Under My Boss's Control

I text quickly, saying, “I’m on my way. See you soon.”

She texts back, “Yay! Can’t wait.”

I smile as I drive away from my place. I know this is the right thing to do; I can’t leave her by herself in her condition. Besides, I want to see her and be with her. I make a quick stop at the store, getting essential items like soup, tea, crackers, and other snacks to help her sickness. Soon, I’m back in the car and on my way.

It’s not that far to her apartment, but I make it there faster than I expected. I may have been speeding a little bit in my excitement to get to her. I text her to let her know that I’m outside. I grab everything from the car and walk into the building. I look at all the apartments. I see a door open and she waves for me. I can’t keep the smile from my face as I walk over to her.

“Hi there,” I say as she opens the door wide for me.

She smiles as happily as she can manage, then closes the door behind me. I quickly find the kitchen and take the bags in there.

Chapter 10

Stacey

I’m so excited to have him here. I open the door and watch as he walks inside to my kitchen. I can hear him putting the bags of groceries down. I hurry and straighten up the living room as best as I can. He stands in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Where do you keep your pots and pans?” he asks.

I turn around and look at him in surprise. “You’re cooking something?” I ask him with curiosity.

“I’m making you some hot soup and tea,” he replies with a smile.

I smile too. That’s so sweet of him to do that. “Here, let me show you where they are,” I say, walking towards him.

“No, no, no,” he says in protest. He takes me gently by the shoulders and leads me back to the couch. “You just sit here and rest. I’ll handle everything.”

I sit quietly on the couch. He picks up my blanket, folds it neatly, then covers me. Afterwards, he fluffs my pillows and props them up behind me.

“Thank you,” I say. I love having him here, but I feel a little awkward. I’ve never had anyone take care of me like this.

“No problem. That’s what I’m here for,” he says.

He looks around the room and finds the remote to the TV. He hands it to me, and I smile up at him gratefully.

“The pots are in the bottom cabinet to the left of the stove,” I say.

“Thank you,” he says with a smile.

He walks off to the kitchen. A few seconds later, I can hear him pulling pots out of the cabinet. I breathe a sigh of happiness, but it makes me start to cough again. He hurries back out of the kitchen.

“I forgot to give these to you,” he says as he hands me a bag of extra-strong cough drops.

“Oh, thank you!” I say happily.

I open the bag and pop one in my mouth. I can feel it soothe the ache in my throat. He smiles in response, then goes back into the kitchen.

I put the cough drops on the table and turn on the TV, flipping through the channels. I can’t find anything good on. I’m not in the mood to watch the news, either. I’ve had enough of hearing about all this sickness and quarantine.

They are playing some comedy movie on one of the channels, and though I don’t really like it, I leave it there for background noise.

A few minutes later, Chris walks out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of hot soup and some saltines.

“Here you go. Just give it a little time to cool down. I’ll be right back with your tea,” he says.

I smile at him as I sit up on the couch.

“You are so sweet. You don’t have to fuss over me like this,” I say.

He shakes his head in disagreement.

“I said I was going to take care of you. That’s what I’m here to do,” he says as he walks back to the kitchen.

I watch the movie, blowing on my soup. I nibble on a few crackers as I wait for it to cool down. When it’s finally ready, I take a small spoonful. I’m surprised at how good it tastes, so I quickly eat more. The warm broth feels good against my sore throat.

“How’s your soup?” he asks as he returns with a cup of tea.

He also brings some sugar, lemon, and honey, setting it all on the coffee table and sitting on the carpet across from me.

“It’s delicious! What kind is this?” I ask between mouthfuls.

He smiles, pleased.

“It’s regular chicken noodle, but I added things like garlic and other flavors to it,” he says with a shrug.