"They last longer and don't require you to get up and chance the water every day."

"And here I thought you were going to say something outside the box and instead you blow it up."

"What can I say? I'm good with figurative explosives."

Olivia snorted back a laugh. Ben seemed to be better than all of the over the counter medications she was taking. She was already feeling a little bit better.

"Now, what would you like first?" Ben asked. "Ice cream would be my first choice personally."

"I'll stick with the tea, thanks."

"Alright. Just tell me where you keep your mugs, towels, and trash."

"In the kitchen. Trash is under the sink. Towels are in the drawer to the left. Mugs are in the upper cabinet near the fridge."

"Got it. Be right back."

He disappeared, and Olivia heard the sound of cabinets and drawers opening and closing. She glanced over in time to see him fill a mug with water and stick it into the microwave. Instead of waiting by the microwave he returned to the sink. She had no idea what he was doing until he came back over and rested a wet rag on her forehead.

"Milk, honey, sugar?"

"Mm. Honey or sugar is fine. I'm pretty sure I'm out of milk."

Ben tucked the blanket further around her before returning to the kitchen to get her tea. He didn't end up going in alone though. Suvi wandered over as well and sat down at the edge of the kitchen to watch him. A smile flickered across Olivia's face. He'd done the exact same thing to her before, and she knew precisely what it meant.

"Ben."

"Hm?"

"You're being watched."

"Of course I am. I'm the eye popping centerpiece of you kitchen right now," he teased.

"You're being watched by someone else, and I don't think he cares much about your looks."

Ben glanced around, and it didn't take long for him to spot Suvi. When his eyes landed on Olivia's dog Suvi's tongue dropped out of his mouth and his tail whisked across the floor. Ben couldn't help laughing out loud when he saw that.

"Does someone else want a cup of tea too?"

"I doubt it, but he'd be very game for a treat I'm sure."

"Where are they?"

"Farthest upper cabinet from the fridge. Grab whatever for him."

"Got it."

Grabbing the tea and a bacon strip for Suvi, Ben returned to Olivia's side. He sat down on the edge of the couch and handed Olivia her tea, though not before Suvi made it clear that he should have been first. His chin landed on Ben's thigh and he turned pleading and disappointed honey eyes upward.

"How am I supposed to say no to that?" he asked.

Olivia smiled and took a sip of her tea before answering.

"You don't really."

"Yeah, didn't think so."

Ben held the bacon strip out, and it disappeared in a matter of seconds. All he was left with were slightly slobbery fingers and a very happy dog. Wanting to be absolutely sure there weren't any more treats floating around Suvi sniffed at Ben's hands, lap, and Olivia's face before curling back up on the floor. If there weren't more treats then he didn't need to pay attention to them anymore.

"So I may not get to go to this surprise place you were going to take me to on Saturday, but I can hear about the surprise work event still, right?"

"There isn't too much to tell."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"I've already told you all of the big stuff."

"So tell me the small stuff. Who's going to be there? What are we eating? How long will it be?"

"Okay. Okay," Olivia moaned as she rubbed at her eyes. "Way to overload a fevered brain."

"I think you can handle it."

She knew that she could handle it, but that didn't mean she wasn't ready to shove him off the couch. Lucky for Ben she really didn't have the energy to even try it.

"You're lucky I'm not feeling well."

"I know."

Of course he did.

"You'll get to meet some of my friends from the center, Micheal and Marshelle. As for your other two questions, your guess is as good as mine."

"Do they both have dogs?"

"Micheal does. Marshelle is the founder. She's pretty much the reason I have Suvi."

"I guess I have to thank her then." Olivia gave him a questioning look which made Ben grin. "If you didn't have Suvi I wouldn't have stood a chance."

Sadly that was probably true. In the beginning Olivia had let her guard down around Ben because they'd just been focused on Suvi. She'd gotten to know him because of it. Had he come up to her and shown interest in her alone she probably wouldn't have given him much of a chance, if she gave him one at all. Suvi was the main cornerstone in their friendship, even their relationship. It was just one more thing to add to her list of everything he had done for her.

"You realize if you actually say that to Marshelle…"

"You'll kill me? Yeah, I know."

"I figured you did."